Insight Turkey / issues

Editor's Note | Spring 2021

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 12:01:00 GMT

At a time when anti-Islam activities are resurging and the Muslim voices are kept down, this issue of Insight Turkey aims to present and to provide the verity to its readers through an extensive and rich framing of the ongoing anti-Islam practices worldwide. We hope that this issue contributes to increasing awareness about anti-Islam activities in today’s world.

Modern Muslims’ Online Struggle: Countering Islamophobia One Tweet at a Time

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 16:02:00 GMT

This commentary sheds light on some of the most creative online campaigns which have been launched to counter Islamophobia and overcome the negative stereotypes and skewed (mis)representations of Islam and Muslims, especially in the West. It provides a number of scholarly definitions of Islamophobia and explains why, and how, social media could act as a double-edged sword, which may fuel Islamophobia, on the one hand, while providing effective tools to counter it, on the other hand. It highlights several examples illustrating both effects of the social media, while focusing on the factors behind the success of some online countering Islamophobia campaigns, such as the amplification of Muslims’ voices, including gendered voices; the deployment of humor; and the selection of suitable strategies, tactics, and tools. It concludes with a few thoughts on what needs to be done to ensure the success and continuation of countering Islamophobia efforts, moving forward.

Rising Violence against Muslims in India Under Modi and BJP Rule

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 12:01:00 GMT

While communal violence has been an ongoing and unfortunate reality for post-colonial and post-partition India, there’s no sidestepping the fact that attacks and hate crime incidences against the country’s Muslim minority by members of the Hindu majority have occurred in greater frequency and ferocity in the years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), came to power in 2014 –on the back of a Hindu nationalist agenda, one in which anti-Muslim animus and discrimination features in mainstream political discourse and government policy. These realities have brought Muslims to the brink of genocide in India and Kashmir.

Anti-Muslim Hatred in Italy: A Glocal Issue

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 16:12:00 GMT

The rise of far-right parties in Europe and harsh propaganda against immigrants and Muslims are primary sources for the development of anti-Islam stances and anti-Muslim hatred among the population. The lack of acknowledgment of Islam and Muslims by the Italian state allows its citizens to conceive an exclusionary populist discourse and a shared negative view that impedes the enforcement of the right to religious freedom. To go local may result as an attractive, though obliged, alternative, and the municipality, as the representative of the institution closest to citizenship, may then affirm its leadership role in ensuring social cohesion and the protection of the human rights of all its citizens, so that European democratic pluralism is translated into effective access to and enjoyment of fundamental rights.

Surveilling and Criminalizing Austrian Muslims: The Case of ‘Political Islam’

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 12:35:00 GMT

In this commentary, I deal with how the governing conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) managed successfully to fundamentally reshape the state’s politics towards Muslim communities by introducing the terminology of ‘political Islam’ in the public discourse. I show how this affected the political discourse, how the governing ÖVP has been using institutions to produce knowledge in order to criminalize Muslimness, and how this also affected the work of the domestic intelligence agency and subsequently police operations. I argue that by introducing the notion of ‘political Islam’ came a criminalization of vocal and/or organized Muslims as well as anti-racist actors.

EU Values and Interests in the Resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: French Unilateralism

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 16:08:00 GMT

The commentary looks at the stance of France on the Second Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan and subsequently the Russian-brokered trilateral truce deal, from the angle of the norms and values of the EU. To that end, the article studies the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from the context of international law, the post-ceasefire period 1994-2020, and looks into the position of the EU on the issue of territorial integrity and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. By analyzing them, it argues that the standpoint of France is not in line with the norms and values of the EU, and also contradicts the position of a mediator state.

The Question of State-Sponsored Terrorism: Investigation of ASALA and JCAG in the Light of Available CIA Documents

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 16:47:00 GMT

After a careful investigation of available archival documents of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.S. State Department, this paper questions the state sponsoring of the terrorist operations of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG). An investigation of the documents ascertains that state support for ASALA is identified by the CIA; however, knowledge about JCAG has remained in the dark due to its extreme clandestineness. In this respect, other than the support of local Armenian communities, this paper traces the fingerprints of the Soviet Union, Syria, Iran, and Libya behind the violent acts of ASALA despite their discreet and covert sponsoring. Furthermore, the tolerance shown by France and Switzerland towards the attacks of ASALA and JCAG gives the impression that the terrorist attacks conducted by Armenian terrorism attracted a certain level of sympathy among Western European governments, as long as their violent acts did not target non-Turkish victims.

