Yigal Schleifer is a freelance reporter based in Istanbul, where he works as a correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor and the Eurasianet website. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Ha'aretz, the Times of London and other publications. He blogs about Turkish politics at istanbulcalling.blogspot.com and is the co-founder of istanbuleats.com, a "serious eater's" guide to Istanbul.
Friday's mass resignation by Turkey's top general, Isik Kosaner, and the commanders of the army, navy and air force was a clear sign that the battle between the military and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been decisively won by the government and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But the AKP must now demonstrate that it can continue Turkey's democratization process in an inclusive manner. more
The uprising in Libya and the subsequent foreign military intervention
there are providing a significant test for Turkey's stated desire to
create a foreign policy that combines realism with idealism, while also
highlighting the difficulty Ankara is facing in balancing its
aspirations to become a more independent regional leader in the Middle
East with its efforts to maintain its traditional alliances.
more
One week later, the repercussions of the tragically botched Israeli commando raid on the Gaza aid flotilla spearheaded by a Turkish NGO continue to reverberate worldwide. Much of the raid's fallout has played out in the realm of foreign affairs, particularly regarding its impact on the already sorry state of Turkish-Israeli relations. But the flotilla incident and Ankara's response to it also has a very strong domestic component. more
Although its future is shrouded in doubt, the deal announced on Monday by the Turkish and Brazilian presidents that would allow Iran to ship half of its enriched uranium across the border to Turkey will very likely also serve as an important milestone in the development of a new Turkish foreign policy that is increasingly independent, assertive and engaged in regional -- and even global -- affairs. more
The term "zero problems with neighbors" has become closely associated with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's ambitious and proactive new foreign policy. But there's another term that has frequently been attached to Ankara's newfound diplomatic activism, one that Turkish policymakers are much less fond of: "neo-Ottomanism." more
In Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey now has a foreign minister equally at home in the Ivory Tower and in the halls of power, whose foreign policy thinking is equal parts Machiavelli and Rumi and whose foreign policy implementation frequently blurs the line between idealism and realism. more
ISTANBUL -- The recent closing by Turkey's highest court of the Democratic Society Party, the only pro-Kurdish party in the Turkish parliament, is being seen as a significant setback for the government's newly launched "democratization initiative," a reform program aimed at solving Ankara's decades-old Kurdish problem. more
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Yesterday's signing of protocols by Turkey and Armenia that pave the way for restoring relations between the two countries was a historic moment. The protocols spell out in the clearest terms to date what needs to happen in order for diplomatic ties to be restored and for the two countries' borders to be reopened. But significant hurdles still stand in the way of that actually happening. more
ISTANBUL -- Allegations that elements of the Turkish military may have been hatching a plot to discredit or even topple the government of the liberal Islamic Justice and Development Party are threatening to raise military-civilian tensions in Turkey and further widen the country's deep political divide. The affair is another reminder of how deeply polarized Turkish politics and society are right now. more
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- President Barack Obama ended his recent European tour in Turkey with perhaps his most challenging mission: to repair and reinvigorate the frayed U.S.-Turkish strategic alliance. Benefiting from an obvious desire on both sides to patch thing up, Obama left the country with what appears to be a solid new foundation on which to do so. But significant challenges remain ahead. more