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61. BRICS+ and the age of multipolarity: Why Turkey and Saudi Arabia remain cautious

Author:
Toni Alaranta and Mohammed Hadi
Publication Date:
03-2025
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)
Abstract:
BRICS+ is an international platform representing the attempt by non-Western emerging economies to seek influence and independence from the West. It is currently facing uncertainty regarding its scope and future structure. Turkey’s expressed desire to join is part of its efforts to diversify its political and economic relations and gain a more autonomous position, while retaining key institutional ties with the West. Saudi Arabia has already been invited to join but has played a waiting game to secure a comprehensive security pact with the US, while simultaneously developing its economic relations with the BRICS+ countries. The strategic ambiguity surrounding Turkey’s and Saudi Arabia’s BRICS+ membership may not only indicate deliberate policy choices but also reflect uncertainties arising from systemic transformation and increasing multipolarity.
Topic:
Governance, Multilateralism, BRICS, Multipolarity, and Middle Powers
Political Geography:
Turkey, Middle East, and Saudi Arabia

62. The Turkey-Qatar Axis and its Impact on Post-Asad Syria

Author:
Jonathan Ghariani
Publication Date:
02-2025
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:
In our latest issue of Turkeyscope, Dr. Jonathan Ghariani highlights Turkey’s growing dominance in post-Asad Syria, backed by Qatar’s economic and diplomatic support. Ankara’s military interventions target Kurdish forces and capitalize on the diminished role of Iran. Increased Qatari and Turkish influence in Syria may heighten tensions with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel.
Topic:
Diplomacy, Bilateral Relations, Syrian War, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Bashar al-Assad, and Regional Politics
Political Geography:
Turkey, Middle East, Syria, and Qatar

63. Turkey and Israel – Cooperation through Gritted Teeth

Author:
Joseph Epstein
Publication Date:
06-2025
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:
In the shadow of Israel's Operation "Rising Lion" against Iran, the latest edition of Turkeyscope features Joseph Epstein's analysis of recent developments in Israeli-Turkish relations. Azerbaijan's mediation, pragmatic signals from Syria's new leadership, and strong U.S. encouragement are helping both nations identify mutual interests.
Topic:
International Cooperation, Bilateral Relations, Syrian War, and Mediation
Political Geography:
Iran, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and United States of America

64. Öcalan's Call for the Dissolution of the PKK and the Regional Context

Author:
Gülistan Gürbey
Publication Date:
04-2025
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:
In our latest edition of Turkeyscope, Dr. Gülistan Gürbey addresses the regional implications of the recent call by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan to dissolve the PKK. The article gives the domestic context of this move and focuses on what it means for the Syrian Kurdish area, also known as Rojava.
Topic:
Non State Actors, Kurds, PKK, Rojava, and Abdullah Ocalan
Political Geography:
Turkey, Middle East, Syria, and Kurdistan

65. From Syria to the Black Sea: Containing Russia, Partnering with Turkey?

Author:
Bernard Siman
Publication Date:
04-2025
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
EGMONT - The Royal Institute for International Relations
Abstract:
The outcome of the Russo-Turkish power competition in Syria will impact the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. This, in turn, will impact the outcome of any peace negotiations with Ukraine and its relative position in the Black Sea. The future of Syria very much matters for the EU, therefore. Because blunting Russia’s attempts at achieving dominance over the Black Sea will play an important role in Europe’s security. And because the Syrian coast is only 300KM from Cyprus, the EU’s southeastern most border. Syria is the EU’s neighbour for all intents and purposes. In Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Black Sea, Turkey and the EU finally have a key strategic objective in common.
Topic:
Security, Foreign Policy, Strategic Competition, and Regional Politics
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, Turkey, Syria, and Black Sea

