Insight Turkey / issues

Editor's Note | Summer 2021

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 8:34:00 GMT

The summer issue of Insight Turkey aims to highlight the recent developments and challenges in the Middle East by taking into consideration the Palestinian- Israeli impasse, Iranian politics, and Turkey’s increasing influence in the region.

Rethinking the Palestinian Problem and ‘The Right Strategy’ for Palestinian Liberation

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 9:18:00 GMT

The Palestinian tragedy is not simply a matter of one nation-state suppressing another nation that has been deprived of its legitimate right to establish its own state. It is also an ‘international problem’ granting that it has regional, international and global dimensions which implicate the hegemonic world system. An emancipatory approach to the Palestinian problem requires that the narrative about the ‘two-state solution’ be abandoned given that it has become a rhetorical shield for international society’s silence in the face of the Israeli fait accomplis in occupied territories. The Arab and the Muslim world, alongside the rest of international society, should no longer view Israel as a ‘normal’ state. Rather, the world ought to consider acting collectively to impose economic, financial, military, political/diplomatic, and cultural embargo against this aggressive, expansionist, and racist state through the United Nations and a host of other international and regional organizations, as was the case vis-à-vis the Apartheid South Africa during the Cold War.

Israeli Persecution in Occupied Jerusalem: Physical and Structural Violence Employed to Change Jerusalemites’ Identity

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 9:41:00 GMT

Israeli authorities have committed a wide range of human rights violations, including direct violence, land annexation and settlement building, home eviction and arbitrary arrest and detention. Such practices have been carried out with political cover from the Israeli government. In addition to the direct confiscation of Palestinian homes and other property, Israeli authorities and organizations such as settlement associations frequently use subterfuge or bribes to transfer ownership to Jewish residents and interests. Through historical review and analysis, this paper documents the most common types of direct and structural violence practiced by Israel, along with their effect on Palestinians, and highlights the roles of the various players in Israeli society.

Iran Under Raisi’s Presidency

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 9:50:00 GMT

Following the Islamic Revolution, a number of leaders have served as the highest elected official of Iran, with the winner of the last presidential election being Ebrahim Raisi, who does not have much experience in the political area, but received the support of all influential groups in the country, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the ulama. The attitude of the Guardian Council, which has the primary responsibility for the survival of the system, in determining the presidential candidates affects the voter turnout and enables the forecast of election results to some degree, as in this election. In this context, the rejection of the candidacy of some names is essential in terms of showing the rivalry between the various power groups in the system and giving clues about the new era, which is characterized as the second phase of the Revolution. Raisi, who has been seen as the Supreme Leader’s possible successor, is expected to make an impression as an embracive leader. However, he also faces significant challenges in domestic policy such as the economy, aridification, power and water crises, and ethnic problems, to which there are no simple and short-term solutions. In foreign policy, although it is expected that Raisi would prioritize the relations with neighboring countries instead of the great powers, the relations of Tehran with these countries will, to a great extent, depend on its policies towards the U.S. in the new era.

A Panoramic View of the UK Relations with the EU and Turkey Post-Brexit

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 21:39:00 GMT

In the last century, the importance of foreign trade, particularly net exports of goods and services, in achieving balanced and high-quality economic growth has become increasingly apparent. This certainly applies to Turkey. For example, the Eleventh Development Plan prepared for the 2019-2023 period was determined within the framework of a stable, export-based growth model, in which the industrial sector played a dominant role, focusing on productivity. Recently, the new trade regime between Turkey and the United Kingdom after Brexit has been included among the subjects within the agenda of Turkish foreign trade. The present study aims to find the preliminary clues to understand the extent of the recent trade agreement between two countries, which share deep-rooted trade links, in light of the new UK-EU deal. While one of these countries does not want to lose its position as a candidate country, despite the obstacles and disagreements posed by the EU in the negotiation mechanism, the other has managed to leave the EU as a result of a very intense and complex process, that lasted approximately thirty-four months.

