Insight Turkey / issues

Editor's Note | Fall 2017

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 16:11:00 GMT

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it took a while for Russia to recover from an existential crisis. As one of the poles of the global system during the Cold War, the Soviet regime lost its raison d’etre after the collapse of the USSR, while the other pole, the U.S., declared its victory or as is considered by some scholars ‘the end of history.’ At the end of the 1990s, the Russian Federation, the main inheritor of the Soviets, recovered from the confusion, the identity crisis and the political instability.

U.S.-Russian Relations in the Trump Era

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 11:53:00 GMT

Donald J. Trump’s rhetorical shift from ‘leadership’ to ‘greatness’ made possible some sort of rapprochement between the U.S. and Russia, after a period when relations had seriously deteriorated. Trump did not plan to give up American primacy, but ‘greatness’ was to be based on transactional relationships, the repudiation of democracy promotion and regime change. However, charges of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election of 2016 constrained Trump’s freedom of maneuver, and in the end relations worsened, although some practical cooperation remains. The situation remains open, with direct conflict not to be excluded, although a continued period of strained relations and the onset of elements of a new Cold War is more likely.

Kirkuk, Iraq's Next War: What Options Does Turkey Have?

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 11:52:00 GMT

As the battle for Mosul is entering its final stage, observers of Iraq's political scene anticipate a more devastating and far reaching war in Kirkuk and its surroundings. Turkey has a lot at stake in Kirkuk and the region of northern Iraq under the control of the KRG. Therefore, it is in Turkey's interest to first prevent what seems to be an inevitable clash in Kirkuk: however it should also prepare itself for the scenarios which might unfold in the event of a war. A forward policy and active engagement on the part of Turkey with all Iraqi Kurdish and Turkmen groups will be very beneficial in defusing the tense situation in Kirkuk and reaching a settlement. It is also our conviction that the convening of an international conference on Kirkuk to determine its final status will serve Turkey's interests the most.

Rohingya: A Preventable Genocide Allowed to Happen

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 10:51:00 GMT

The world is standing by and failing to act as the ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Burma are subjected to a systematic campaign to drive them out of the country, including a military offensive and deliberate starvation of communities. The United Nations has described it as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. More than half a million people have fled so far, on top of hundreds of thousands who have fled escalating human rights violations in recent years. The current crisis was predicted and preventable but it is still not too late for the international community to act with targeted sanctions and other measures.

How South America Let Venezuela Down

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 10:50:00 GMT

The political, economic and humanitarian crisis in the country with the world’s largest proven oil reserves was not only entirely predictable, but could most likely have been prevented by a more assertive and imaginative regional diplomatic strategy. Yet a rare combination of factors, ranging from a power vacuum in South America, Brazil’s role as an enabler and a growing influence by extra-regional powers such as China and Russia has visibly reduced the region’s capacity to help Venezuela overcome its domestic problems.

Russian-Iranian Relations through the Prism of the Syrian Crisis

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 11:30:00 GMT

Moscow is extremely interested in keeping Iran in the sphere of its influence. First of all, Iran’s geostrategic position allows it to influence the situation in the Caspian Sea region, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East. This, in turn, compels Moscow to discuss a wide range of foreign policy issues with Tehran. Given the shared visions on how to handle most of these problems, the support of Iran is believed to be important to the success of Moscow’s activities to restore and strengthen Russia’s regional position after the fall of the Soviet Union. Finally, both Moscow and Tehran are interested in saving the remaining government institutions in Syria. This common task plays in favor of Russian-Iranian cooperation, although each country certainly has its own reasons for saving the remnants of the regime.

Russian Energy Policy in the Middle East

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 11:20:00 GMT

Following the fallout between Russia and the West, Moscow embarked on a strategy to make its energy industry a foreign policy tool. In this context, it engaged Turkey in an effort to assert itself in the European market and solidify control over it. Looking to implement its pivot to the East, Russia has also sought to become a major energy producer in Asia by squeezing competitors out of the region. The Middle East came into the spotlight for Moscow when it decided to hedge its bets in the energy sector and gain more control over global markets. To that end, Russia pursued mutually beneficial cooperation with the GCC states to make the market more predictable. Russia has also come forward as a major energy supplier for former Soviet clients in the Middle East.