66. Stepping up Engagement in the Sahel: Russia, China, Turkey and the Gulf States

Author:
Nina Wilén
Publication Date:
04-2025
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
EGMONT - The Royal Institute for International Relations
Abstract:
Over the past five years, since the latest wave of coups began in 2020, states in the Sahel have strategically realigned and shifted external partnerships. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger suspended their security collaboration with their long-term ally, France, following their respective coups between 2020 and 2023, and demanded for the immediate withdrawal of French troops while advancing a new narrative of sovereignty. In 2023 Mali’s regime ousted the decade-long, 13,000 troops-strong UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MINUSMA, while Niger expelled the EU’s two security and defense missions, one of which had been deployed since 2012. A few months later, Niger also broke off a decade-long defense partnership with the US. In a second wave of expulsion, yet different in manner and context, Chad, Senegal and Ivory Coast also suspended military collaboration with France in 2024. This recent expulsion of Western and multilateral partners has been accompanied by a turn by Sahelian states to old and new, predominantly authoritarian, actors. This shift reflects an effort by the military regimes to project independence, diversify their partners and ultimately maintain their hold on power. Traditional partners like China and Russia have intensified economic and security relationships with their Sahelian partners during the past few years, while newer partners like Turkey and the Gulf states have increased their presence and influence in the region through infrastructure projects, arms exports and natural resource deals. At the same time, the exit by the AES states from the regional organisation ECOWAS has resulted in both new partnerships and new tensions among member states, profoundly reshaping the regional landscape. This article, the second in a two-part series examining the security and political context in the Sahel, explores these evolving partnerships with non-Western actors, focusing in particular on the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. It examines the broader lines of cooperation and engagement by Russia, China, Turkey and the Gulf states and identifies both similarities and important differences in their approaches. The aim is to provide a clearer overview of the Sahel’s shifting international relationships and to deepen our understanding of the dynamics, tensions and strategic choices among non-Western partners. differences and tensions between the non-Western partners. With a growing number of external actors competing for influence in the Sahel, Europe must base its recalibrated (re)engagement on a solid understanding of these dynamics.
Topic:
Politics, Coup, Engagement, and Security Partnerships
Political Geography:
Russia, China, Turkey, Asia, Sahel, and Gulf Nations

67. Having your cake and eating it too? Can and should Turkey’s defence industrial technological base benefit from the European Union’s Rearmament?

Author:
Antonis Kamaras
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
Abstract:
Since landing ships, made in Turkish shipyards in order to enable the invasion of Cyprus, reached their designated beachheads on the 20th of July of 1974, the Turkish defence technological industrial base (TDTIB) has been locked in a see saw pattern. From the late 1960’s to today the TDTIB has advanced in order to enable Turkey to exercise strategic autonomy. The very exercise of this strategic autonomy has recurrently caused ruptures with Turkey’s western allies. These ruptures have, in turn, disrupted the industrial partnerships on which the TDTIB depends. This pattern is experiencing a historic high currently with the TDTIB’s product range, which includes sophisticated UAVs and naval ships being employed by Turkey in support of an aggressive challenge of European interests, and most prominently in a comprehensive challenge of Greek rights, solidly established under UNCLOS, to an exclusive economic zone and to the laying of a subsea electricity cable linking Greece with Cyprus. At the same time, due to the European Union’ s (EU) rearmament effort, and the possibility of third countries participating in it, already provided from in the SAFE funding facility, the TDTIB has the opportunity to further grow in volume and sophistication. This policy paper will argue that this opportunity should be denied to the TDTIB both on the basis of past behavior of Turkey but also on solid evidence of the current and future priorities of the Erdogan regime. As in the past nearly sixty years, it is clear that the current Turkish leadership prioritises the exercise of its strategic autonomy, facilitated by the TDTIB, and not the TDTIB’s participation in the EU’s rearmament. Such a prioritization makes structurally unstable the relationship, and in particular highly prone to disruption, between the TDTIB and the EU’s rearmament effort. Additionally, the participation of the TDTIB in the EU’s rearmament effort by boosting the capacity of Turkey to challenge Greece’s and Cyprus’ sovereign rights, corrodes the principles of collective security, and thus undermines the ability of the EU to mobilise the collective resources necessary for its own strategic autonomy. Thus the TDTIB neither can nor should participate in the EU’s rearmament effort.
Topic:
Science and Technology, European Union, Defense Industry, Strategic Autonomy, and Rearmament
Political Geography:
Europe, Turkey, and Middle East

