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Bad news for illiberals in Turkey
Can Turkey turn into a little Russia? That is what businesspeople ask me these days. They see the current government not for what it is, but what it is not: liberal. And…
Can Turkey make Europe more effective?
In a recent Financial Times article, Wolfgang Münchau claimed that today’s refugee crisis posed a greater threat to the EU’s future than the euro area debates ever did.…
The little China on Turkey’s doorstep
I was in Tehran recently on a day trip. There was a fresh feeling in the air, a kind of happiness that bubbles over and makes you anxious. It’s as if Iran is about to…
Which is more significant, Brexit or the migration crisis?
A spectre is haunting Europe, once again nowadays - the spectre of who is calling the shots in the old continent. The epic struggle between European capitals and…
Why Turkey needs the constitutional commission
The Interparty Parliamentary Panel tasked with drafting a new constitution, also known as the “Constitutional Commission,” lasted only three sessions. “This commission…
Get ‘Gershad’ to dodge the morality police in Iran
I was overjoyed the other day to hear that Iranian youths have developed a mobile app that helps people dodge the patrols of Ershad, Iran’s morality police. The Ershad…
Policy reforms in Turkey and Iran
Today there are two types of countries in our region, the Middle East and North Africa. Within these two categories there are countries that are functioning market…
A new Turkish constitution is good for peace in Syria
Turkey’s insistence on the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) not getting an invitation to participate in the Geneva peace talks has made an already messy situation…
Will the Kurdish song end here?
Is this the end of the Kurdish reconciliation process? Do the aggressive anti-PKK operations in the southeast of the country mean that Turkey is going back to the 1990s?…
Is a bon pour L’Orient governance enough for Turkey?
Turkey belongs to the Middle East. So said 58% of participants to a recent Kadir Has (Khas) University survey. At first, I was surprised to see this result. Turks…