Yavuz Baydar

Articles de cet auteur (10)

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  Finally, a huge gap is filled

  10 August 2011

  Evidently, a lot of attention has been paid to Turkey’s foreign policy in recent years. Given the immense changes taking place in and around Turkey and the globe, this is justified. The shift from a passive, rather indifferent, reactive policy to a proactive one based on a new doctrine, chiefly been driven by two prominent figures of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) — President Abdullah Gül, when he served as foreign minister, and Ahmet Davutoğlu, his successor — has led to (...)

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  Curious findings in Gölcük naval base

  17 December 2010

  Have Turkey’s naval forces become the focal point of anti-democratic activity? It should be rather clear by now that it is more than a mere suspicion that corruption — ideological and behavioral — has taken the entire military institution hostage. Thanks to brave journalists, despite efforts to the contrary by the so-called mainstream media to cover up or spread disinformation, a problematic military structure has emerged, pushing the need for comprehensive reform.
  Ongoing revelations of (...)

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  CHP: Into the unknown

  1 December 2010

  As soon as he felt a bit safer with regard to the fragile political landscape after his entry as chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), one of the most defining moments for Kemal Kiliçdaroglu was to assemble a conference with a limited and secretive attendance that strictly adhered to the Chatham House Rule.
  The meeting, which ended with a series of ideas and proposals for a new identity and direction, preceded the “operation” of ousting Önder Sav from the post of secretary-general (...)

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  Dreams fading over Cyprus

  10 November 2010

  “The procedure used was a disgrace for the EP,” wrote Joost Lagendijk in this paper a couple of days ago, commenting on its scandalous decision to block further the Direct Trade Regulation (DTR), which was meant to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, as a means to facilitate a fair and speedy settlement on the island’s negotiating communities under the auspices of the United Nations.
  It is, indeed. After months of political intrigue and single-minded lobbying, the Greek Cypriot side (...)

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  Israel lobby’s worldview is closer to Bush than Obama

  16 June 2010

  Certainly, much of it has to do with perceptions and denial. Just as the majority of Greeks still do not seem to understand the true meaning and impact of the economic crisis, the majority of the Israeli people show the same pattern.
  They are unable to grasp the fact that the current Gaza blockade has become unsustainable and that their government’s systematically invasive policies of dealing with the Palestinian issue are undermining the West’s vital interests in the region. Societies take (...)

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  Turkey - Israël : diversions, splits, disagreements

  10 June 2010

  After the bloody incident at sea in the eastern Mediterranean, it is now time for reflection. Time spent lambasting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his continuous roaring about the government of Israel (much more than anything else) could be better spent on analyzing what is happening in terms of rethinking relations between Israel, Turkey and the US.
  Splits within the Israeli government, based on internal critique of the massacre, are a fact and, in the long run, may signal its (...)

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  Cyprus : let the talks begin — but seriously

  3 September 2008

  In less than a week, talks on a possible solution in Cyprus will take a serious turn. Dimitris Christofias, president of the Republic of Cyprus, and Mehmet Ali Talat, president of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), will launch the essential part of the revived negotiations process as the leaders of their respective communities. The outcome of the talks are uncertain, although observers and the international community underline that it may be the last chance to (...)

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  Who is in control of ‘the process’?

  31 July 2008

  Nobody. As if it is in an ongoing chain reaction, Turkey has become a dangerous laboratory where the magnitude of prospective explosions is unpredictable.
  It looks, to use another metaphor, like a bus rolling down the hill, bumping into this and that, with no clue in sight as to where and how it will stop. Whoever you speak to these days, including those in the upper echelons, all you hear are expressions of profound uncertainty, concern and fear. Those involved actively in the chain (...)

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  Turkey : intellectuals in twilight

  8 February 2008

  Next Monday, Feb. 11, universities in Turkey will open for the year’s second term. Also next Monday, another session in the Dink trial will take place. All the discussions and debates, as one might expect, focus on two main items in these days of uncertainty — the future of democracy and the limitations on freedom.
  From tomorrow until the end of the week, Parliament will be busy in reaching a conclusion on constitutional amendments to liberate the headscarf for university students. (...)

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  Will Sarkozy shift to realism ?

  18 May 2007

  Source : TDZ, may 2007
  The good news is that the EU has been swift in issuing warnings on the subject of Turkey to the new president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn’s repeated calls for caution in Turkish-EU relations have been noted and we may expect more on the issue in the immediate future.
  As Rehn pointed out Turkey is more fragile than ever, given its present domestic conditions, and should not continue to be mistreated. This is a strict warning to (...)