68. Indispensable Enemies: The Shifting Dynamics of Israeli–Turkish Relations

Author:
Ioannis N. Grigoriadis and Electra Nisidou
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
Abstract:
This study explores the dynamics of Israeli–Turkish relations amidst two pivotal conflicts: the war in Gaza, where Turkey has vocally supported the Palestinian side, and the Syrian crisis, where both countries maintain significant territorial and strategic stakes. While Turkey and Israel operate from distinct ideological and strategic positions, their interactions are neither those of allies nor outright adversaries, but rather of two regional powers navigating overlapping challenges. The analysis highlights how these conflicts reveal a duality in their relationship characterized by ideological divergence in Gaza and pragmatic considerations in Syria, offering insights into their complex coexistence within the rapidly shifting Middle Eastern landscape. Turkey was among the first Muslim-majority countries to recognize Israel in 1949, establishing early diplomatic ties grounded in Turkey’s pro-Western orientation and NATO ambitions. The rise of the AKP and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2000s gradually transformed Turkish foreign policy, emphasizing solidarity with the Muslim world and a more vocal defence of the Palestinian cause. Divergences over Gaza, Syria, and energy politics in the Eastern Mediterranean further strained relations, while shared economic interests and US mediation prevented a complete breakdown. The 2023–2025 Gaza war became a defining moment, with Turkey’s strong condemnation of Israel paired with pragmatic economic continuity and, later, participation in the peace process. For the first time, many Israelis and Turks saw Turkey and Israel respectively as one of their country’s key security threats. The likelihood of direct conflict between Israel and Turkey has substantially decreased, as both states prioritize stability, reconstruction, and regional influence over open rivalry. While ideological and rhetorical tensions persist, Israeli–Turkish relations are entering a new phase characterized by pragmatic coexistence, mutual recognition, and shared regional responsibilities.
Topic:
Security, Diplomacy, Bilateral Relations, Regional Power, and 2023 Gaza War
Political Geography:
Turkey, Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

69. Turkish Foreign Policy and the Kosovo War: Discussions on the Kosovo Issue in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (1998-1999)

Author:
Majlinda Misini and Ibrahim Gashi
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Revista UNISCI/UNISCI Journal
Institution:
Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
Abstract:
The Balkans were one of the most important issues on Turkey's foreign policy agenda during the 1990s. When the war in Kosovo began, Ankara adopted an active policy, demonstrating that, as a Balkan country, Turkey embraced the Kosovo issue, took responsibility for it, and fulfilled its moral obligations. In line with its geostrategic partners, the Turkish state emphasised the need to reduce tensions and balance the demands of the parties involved, initially adopting a moderate stance in relation to other potential political solutions for Kosovo. However, as Serbian repercussions in Kosovo increased, Turkey reconsidered its foreign policy, adopting a tougher stance on the Kosovo issue. This article examines the influence of these actors on the final positioning of Turkey, highlighting discussions on the Kosovo issue in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, NATO, History, Media, and Kosovo War
Political Geography:
Turkey, Kosovo, and Balkans

70. Untangling the Knot: The Stakes of Slowing Down the Kurdish Settlement in Turkey

Author:
Al Jazeera Center for Studies
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Al Jazeera Center for Studies
Abstract:
The resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey is progressing slowly due to divisions among the opposing groups, some of which have external ties. However, the Turkish leadership seems committed to achieving a historic settlement.
Topic:
Domestic Politics, Kurds, PKK, and Peace Process
Political Geography:
Turkey and Middle East