Syrian Mass Migration in the 2015 EU Refugee Crisis: A Hybrid Threat or Chance for Implementing Migration Diplomacy?

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 16:54:00 GMT

This article examines the use of coercive engineered migration as a hybrid threat during the 2015 EU refugee crisis. The authors argue that coercive engineered migration can be used as a threat by a state, even when it is not the source of outflows; that it is possible under conditions of an internal or external conflict in the state that is the source of migration; that a state-challenger would most probably be an authoritarian state that supports the government of the emigration state. The authors state that the sound action for Turkey and the EU in the conditions of a crisis that of 2015, would be to develop a migration diplomacy initiative that could contribute not only to a deal but to a sustainable, mutually beneficial solution for both parties.

A Decade Later: Taking Stock of the Arab Uprisings and Turkey’s Role

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 17:52:00 GMT

This article attempts to understand the outcomes of the crackdown on the Arab revolts and the lessons learned thereof. There is no doubt that the Arab revolts were corrupted shortly after their start and used to serve the interests of counterrevolutionaries. The economic, social, and political problems, which triggered the riots in 2011, have not been mitigated a decade later. In this respect, Turkey’s respect for popular demands, the attractiveness of its democratic model, and it proactive foreign policy have concerned the Gulf states leading them to view Turkey as a country that they had to contain. However, Turkey’s post-2016 efforts to restore the balance of power through the use of hard power prevented Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from developing a new regional blueprint under the Trump administration. Right now, there are indications that all regional powers are engaging in a fresh strategic assessment.

Veil and Burqa in the French Public Sphere: A Feminist Analysis

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:02:00 GMT

The visibility of women and their freedoms in the French public sphere is envisaged in this article on the basis of laïcité and gender equality. Within the debate about the rights and limitations of Muslim women, French feminist ideology seems to be torn between two totally contradictory positions. Anti-veil and anti-burqa laws are on the one hand defended in the name of laïcité and the emancipation of women. On the other hand, the laws are severely criticized because they marginalize Muslim women from the majority of French society. The main aim of this research is to analyze anti-veil and anti-burqa laws in France by focusing on their historical and social foundations from a feminist perspective. Next, this study argues that the visibility of Muslim women in the French public space, which is banned in the name of republican and laic values, is actually valued by some feminist groups who cast an exclusionary and othering glance at the clothing of Muslim women, such as the headscarf or the burqa.

Islamophobia as Cultural Racism: The Case of Islamic Attire in Turkey

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:09:00 GMT

Grasping the various aspects of Islamophobia in Muslim societies requires much finer methods in order to decipher the intentions of the actors in distinctive life situations varying from the media to education. This article engages in a debate as to whether Islamophobia is a new type of racism, i.e., cultural, geographical, phenotypical, or Xeno-racism, and the relatively recent type that has emerged in neo-liberal states: anti-Muslim racism. In a Muslim-majority society, the ‘culture’ of members is fairly homogenous, so Islamophobia takes another cue, focusing on external markers, like the headscarf or beard. While anti-Muslim racism is sometimes exercised along more subtle lines of cultural difference in Muslim societies, it prevails through old-fashioned, phenotypical racism. The representation or rather misrepresentation of Islam and/or Muslims in the media can be understood as the prevailing source of antagonism between the secular and the traditionalist segments of Turkish society; indeed, Turkish media representation produces and reproduces a racialization of the majority, predominately by rendering Islam invisible, or by depicting Muslims in ways that denigrate their clothing, manners, style, and way of living across various mass media forms.