The International Criminal Court and Israel’s Acts in the Occupied Territories: Progress and Prospects

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:23:00 GMT

Following the request of Palestine as a Party State to the Status of the International Criminal Court, the Prosecutor decided to start a preliminary investigation into the situation of Palestine. The preliminary investigation resulted in a request from the Prosecutor to the Pre-Trial Chamber I for clarification of the Court’s jurisdiction in relation to the occupied territories of Palestine. Many significant issues concerning the status of Palestine as a State and its legal borders were raised during the preliminary investigation, both by the Prosecutor and during the examination of the Chamber. Although both the Prosecutor and the Chamber have approved that the Court has jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories, including those occupied by Israel, the prospect for the success of the trials by the Court depends on the cooperation of the international community as a whole and the State parties to the ICC Status.

How the Iranian Regime Survived: Examining Internal and External Strategies

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:45:00 GMT

Following the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 and the reimposition of economic sanctions, Iran witnessed public unrest that threatened the survival of the regime. Throughout its history, the Iranian regime has deployed various intricate internal and external strategies that have worked separately at times, and overlapped at others, to secure the regime against threats and guarantee its survivability. It is important to discover the strategies the Iranian regime has followed to survive the stifling crises it has faced since its establishment in 1979, in order to evaluate whether it will be able to survive its chronic economic crises. While the regime has purposely supported the Palestinian cause, strengthened its relations with non-state actors, and engaged in religious discourses on an external level, it has also achieved militarization and securitization, populated unelected governmental institutions with personnel loyal to its clerical and military institutions rather than qualified persons and pursued legitimacy renewal on an internal level.

Is Turkey Ready for the Post COVID-19 World Order?

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:53:00 GMT

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a huge impact on the global economy and politics. Closures and lockdowns stopped international trade resulting in an economic slowdown. It has changed the daily lives of people and the way business takes place. Politics has also been affected by the pandemic. Discussions about the changing world order have gained a new dimension and momentum. In this article, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in international relations is analyzed. Has COVID-19 triggered a change in the world order? If it has, what are the nature, scope, and content of this change? As a rising regional power in the Eastern Mediterranean region, how has Turkey been affected by this, and how did it respond to the changing situation? Signs of deteriorating world order, declining U.S. leadership, escalating geopolitical competition amongst global powers were in the air before the pandemic. Turkey’s adaptation to this new world order pre-dates the pandemic, when it changed its political system, and invested in its security and cohesion.

TİKA’s Heritage Restoration Projects: Examples of Foreign Aid or Proof of Neo-Ottomanism?

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 11:25:00 GMT

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Turkey has been using the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) to gain soft power and increase its influence in the Balkans, Caucasia, and Central Asia. As Turkey’s focus is on countries that were once part of the Ottoman Empire, many have characterized this attempt as Neo-Ottomanism. Especially problematic is the fact that, over the years, TİKA has funded the restoration of numerous Ottoman monuments in these regions. Using Serbia as an example, this article explores whether such projects are proof of Turkey having a ‘Neo-Ottoman agenda’ of reviving Ottoman culture and exerting influence over former Ottoman territories, or just a way of Turkey gaining soft power through foreign aid.

Questioning the Compass of the Western Media: Early Perceptions of the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 11:31:00 GMT

This study investigates how the western media reacted immediately after the July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. To this end, 91 news reports and articles in ten newspapers from the U.S., the UK, Germany, and France, dating from July 15 to July 18, 2016, were analyzed. Based on content analysis, the early perceptions of the western media were categorized by sentiment as positive, neutral, or negative in terms of their tone, feeling, and emotion regarding the coup attempt. The findings show that only 42 publications were neutral only reporting the news, while 44 publications were positive about the coup attempt favoring the junta and failing to support the democratically elected government. On the other hand, only five publications expressed negative opinions about the coup attempt by showing strong support for democracy and expressing anti-coup views. Overall, the analysis shows that journalists are not free of bias; most of them missed or neglected the damaging consequences of the coup attempt on Turkish democracy and society due to their negative perceptions about the incumbent government.