71. La délation en Turquie (2006-2021) - Un dispositif de surveillance et de répression

Author:
Ayşen Uysal
Publication Date:
03-2025
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI)
Abstract:
Fieldwork on denunciation in Turkey in contemporary times allows us to understand the way in which the Justice and Development Party (AKP) governs, the different forms of surveillance it relies on, the range of its repressive repertoire and the strategies and ruses of power, as well as its ability to reproduce obedience and to penetrate society. This research exposes the multiple functions of denunciation, as a political technique and a practice of self-discipline and punishment, and the Presidential Communication Center (CIMER), the control apparatus which centralizes the system of denunciation. This research focuses on the reports collected by CIMER, the dedicated entity for denunciations. It examines its archives directly through certain institutions and looks at three written sources: the archives of trial files collected from certain law firms; parliamentary documents, especially written questions from deputies; and press coverage. Additionally, it draws from semi-structured interviews with the victims of the denunciation, as well as with lawyers, to provide further insight.
Topic:
Domestic Politics, Surveillance, Political Science, Repression, and AKP
Political Geography:
Turkey and Middle East

72. Turkey, Far and Near

Author:
Zuzana Kutišová, Mesut Özcan, Veysel Ok, and Tereza Engelová
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Vaclav Havel Library
Abstract:
After a century of building a secular state and having recent hopes for EU membership, Turkey, our ally, embarked on a path of harsh repression against political opposition and civil society. Unless it was hit by an earthquake, or we were heading for its beaches, we took virtually zero interest in Turkey. Ready to convince us that this had been a mistake, and that it had been important to monitor the country and keep it as close to Europe as possible, especially in that turbulent world, were Zuzana Kutišová, a PhD student in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Charles University in Prague, and, remotely, Prof. Burak Bilgehan Özpek, a political scientist at TOBB University of Economics and Technology and a respected expert on Turkish politics and foreign policy, and Veysel Ok, a lawyer for many journalists in Turkey and Co-Director of the Media and Law Studies Association. It was moderated by Tereza Engelová, journalist and documentary filmmaker.
Topic:
Civil Society, European Union, Domestic Politics, and Regional Politics
Political Geography:
Europe, Turkey, and Middle East

73. EU–Türkiye Defense Cooperation: Why Now—and How Far?

Author:
Kadri Tastan, Martin Quencez, Georgina Wright, and Galip Dalay
Publication Date:
05-2025
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMFUS)
Abstract:
For decades, Europe’s security framework has rested on NATO and, above all, US leadership. That framework is now under pressure. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has upended assumptions about lasting peace on the continent, while Donald Trump’s return to the White House has reignited European concerns about the reliability of American security commitments. In an urgent response to these developments, defense and security top the EU agenda. Member states are significantly increasing military spending, and Brussels has launched the €800 billion Re-Arm Europe initiative, an ambitious effort to strengthen Europe’s defense capacity and reduce dependence on external powers. Leaders are also working to build new coalitions inside NATO through the emerging “European pillar” and outside the alliance via bilateral and multilateral frameworks such as the Franco-British initiative to provide Ukraine with security guarantees. A central question emerges as EU moves to increase its strategic autonomy: Who fits within this new security architecture? While Norway and the United Kingdom are generally seen as natural partners, Türkiye’s role remains more ambiguous. This raises a key unresolved issue about the country’s position in Europe’s evolving security architecture. Türkiye is not just another partner. As a NATO member state, it occupies a strategic crossroads linking Europe, the Middle East, and the Black Sea. It has played an active role in supporting Ukraine militarily and has developed a sizable, increasingly sophisticated defense industry. But despite these strengths, Türkiye’s relations with the EU remain complex and often tense. Political disagreements, normative differences, the unresolved Cyprus conflict, and enduring Greek-Turkish rivalries continue to restrict formal cooperation. Moreover, the Türkiye-EU relationship is undergoing a deep structural shift. In the past, ties were largely shaped by shared responses to external threats and hopes of closer integration. Links today are increasingly defined by the dynamics of a multipolar global order, the declining influence of the geopolitical West, and EU’s efforts to redefine its identity and role, internally and externally. Türkiye and EU are repositioning themselves in global politics, and this realignment will shape the future of their interactions. This report does not merely describe the state of Türkiye-EU defense ties. It analyzes the impact of historical legacies, great-power competition, and shifting regional dynamics on reshaping the foundation of the relationship between the two. It probes core strategic questions: What role will Türkiye play in Europe’s emerging security framework? What are the long-term costs and benefits of deeper defense cooperation? And how can this cooperation be embedded within a normative framework acceptable to both sides?
Topic:
Security, Bilateral Relations, European Union, and Defense Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe, Turkey, and Middle East