The Post-September 11 Rise of Islamophobia: Identity and the ‘Clash of Civilizations’ in Europe and Latin America

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:16:00 GMT

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Islamophobia exploded across ‘the West,’ but particularly in Europe. While Muslims were suffering attacks across Europe, the experience of Muslims in Latin America was markedly different, with almost no perceptible rise in Islamophobia. In the roughly 10 year period between the attacks of September 11, and the start of the Syrian civil war, why did Islamophobia rise in ‘the West,’ but not in Latin America? This article attempts to answer this question through an analysis of the civilizational identities of both regions, in particular the countries of Denmark and Argentina. While the core of Denmark’s identity is being part of the ‘the West,’ which was ‘at war’ with the Muslim world during this period, Argentina defines its identity in opposition to Western countries like Britain and the U.S., leaving it outside ‘the West,’ and Islam not seen as a threat.

For a New Alterity of Islam in European Perspective

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:21:00 GMT

The depiction of Islam and Muslims in Europe has, in general, been dominated by an ‘Othering’ in which they are considered inherently different, because of their ethnic or geographical origin or due to conceptions of Islam as a non-modern phenomenon, incompatible with Western democratic societies. Without ignoring successful integration experiences, recent cases of Islamophobia in Europe demonstrate the continued assumption of the Islamic ‘Other’ from a negative point of view. This otherness is particularly visible in the case of Turkey, which due to its truncated process of accession to the European Union has been subject to constant debates on its Europeanness. To overcome this harmful vision, the application of a democratic ‘Alterity’ is proposed. This allows, based on identity, a dialogue between different parties, in which the other is not only recognized but their position can also be assumed as one’s own.

Contemporary Experiences of Islamophobia in Today’s United Kingdom: Findings from Ten Small-Scale Studies

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:28:00 GMT

In today’s the United Kingdom, Islamophobia is as contested as it is real. Challenging this contestation, this article presents findings from ten small-scale, qualitative studies that seek to evidence and better understand the lived, tangible experience of Islamophobia in real-world spaces. To do so, this article briefly explores the development and incidence of Islamophobia in public and political spaces and how contestation has ensued. From here, the findings draw out how Muslims experience Islamophobia in their everyday lives, ranging from instances of verbal abuse through threats and intimidation to physical assault and violence. As part of this exploration, new insights are afforded into the role and impact of terrorist attacks on hate crimes, geopolitical and military conflicts, the content of Islamophobic abuse, and the rapidly changing nature of that, which shapes and informs tangible forms of Islamophobia. In doing so, this article concludes by contextualizing the realities of Islamophobia within the far from conducive public and political spaces of the UK. This article makes a timely contribution to and improves knowledge about Islamophobia in today’s UK.

Islamophobia, Neoliberalism, and the Muslim ‘Other’

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:48:00 GMT

Muslim communities have been racialized as ‘Other’ for over 1,400 years.1 The manner in which the figure of the Muslim has been invoked as a threat across the centuries demonstrates the importance of recognizing the ideological context if we are to fully understand the nuances of Islamophobic ‘thinking.’ The aim of this paper is to situate the Islamophobia of today within neoliberalism as the globally dominant, hegemonic ideology of our time.2 As is discussed below, Muslim communities are today racialized as the uncivilized ‘Other,’ embodying dispositions of how not to be neoliberal. Constructing Muslim communities as such serves to legitimize the neoliberal, neo-colonial project ‘over there’ and at home in the metropole. This paper details the manner in which contemporary neoliberal civilizing missions operate from above, akin to a form of hard-power, and below, winning hearts and minds, through ‘a full-blown social program’3 to create neoliberal citizens, while penalizing those that refuse to participate.4

The Quest for Soviet Legacy in Russian Foreign Policy

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:58:00 GMT

Russian foreign policy is a popular subject on which scholars have lately conducted much research. The current stage of these studies is competent in explaining various aspects of Russian foreign policy. Yet, considering both earlier and more recent works, there seems to be a trend of focusing solely on the post-Soviet era. Relatedly, the majority of the current literature adopts perspectives that analyze the period after Vladimir Putin’s rise to power. Moreover, almost all of the prominent and relatively less-cited research takes a leader-oriented approach. Hence, despite the satisfying heft of the current literature, there still is a gap regarding the Soviet legacy behind Russia’s foreign policy orientations. In other words, although most of the components and goals of Moscow’s foreign policy have been previously covered, the role of Soviet history/the Soviet mindset remains vague. To this end, this review article thoroughly analyzes the four selected books and engages with their contributions in terms of defining the role of the Soviet legacy in Russian foreign policy formulations.