Demystifying Qatar’s Pro-Revolution Monarchy: Old Rivalries, New Geopolitical Motives

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 11:44:00 GMT

Unlike other Arab monarchies, Qatar has embraced a supportive position toward the Arab revolutions since the moment they broke out in late 2010. In fact, Qatar’s Al Jazeera network was an essential media mobilizer for the Arab masses and a major promoter of the revolutionary change process in the region, hosting pro-revolution Arab intellectuals, and broadcasting pro-reform messages. Qatar welcomed the Tunisian Revolution, financially backed the country in its transitional stage, and behaved the same with the subsequent Egyptian and Yemeni cases. What’s more, Qatar made efforts to encourage both Arab and international support for humanitarian interventions in Libya and Syria, and generously backed the revolutionary forces there both financially and militarily. Given the fact that Qatar’s political system is of the conservative-monarchic type, this paper aims to review the dynamics and geopolitical interests that drove Doha to embrace a pro-change policy in the region during the Arab Spring, with a view to better understanding what has become known as the ‘Qatari Oxymoron’ or ‘Qatari Exceptionalism,’ and the ensuing dynamics that led to the Gulf crisis of 2017 –the most difficult crisis among the GCC states since the organization’s establishment in 1981.

The Impasse of International Law on Climate-Induced Migration: Recent Developments and the United Nation’s January 2020 Decision on Climate Refugees

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 11:59:00 GMT

This paper aims to lay out the challenges and potentially fatal conflicts inherent in the emerging attempts to respect state sovereignty while crafting progressive and truly responsive sets of approaches to a sui generis global problem like the climate crisis. It examines general approaches and practices on climate refugees within the scope of a critical legal framework, taking as an example the ‘Ioane Teitiota’ case that attracted public attention as an international issue starting in 2013. In addition, we will examine from a legal viewpoint and with an eye to future consequences, the January 2020 United Nations’ historical decision on climate refugees. We adopt Martti Koskennimi’s terms, ascending and descending justifications, to show the oscillation that the legal mind experiences in between order and will. In this paper, we will claim that the legal mind fights a battle that eventually ends up with a deadlock due to the very structure of modern law.

The Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor: Complementarity or Competition?

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 12:07:00 GMT

Though the Chinese government has projected the BRI in economic terms, it has been viewed critically by Australia, Japan, and the U.S. Turkey has, as a geostrategic connector of Asia and Europe, registered its trade interest in the BRI along with projecting the Middle Corridor Initiative (MCI) as a means to realize regional market connectivity and commercial cooperation. In view of the aforesaid, this study aims to explain whether the BRI has factored into Turkey’s Asia policy and to what extent the MCI can complement the BRI. Moreover, the study analyzed the existing scale of China-Turkey trade and proposed a set of opportunities offered by both the BRI and the MCI. Nonetheless, the stated opportunities are beset with multiple challenges ranging from transregional instability to socio-economic upheavals. In order to accrue trade dividends in terms of inter-initiative cooperation and connectivity, both China and Turkey will have to play a leading role in developing policy coordination and establishing cultural linkages among the BRI/MCI community. Thus, operationally, Turkey would carry immense influence in Asian affairs economically and strategically.

The Changing Contours of Saudi Arabia: Mohammed bin Salman and the Paradox of Saudi Reforms

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 12:14:00 GMT

This review article aims to provide broader nuances about Saudi Arabia amid the rapid developments taking place in the Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular, following the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). This article begins with Salman’s Legacy, edited by Madawi al-Rasheed, and subsequently, takes up Madawi al-Rasheed’s The Son King and Ben Hubbard’s biography of MBS. It provides a brief summary of the books under review and analyzes their different themes while critically examining their prevailing shortcomings.

The Economics of the Middle East: A Comparative Approach

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:17:00 GMT

Rauch’s book contributes to the literature on the Middle East’s economics from a broad perspective. However, some tables, such as those related to migration, are not up to date, as more recent data is available. Also, some comparisons face the problem of being superficial because the Middle East countries cover a very large geography, making the gap between countries relatively high.