74. 2000’ler Türkiye’sinde Hukuk, İktidar ve Toplumsal Hareketler: Bir Eylem ve Olağanüstü Hal Mekanı Olarak Adliyeler

Author:
Gülçin Yüksel
Publication Date:
06-2025
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
AURUM Journal of Social Sciences
Institution:
Altinbas University
Abstract:
Bu çalışmada, hukuk, iktidar ve toplumsal hareketler arasındaki ilişkiler incelenmektedir. Bu bağlamda adliye önü bir eylem ve protesto alanı olarak analiz edilmektedir. Hukuk ya da yargı kurumunu eleştiren ve bu kurumlara güvenmediklerini dile getiren adliye önü eylemcilerinin aynı kurumlardan adalet talep etmekten neden vazgeçmedikleri sorusu araştırılmaktadır. Adliye önlerinde eylem düzenlendiği gözlenen kadın cinayeti, iş cinayeti ve siyasi davalar için toplanan bu eylemcilerin Bourdieu’cü anlamda “yargısal alanın” kendilerine özgü sermayeleri olan yeni “oyuncuları” oldukları gözlemlenmiştir. Eylemciler aynı zamanda, yargısal alanın dönüşümünde önemli bir rol oynama ve hukuku daha toplumsal kılma potansiyeli taşımaktadırlar. Protestolara sahne olan adliyeler Agamben’in “kamp” kavramı çerçevesinde yasanın askıya alındığı bir olağanüstü hal mekanı olarak analiz edilmektedir. Agamben’in Antik Roma Hukuku’ndan ödünç aldığı “Homo Sacer”, kamp olarak kavramsallaştırılan mekanın “kurban edilemeyen fakat öldürülmesi ceza gerektirmeyen” sakinlerini tanımlamaktadır. Adliye önü eylemcileri ve protestolara konu olan davaların özneleri de bu çerçevede “Homo Sacer” olarak analiz edilmektedir. Çalışma kapsamında nitel araştırma yöntemleri kullanılmış, yarı yapılandırılmış derinlemesine görüşmeler ve katılımcı gözlemler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada, eylemcilerin yasalarının uygulanmasının önemine vurgu yaptığı, yasanın uygulanmasındaki çeşitli aşamalara dahil olarak yargısal alanın aktör, özne ve oyuncularına dönüştüğü, davaların prosedürü ifade eden bir “kağıt” işleminden ya da “tiyatro”da ibaret kalmaması için davaların toplumsal ve siyasal yönlerinin altını çizmeye çalıştıkları gözlemlenmiştir.
Topic:
Sociology, Social Movement, Protests, Judiciary, and State of Exception
Political Geography:
Turkey and Middle East