The Roots of Security Narratives on Islam in Russia: Tatar Yoke, Official Religious Institutions and the Western Influence

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 11:10:00 GMT

This work examines Russia’s security narratives on Islam. Using a social constructivist framework and employing securitization theory, this paper attempts to assess the three primary sources of these narratives. I argue that the historiography of the Golden Horde rule over the Slavic principalities in 14th century, the mandated Islamic religious institutions and the Western influence constitute the primary sources of Russia’s security narratives on Islam. By employing examples from the past and today, I demonstrate that these narratives have the potential to be utilized to politicize or securitize a portion of Muslims or Islam in Russia.

Neo-Functionalist Regional Integration Theory Put to Test in Asia: New Regionalism around India and ASEAN

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 11:00:00 GMT

Among regional integration theories that have evolved since the 1960s, neo-functionalism remains one of the essential tools to understand why nations decide to put together their economic and political destinies and how a regional integration process unfolds. The European Union remains the most advanced integration case so far, but integration movements may emerge in other parts of the world, as well. ASEAN is an interesting study case from this perspective, even though it is not yet an accomplished integration movement. The article aims to discuss the evolution of the relations between India and ASEAN, and see whether or not India’s rapprochement with the organization may turn into an impetus for ASEAN to enhance its integration effort.

Russia-Europe Relations in Historical Perspective: Investigating the Role of Ukraine

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 11:52:00 GMT

There seems to be a consensus within both Russian and European analytic communities as to the ultimate reason behind the dramatic deterioration of Russia-EU relations over the last three years. This reason boils down to a single word: Ukraine. This essay intends to investigate a two-pronged question: 1) how the differing, quasi-imperial natures of Russia and the EU make it hard for them to find an accommodation in their shared neighborhood and 2) how the recent EU-Russia dynamics prompted Moscow’s policy elite to re-conceptualize Russia as a distinct civilization, apart from Europe. While exploring these issues, the essay will maintain a special focus on Ukraine whose role in the Russia-Europe relationship has historically been and continues to be pivotal.

Evaluating the Fighter Jet Crisis in Turkish-Russian Relations

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 11:40:00 GMT

Turkey and Russia developed very close relations throughout the 2000s. Yet, their growing differences about the Syrian civil war dragged the two countries into a serious crisis on November 24, 2015, when the Turkish armed forces shot down a Russian SU-24 fighter jet violating Turkey’s airspace near the Syrian border. In the following seven months, political, economic and cultural links between the two countries were almost completely frozen within the framework of Russia’s sanctions against Turkey. This article aims to discuss the impacts of the fighter jet crisis on Turkish-Russian relations. Although Ankara and Moscow normalized relations following President Erdoğan’s letter to President Putin in June 2016, it is important to understand the main factors that led to the crisis in order to make sound predictions about the future of the Turkish-Russian rapprochement process.

Islam: Culture, Institutions and Agents

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 16:23:00 GMT

The three books reviewed in this article do not seem closely related in the first impression. Younos’ book sheds light upon Islamic culture in the context of cultural anthropology; Duri’s book scrutinizes some of the significant Islamic institutions, their emergence, evolution, functioning, as well as the principles that emerged during the formative period of Islam.

Resolving Cyprus: New Approaches to Conflict Resolution

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:57:00 GMT

Despite four decades of multi-level and multi-actor efforts to find a solution, Cyprus remains an intractable conflict and a case of analysis for scholars of conflict resolution. Resolving Cyprus: New Approaches to Conflict Resolution edited by James Ker-Lindsay is part of the academic endeavour to understand the reasons behind this intractability. More specifically, as Ker-Lindsay notes in the Introduction, the book is based on a single, deceptively simple question: can Cyprus be solved? –a question that has brought together a great variety of answers based on a variety of approaches to the problem and the conflict itself. As simple as it is, exploring answers to this question from different angles is crucial for making sense of any possible pathways that might lead to the solution of the decades-long Cyprus Problem.