Sensible Politics: Visualizing International Relations

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:21:00 GMT

Sensible Politics is an excellent read for anyone trying to understand changing international relations in a post-pandemic scenario. In terms of border closing, social ordering has taken a new turn, especially since the discovery of more recent coronavirus strains.

Syria: The Tragedy of a Pivotal State

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:24:00 GMT

Syria: The Tragedy of a Pivotal State, written by Rajendra M. Abhyankar, seeks to provide readers with comprehensive details on Syria, with a focus on how the country has come to this point and what remains insufficient regarding international solidarity.

Europe at the Crossroads: Confronting Populist, Nationalist, and Global Challenges

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:27:00 GMT

Europe at the Crossroads is useful for readers interested in populism and the transformations and challenges of the European political atmosphere. Despite the extensive amount of preexisting research on immigration, this edited work stands out through its combination of themes such as populism, extremism, neo-nationalism, and illiberalism. Its new and remarkable conceptualizations make political theory lively and accessible. By including both qualitative and quantitative research, Europe at the Crossroads makes a considerable contribution to social sciences literature

Migration and the Refugee Dissensus in Europe: Borders, Security, and Austerity

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:28:00 GMT

Migration and the Refugee Dissensus in Europe: Borders, Security, and Austerity’s contribution is that it speaks across disciplines and explores the links between power and resistance, state and non-state, theory and practice. Although the book is not exhaustive, it does provide a schematic context and framework for future research.

Cinema and the Cultural Cold War: US Diplomacy and the Origins of the Asian Cinema Network

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:32:00 GMT

In Cinema and the Cultural Cold War, the U.S. cultural diplomacy in Asia during the Cold War is discussed from a different point of view, and Sang Joon Lee contributes to the English-language literature based upon this unique topic.

Russia and the Media: The Makings of a New Cold War

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:34:00 GMT

Russia and the Media is a well-rounded source of analysis. Referring to so many media sources through a wide time frame makes the study empirically strong and convincing. It is a useful resource for readers from different disciplines, such as international relations, political science, media studies, and journalism. Indeed, any reader curious about how the media can control people’s minds will find McLaughlin’s work interesting and thought-provoking.

The United States and Military Coups in Turkey and Pakistan: Between Conspiracy and Reality

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:36:00 GMT

The United States and Military Coups in Turkey and Pakistan delivers a profound analysis of the issue it addresses. By exploring the background of four coups in Turkey and Pakistan, this work presents its audience with the often overlooked external dimension of coups, which are usually addressed as domestic occurrences. Exploring the events that tend to stay behind the scenes, the book provides readers with a fundamental analysis extrapolating the influence of Washington on the course of events in countries located within the sphere of its strategic interest, hence making it a must-read for everyone interested in civil-military and military-to-military relations.

Brexit and Internal Security: Political and Legal Concerns on the Future UK-EU Relationship

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:38:00 GMT

In conclusion, Brexit and Internal Security is a comprehensive and objective analysis that fills the gaps in security matters of Brexit. The issues addressed in the book pave the way to make reliable hypotheses that will be of use to persons tackling future problems. It is an excellent resource for scholars of Political Science and International Relations, particularly Security Studies, and any readers interested in the EU, Brexit, and security.

Precarious Hope: Migration and the Limits of Belonging in Turkey

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 3:40:00 GMT

Precarious Hope by Ayşe Parla is the outcome of fieldwork that Parla conducted over years with post-1990s Turkish migrants from Bulgaria, who were/are working in Turkey. The author examines these Turkish migrants’ quest for Turkish citizenship within the theoretical, anthropological framework of emotion, specifically hope. In this context, hope is analyzed as a ‘structured expectation,’ which means that the author is not interested in hope as a personal experience, but rather as an emotion that pertains to a specific collective, in this case, Turkish migrants coming from Bulgaria.

Web Panel | Recent Developments in the Gulf and the Region

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 12:55:00 GMT

Following the publication of the Summer 2021 special issue “Regional Developments and Challenges,” Insight Turkey coordinated a panel where distinguished participants shared their views, to discuss the latest developments in the energy context in the Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean. The panel, which was held online due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, was broadcast live on YouTube and other social media platforms.