75. Dünyada ve Türkiye'de Zaman Kapsülleri'nin Gelişimi

Author:
Mutlu Erbay
Publication Date:
06-2025
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
AURUM Journal of Social Sciences
Institution:
Altinbas University
Abstract:
Bu çalışma, zaman kapsülleri konusunu gündeme getirerek bu konuya dikkat çekmeyi hedeflemektedir. Makalede, zaman kapsüllerinin Amerikalılar ve Türkler için sosyo-kültürel açıdan önemi vurgulanmakta ve önemli örnekler ele alınmaktadır. Zaman kapsülleri, Amerikan kültüründe hatırlama, hatırlatma ve anma yöntemi olarak kullanılmaktadır. Hatıraların anılması, düşünülmesine ve bu yolla anlamlandırılmasına sebep olur. Kültürler, kendi öz hedeflerine yönelik hatırlatma ve hatırlamalar yapabilmektedir. Bu hatırlamalar, geçmişi gelecek kuşaklara tanıtır ve aktarmada önemli bir rol oynar. Zaman kapsülleri, geleceğe gönderilen mektuplar aracılığıyla gelecek temennilerini yansıtmakta; kişilerin ve kurumların geleceği öngörme ve şekillendirme çabalarını simgelemektedir. Yeni açılan bir fabrika, yeni üretilen bir ürün, borsa için yazılan mektuplar, yeni hammadde üretimleri veya uzaya gönderilen yeni araçlar gibi çeşitli sebeplerle zaman kapsülleri hazırlanabilmektedir. Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde devlet kurumları, yüksek enstitüler ve fabrikalar tarafından zaman kapsülleri oluşturulmakta, kayda geçirilmekte ve belirlenen tarihte açılması planlanmaktadır. Zaman kapsülleri, Amerikan tarihinin önemli kültürel davranışlarından biri olarak kabul edilmektedir. Aşağıdaki makalede, önemli zaman kapsülleri ele alınarak incelenmiştir. Gelecekte açılmak üzere hazırlanan bu kapsüller, geleceğe bir not düşmekte ve bu yönüyle geleceği planlama ve öngörme amacı taşımaktadır. Türkiye’de de hazırlanmış zaman kapsülleri mevcuttur. Çalışma, bu örneklere de kısaca değinerek zaman kapsüllerinin Türk kültüründeki yeri ve önemini ortaya koymaktadır.
Topic:
Culture, Memory, Tradition, and Time Capsules
Political Geography:
Turkey, Middle East, North America, and United States of America

76. Surveillance Capitalism in Fragile Democracies: Defending Journalism from Dual Domination

Author:
Emre Kizilkaya
Publication Date:
11-2025
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Abstract:
This paper investigates how surveillance capitalism enables a convergence of state authoritarianism and digital monopolies, posing an existential threat to fragile democracies by examining its corrosive effects on the news media in Turkey and Hungary. Drawing on document analysis and interviews with 24 journalists and media executives, it argues that a system of “dual domination” has emerged, wherein the state-led construction of an “economy of domination” through media capture and legal repression is amplified by the market-driven “instrumentarian power” of Big Tech platforms like Google. This symbiotic relationship creates a uniquely corrosive environment that systematically dismantles the free press, pollutes the information ecosystem with propaganda and disinformation, and makes independent journalism economically unviable. The analysis, framed by Shoshana Zuboff’s theories, concludes that this dynamic constitutes a “Second Tragedy of the Commons” and a slow-motion coup des gens, seizing sovereignty from the public and eroding the “right to the future tense.” In response, the paper proposes a framework for solutions grounded in Mathias Risse’s concept of justice, advocating for two pillars of action: first, the establishment of journalism as a legally protected global public good, and second, the formation of a global civic alliance to enforce structural and regulatory reforms that hold tech platforms accountable for their role in democratic backsliding.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Authoritarianism, Reform, Media, Journalism, Democratic Backsliding, Digital Platforms, and Surveillance Capitalism
Political Geography:
Turkey, Hungary, and Global Focus

77. Coal, Oil, Gas, and Nuclear: Risks in Turkey’s Growing Energy Demands

Author:
Mustafa Enes Esen
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Abstract:
Without further diversification of suppliers, expanded renewable capacity, strategic investments in LNG, and nuclear partnerships beyond Russia, Turkey risks exchanging one form of energy dependency for another.
Topic:
Gas, Diversification, Supply Chains, Nuclear Energy, and Energy
Political Geography:
Turkey and Middle East