Exploring Emotions in Turkey-Iran Relations: Affective Politics of Partnership and Rivalry

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 19:46:00 GMT

Exploring Emotions in Turkey-Iran Relations provides valuable historical and theoretical insights into Turkish-Iranian affairs, focusing on emotional diplomacy and affective norms. It also gives a detailed analysis of each country’s domestic factors and how domestic politics determined their bilateral affairs. In addition, the book examines the developments of domestic politics in each state.

Spiritual Subjects: Central Asian Pilgrims and the Ottoman Hajj at the End of Empire

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 22:18:00 GMT

Although Spiritual Subjects is predominately a thoughtful monograph on the Hajj in West Asia, it should also be considered an interdisciplinary study of the history of Central Asian Sufis, international law, Muslim ethnicities, and the dynamics of pan-Islamism and pan-Turkism in the Russian and Ottoman Empires.

Beyond the Steppe Frontier: A History of the Sino-Russian Border

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 22:24:00 GMT

Beyond the Steppe Frontier can be a guiding example of studying the borderland settlements (city/town/region) of ambitious states. It depicts how different cultures, societies, and ethnicities, as well as citizens of neighboring states, could be controlled, manipulated, organized, and turned into figures serving the rule of overlords in faraway centers. This work is particularly instructive for students of political sciences and international relations.

Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 22:31:00 GMT

Nye discusses the challenges for a future, moral foreign policy and specifies two global power shifts that will shape the context of American foreign policy in the 21st century: a horizontal shift-the rise or recovery of Asia, and a vertical shift–driven by technology. Nye’s contribution to the “rise of China” question invaluable.

Road Warriors: Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 22:53:00 GMT

In Road Warriors, Daniel Byman explores an issue that has played a significant role in the destabilization of numerous countries for many years. In recent years, foreign fighters have become one of the key problems in the international security system. Byman’s monograph analyses the genesis, history, and formation of foreign fighters in various terrorist organizations.

Turkey and Russia in Syria: Testing the Extremes

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 22:56:00 GMT

The book’s originality owes much to Yükselen’s examination of the changing character of the Syrian War and its impacts on the behaviors of both state and non-state actors. Since the very beginning of the Syrian War, Turkey and Russia have had diverging and conflicting strategic ends regarding the issues, such as the future of the Assad regime, opposition groups (pp. 41-52), and the fate of the PYD/YPG (p. 182).

İki Darbe Arasında: Türkiye Suriye Politikası (1960-1980) [Between Two Coups: Turkey’s Syria Policy (1960-1980)]

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 23:04:00 GMT

With Between Two Coups, Salık fills a gap in the literature of Turkish-Syrian relations and offers a detailed account not only for diplomatic historians interested in Turkish foreign policy and Middle East politics but also for political scientists and International Relation scholars interested in foreign policy analysis, and the impact of coups and domestic politics on foreign relations.

Japan’s Relations with Muslim Asia

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 23:09:00 GMT

The book is an attempt to add a new and fresh perspective to the existing literature. Its diverse, multi-language references will open many paths for further research on this topic. Despite its shortcomings, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in Japanese-Muslim relations.

The False Promise of Liberal Order: Nostalgia, Delusion and the Rise of Trump

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 23:16:00 GMT

The False Promise of Liberal Order is an enjoyable read for those looking for realist’s work with simple and parsimonious language and structure, rather than the trending normative inferences. The book appeals to a broad range of readers. One does not need to be a student of international politics to comprehend the arguments put forward in the book.

Sufism: A Theoretical Intervention in Global International Relations

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 23:21:00 GMT

Sufism: A Theoretical Intervention in Global International Relations is both a contribution to these issues/debates and an attempt to go beyond them. It is a contribution because it shares the goal of going beyond Eurocentrism. It is an attempt to go beyond these debates because, unlike previous approaches, such as Non-Western International Relations Theory (NWIRT) and post-colonial approaches, it has different goals.