The Domino Effect: How the Shale Revolution Is Transforming Energy Markets, Industries and Economies

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:59:00 GMT

Because of the U.S.’ long history as an oil importer, its economy has suffered for many years due to oil price hikes stemming from oil supply shocks. The “shale revolution” promoted enormous oil and gas production and its development has increased the production of oil and natural gas resources abundantly in the U.S. The discovery of domestic energy resources has reduced U.S. dependence on imported energy and has made the U.S. an export country. Taking into consideration the latest developments, the U.S., which has begun to export energy resources, is expected to cause major changes in global energy markets.

The Power Triangle: Military, Security, and Politics in Regime Change

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:58:00 GMT

The Power Triangle offers a historical sociology account of power relations during times of regime stability and change. The book was originally a doctoral dissertation written under the supervision of Professor Michael Mann and defended at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2012; the current manuscript is an improved and updated version.

Religion and Regimes: Support, Separation, and Opposition

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:50:00 GMT

This book is highly informative for scholars and students interested in comparative politics and religion. In its explication of how religion affects politics, or the question of the role of religion in politics, it can be seen as an excellent source. In fact, one of the distinguishing features of the book is that, in all its chapters, the authors provide a brief historical background of the countries under analysis, which is extremely helpful in understanding the case studies. This book can be used as a handbook of state-religion relations in 15 countries, in particular it is useful for those who are determined to understand how market models of public religion theory explain state-religion relations.

Arab Nationalism in the Twentieth Century: From Triumph to Despair

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:51:00 GMT

Through meticulous research, Adeed Dawisha traces Arab nationalism chronologically from its rise to its fall. The book offers a historical description of Arab nationalism as an artificial construct, starting from its origins in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and considering different regions, events, advocates of the ideology such as Sati‘ al-Husri and Jamal ‘Abd al-Nasir, and ending with its total absence from the current struggle in the Arab world. Based on both primary and secondary sources, Dawisha successfully provides one of the most comprehensive studies of Arab nationalism to date. His book combines both political science and historical approaches in order to paint a detailed and nuanced portrait of Arab nationalist ideology.

Fortress Europe: Inside the War Against Immigration

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:52:00 GMT

Carr segments the book into 12 chapters in two parts; he points out the irony between theoretical liberalization and the practical hardening of border policy, which has increased human trafficking, abuse, assaults and organized crime. Carr also paints a realistic view of European media, politicians, and writers who have strongly criticized the war on immigration, which they liken to the war on terror.

Culture and the Death of God

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:53:00 GMT

Is it possible to reincarnate God – who has been assumed to be dead for a long time? Terry Eagleton, a prominent thinker and literary critic, focuses on this question in his book entitled Culture and the Death of God. To answer this question, Eagleton describes the changing perceptions of God beginning with the Enlightenment and ending with the rise of radical fundamental terrorism. From the Enlightenment through Idealism to Romanticism, then to Modernism and Postmodernism, Eagleton tells the story of religion.

The Experiences of Face Veil Wearers in Europe and the Law

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:54:00 GMT

The Islamic face veil is now banned in public spaces by several European countries; Austria being the last country to pass a bill for a general ban in March 2017 and Germany having decided for a partial ban for selected professions in April 2017. However, in reality many know very little about this religious practice that is marginal in numbers, yet has become an obsession of European domestic politics, embedded in narratives of security threat and gender equality –mostly formulated by outsider perspectives.

Islam and International Relations: Contributions to Theory and Practice

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:55:00 GMT

The discipline of International relations (IR) is deeply rooted in the history, intellectual traditions, and agency claims of the west, thus obscuring the contributions of the non-western world. There is a pressing need for a departure from IR’s historical complicity with the marginalization and silencing of alternative epistemologies, thereby opening the possibility of making its process of knowledge production truly global and democratic. IR scholars have conventionally turned a blind eye to analyzing religion as a variable in international politics.

The Protections for Religious Rights: Law and Practice

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:56:00 GMT

In the last decade, discussions around religious rights, particularly the rights of Muslim migrant populations in the West, have occupied considerable space in the media, academia and political life. These discussions often revolve around the notion of ‘Islamophobia’ and only very recently has the matter been approached from a rights and human rights angle. This volume represents an important example in this direction. It presents a fairly comprehensive assessment of the legal protection of religious rights and has an international perspective, although it is mainly written with England and Wales in mind.