78. Media Representation of ‘Diyarbakır Mothers’: A Cross-Newspaper Comparison and Analysis

Author:
Halime Kökce
Publication Date:
06-2025
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Turkish Journal of Middle Eastern Studies
Institution:
Sakarya University (SAU)
Abstract:
In today's world, the media plays a powerful role in shaping perspectives on social issues. The portrayal of the ‘Diyarbakır Mothers’ in the media highlights a critical area of research on the media's influence on social perception. This study examines how four different newspapers (Yeni Şafak, Sözcü, Sabah and Cumhuriyet) represent the ‘Diyarbakır Mothers’ and explores the media's impact on shaping social perception. To achieve this, the language used by these newspapers, their headline choices, and their news content are examined through discourse analysis, aiming to uncover the media's stance on this issue. By employing this method, the linguistic choices and narrative strategies within the news articles are assessed to understand how they shape the public perception of this topic. By analyzing the language, headline choices, and content of these news articles, the study aims to reveal the media's stance on this issue. This analysis offers valuable insights into the political orientations of these newspapers, their influence on social perceptions, and the strategies they use to engage their audiences. Ultimately, this study helps us understand the diversity in how the ‘Diyarbakır Mothers’ are portrayed in the media and prompts us to question the role of media in shaping social issues.
Topic:
Media, News Analysis, Representation, Society, Perception, and Diyarbakır Mothers
Political Geography:
Turkey, Middle East, and Diyarbakır

79. To Halt the Jihadist Advance in Somalia, Work with Turkey and the UAE

Author:
Ido Levy
Publication Date:
08-2025
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Abstract:
Overhauled Turkish and Emirati training programs for the Somali army and renewed funding for the African Union mission could provide the boost that Mogadishu needs, and Washington should push for both. n July 27, the al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group al-Shabab seized the town of Mahas in central Somalia. For the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), the loss of Mahas after a series of defeats is particularly stinging, as the town was liberated by African Union (AU) and government forces in 2014. Al-Shabab’s latest onslaught, which began earlier this year, has brought it additional territories around the capital. The empowered al-Qaeda affiliate is also still bent on attacking U.S. interests around the world. Last year, a federal court convicted an al-Shabab operative in New York of plotting a “9/11-style attack,” and in 2023, U.S. authorities charged an American citizen arrested in Kenya for attempting to join al-Shabab to attack the United States. Moreover, the UN has reported a budding tactical relationship in which the Yemeni Houthis transfer weapons and know-how to al-Shabab, while the Somali group agrees to ramp up piracy to support Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping. Seizing more territory in Somalia gives al-Shabab additional resources and infrastructure for such activities abroad.
Topic:
Security, Training, Jihad, and Al-Shabaab
Political Geography:
Africa, Turkey, Middle East, Somalia, and United Arab Emirates

80. Place, Loneliness, and Existence: The Phenomenology of Space in About Dry Grasses from the Perspectives of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty

Author:
Evren Günevi Uslu
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Academic Inquiries
Institution:
Sakarya University (SAU)
Abstract:
Studies on the representation of space in cinema have gained conceptual depth particularly since the 2000s, influenced by thinkers such as Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, and Henri Lefebvre. This study examines how the Anatolian steppe is represented as a phenomenological ground in Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s film About Dry Grasses (2023). In the film, space is not merely a physical backdrop for the narrative but functions as a lived domain that shapes the characters’ existential orientation, temporal perception, and ethical positioning. Drawing on Edmund Husserl’s concepts of the “lived body” (Leib) and the “lifeworld” (Lebenswelt), as well as Maurice Merleau Ponty’s notions of “chiasm” (intertwining) and “embodiment,” the study analyzes the tactile, visual, and temporal relationship between character and space. The research is conducted using a qualitative methodology. Six visual frames selected from the film are analyzed through the lens of phenomenological film analysis. Each scene is examined in terms of framing, color, tactility, intentionality, and ethical-political dimensions, and these analyses are contextualized within the film’s broader narrative structure. The findings indicate that in About Dry Grasses, the steppe is not simply a spatial setting, but an active component that shapes the characters’ psychic and bodily existence. The film renders space as a perceptible, resistant, and directive ground, transforming the viewer from a passive observer into an embodied perceiver. In this respect, the study opens a phenomenological discussion of spatial perception in Turkish cinema and offers an original contribution to the notion of “sensory thinking” in film analysis.
Topic:
Cinema, Phenomenology, Embodiment, and Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Political Geography:
Turkey and Middle East