A Crisis Group report: “Assessing the Fatalities in Turkey’s PKK Conflict [and a roundup]

Assessing the Fatalities in Turkey’s PKK Conflict Crisis Group – Oct 21, 3:00 PM Turkey’s ruling party sees recent battlefield and electoral gains as vindicating its hardline policies toward the PKK. But these same policies fuel the Kurdish grievances that keep the fighting going. Ankara would thus be wise to consider exploring Trump is ‘fully prepared’ … Read more

Iraq Kurd fighters on Turkey border await to join Kobane; Biden to visit Turkey next month…

  US Vice President Joe Biden to visit Turkey next month US Vice President Joe Biden next month visits Ukraine as well as Turkey, where fighting across the border in the Syrian town of Kobane has sparked tensions with Washington Iraq Kurd fighters leave base for Syria deployment: report More than 150 Kurdish peshmerga fighters left a … Read more

Turkish inaction ends but not for ISIS, fighter jets bomb PKK positions… Nejat Ağırnaslı, Sociologist, Dies in Kobane…

Nejat Ağırnaslı, Sociologist, Dies in Kobane bianet – Suphi Nejat Ağırnaslı, a sociology graduate from Turkey’s prestigious Bosporus University, has lost life in Kobane while fighting against ISIS. He was 30 years old. According to his friends, Ağırnaslı left for Turkish fighter jets bomb PKK positions for first time since start of peace bid Turkish fighter … Read more

Brief notes (3)- Who leads the uprising?

E. S. I am about the fly from Beirut to Istanbul and this is the last of 3 hasty posts on the current protests in Turkey. Hopefully I will continue to posts but topical recommendations and suggestions are welcome. This is definitely a Kurdish initiated protest process all over Turkey. As the peace process continued, … Read more

In the anniversary of PKK’s attackes began, guerilla chief’s statue erected.

News in Turkish The statue is in a Diyarbakır village. It is for “Mahsum Korkmaz, also known as Agit, was the first commander of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s military forces.” ************** Turkey ruling party favours Davutoglu as new PM: report Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has strongly backed the naming of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as the new premier … Read more

Serhatcan Yurdam (@syurdam) Berlin’de “PKK yasağı kaldırılsın” mitingini haberleştirdi…

Berlin‘de “PKK yasağı kaldırılsın” mitingi BERLİN – Binlerce eylemci, dün gerçekleşen bir mitingle, Almanya’da 20 yıldır süren PKK yasağını ve örgütün terör örgütleri listesinde değerlendirmesini protesto etti. Miting, Almanya Fedaral Meclisi (Bundestag)’ın yakınındaki tarihi Bradenburger Tor Meydanı’nda yapıldı.. .   Almanya merkezli Tatort Kürdistan İnisiyatifi’nin dün Berlin’de düzenlediği “Barış sürecine destek verilsin, PKK yasağı kaldırılırsın” adlı eyleme 10.000 … Read more

EFD Rights Watch: Turkey at work to trick UEFA to bring police at games..

  Turkey seeks way to sway UEFA over police at games The Turkish government is mulling ways to convince UEFA over the authorization of police officers to oversee the security at games Male students wear skirts to protest ban in Turkey’s Antalya A small group of male high school students wore skirts in protest at … Read more

Contious warnings about the peace process: “PKK retreat to ?end Sept 1? unless ruling AKP takes steps- Politics roundup

PKK retreat to ?end Sept 1? unless ruling AKP takes steps A senior PKK leader has said that they will continue to withdraw until Sept. 1 Turkish gov?t urges PKK to keep commitments in peace process A senior government member has urged the outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK) to fulfill its responsibility and complete the … Read more

Politics roundup. Erdoğan sort of starts election campaign in Rize… KCK warns about the peace process…

Discursive humility:  Turkish PM says he doesn?t want to see ?yes men? around  Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan encouraged intellectuals to warn politicians, including himself Increasing Conservative agenda:  Turkish PM promises separate pools for boys and girls during speech Turkish PM has promised to bring separate Olympic pools for men and women to Rize province … Read more

Yavuz Baydar: Media Bosses [n Turkey] Are Undermining Democracy… A politics roundup…

In Turkey, Media Bosses Are Undermining Democracy New York Times By YAVUZ BAYDAR. Published: July 19, 2013. ISTANBUL ? THE protests that convulsed Istanbuland other Turkish cities last month exposed, among many other things, the shameful role of Turkey’s media conglomerates in subverting press freedom. ****** Kurdish rebels warn Turkey on peace Kurdish rebels give … Read more

Many Israelis think apology to Turkey ?mistake?… A FP roundup…

Is Turkey delaying the Israeli normalization process? It has been nearly three months since Turkish and Israeli diplomats started negotiations for the terms of an agreement. Israelis think apology to Turkey ?mistake? A large majority in Israel believe it was a mistake to apologize to Turkey for the Mavi Marmara raid   Turkey: Background and … Read more

Government’s face saving move: “Armed forces? role set to be limited to protecting state from ?external threats?

Erdogan acts to curb Turkish military Armed forces? role set to be limited to protecting state from ?external threats? after phrasing ? ?to protect nation? ? was used to justify coups   Turkish PM signals no lowering of election threshold Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signaled no withdrawal of Turkey?s 10 percent election threshold.   … Read more

Politics roundup: Tense days over the Peace process…

Turkey faces pressure to advance Kurdish militant peace process By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party is pressing Ankara to advance a peace process with Kurdish militants before a parliament recess, drawing a government accusation on Friday that it was exploiting unrelated unrest to extract concessions. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters began … Read more

Erdoğan finally in Reyhanlı. The crowd transported from other cities…

‘Those who seek to preserve their dictatorship disrupted our peace’, Turkish PM says in Reyhanlı During his Reyhanlı visit, Turkish PM Erdoğan accused al-Assad of being involved in the bombings ***************** Bumps on Erdoğan?s road to presidency It seems 2014 will be a busy year not only for Turkish politicians but for Turkish voters as … Read more

Reyhanlı bombings. Conspiracies abound. Media blackout doesn’t help…

Head of accused group denies responsibility, blames Israel for Reyhanlı bomb attack Former leader of the the organization that was accused for the recent twin blasts that killed ******************** Reyhanlı bombings show importance of Turkey?s EU bid Last week I was one of the guests of the Monocle 24, the radio station launched by the … Read more