Identity politics, sense of belonging key as Turkish vote looms

Everyone seems to agree that Türkiye will make a “critically important choice at a historic crossroads” on May 14. That makes us expect an election campaign where each candidate and their parties will speak their truths. Do not be fooled by the ongoing calmness, as electoral alliances have been trying to expand and negotiate candidate lists in the month of Ramadan.

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Identity politics sense of belonging key as Turkish vote looms
Bullets distortion of truth and lynchings in Türkiye

Bullets, distortion of truth and lynchings in Türkiye

The upcoming Turkish elections are not characterized by complete right-left polarization. Right-wing parties and former Justice and Development Party (AK Party) members are at the CHP’s table. In truth, anti-Erdoğanism represents the backbone of the opposition campaign, but that is not enough to win. That’s because neo-Kemalist CHP and IP voters do not think that anti-Erdoğanism could justify Kılıçdaroğlu’s engagement with the HDP. Likewise, they are seriously frustrated by the PKK and FETÖ’s thinly veiled endorsement of the prominent opposition leader. In their view, Kılıçdaroğlu and his many vice presidential candidates are not fit to govern Türkiye.

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With nearly 50 days left until the Turkish elections, the People’s Alliance and the Nation Alliance are doing everything possible to win the Presidency in the first round.

Hezbollah and the PKK use black market relations and criminal networks to receive huge amounts of easy money.

The anti-Muslim and xenophobic perpetrator openly attacked the “Ahmet” component of the Ahmet Kaya Kurdish Cultural Center.

'Türkiye’s answer (to terrorism) will not be limited to just an air operation,' President Erdoğan clearly explains

Target of terrorism is the stability of Türkiye

The terrorist attack perpetrated by the PKK terrorist group's Syrian wing YPG on Istanbul's Istiklal Street claimed six lives and left 81 people injured. Without a doubt, that act of terrorism – the likes of which Türkiye’s security forces have thwarted dozens of times – targeted the country’s security, stability, peace and growth.

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Target of terrorism is the stability of Türkiye
AK Party foreign policy The regional context

AK Party foreign policy: The regional context

As Türkiye learns to use its soft power along with its military might, it continues to pursue a successful foreign policy and a role as a regional leader

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Türkiye has done is stop blocking NATO's extension of an invitation to the countries. In other words, their accession process has just started, not ended.

Türkiye emerges as a power that generates stability and security in its neighborhood – Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East, the Gulf and North Africa.

In this collection of essays, we discuss how NATO can overcome strategic challenges and recalibrate the strength of the alliance under the new geopolitical circumstances. The essays in this report focus on NATO’s transformations after the Ukraine war and attempt to understand Türkiye’s foreign policy alternatives within the context of its relations with the West, Russia, and NATO.

This paper consists of two main parts. In the first part, it explains the main priorities that NATO is focusing on by elaborating on the Russian attack on Ukraine, the China challenge, and the changing character of military and non-military threats. In the second part, the paper delivers a framework to make sense of why Türkiye particularly attaches unique significance to some issues. It concludes that Türkiye will continue to support NATO endeavors but the country expects its allies to cooperate on counterterrorism efforts and also expects calibrated and meaningful engagement in Greek-Turkish disagreements.

Türkiye's reservations against Finland and Sweden's membership emanate from Ankara's long-standing frustration over Western tolerance and support for the PKK/YPG

With his latest moves, Erdoğan is not starting a crisis but instead highlighting a framework for justice and a lasting alliance in Turkey’s relations with NATO, the U.S. and Greece

Considering Turkey’s geostrategic location and its military and political power, Western countries need to calculate the cost of alienating Ankara

Ankara's only condition is that Sweden, Finland and NATO members do not participate in campaigns that threaten Turkey's security, such as supporting PKK/YPG terrorists

Ankara does not oppose NATO’s expansion or the admission of Sweden and Finland categorically. It is perfectly normal, however, for Turkey to urge its allies to take into consideration its security concerns, which they have ignored countless times to date, at this particular time and to insist that they take action.

Ankara is not against NATO's expansion amid the Russia-Ukraine war but objects to Finland and Sweden's unacceptable policies on terrorist groups

There are five reasons why Turkey opposes the NATO bid of Sweden and Finland, the first of which is naturally both states' support for terrorism

Ankara endorses NATO’s key goals and wants the alliance to address its security concerns – that's all

"The western media portray all Kurds supporting the PYD. But Kurds are diverse. There are different parties, independent politicians, leftists, religious conservatives, etc."