Insight Turkey / issues

Editor's Note | Winter 2023

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:15:00 GMT

As Türkiye is on the eve on one of the most important elections in its history, this issue of Insight Turkey addresses some of the issues that have been dominating the political agenda lately. Through this issue, we hope to provide our readers with a thorough analysis and the necessary foundations for a better understanding of some of the main issues that will influence the outcome of the May 14 elections.

Truth Is a Human Right: Türkiye’s Stance on the Fight against Disinformation

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:54:00 GMT

We are experiencing the rise of unprecedented opportunities as a result of the digital revolution, but regrettably this has also been accompanied by a number of novel threats. One of the most visible manifestations of these threats is the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation. The implications of this threat extend from the individual to the national and international levels, where misinformation and disinformation bring the risk of hybrid warfare and power competition closer to home. Needless to say, the breadth of these implications makes dealing with digital misinformation even more difficult. This commentary focuses on several global events where misinformation and disinformation were used as a tactical tool, including the 2016 U.S. elections, Brexit, and COVID-19. Then, we discuss the situation involving Türkiye, one of the nations that serves as both a target and a focal point of regional disinformation campaigns. The commentary then shifts to some of the Communication Directorate's most significant initiatives, such as the creation of the Earthquake Disinformation Bulletins, the Law on the Fight Against Disinforma- tion, and the Center for Fight Against Disinformation. Finally, above all, this commentary aims to raise awareness of the dangers of online misinformation and urges international cooperation to ensure that the truth always prevails.

Strategic Communication and Policies of Türkiye

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:55:00 GMT

Since the establishment of the Republic, Türkiye has systematically conducted communication activities to proclaim its own theses to the national and international public. Until recently, those efforts were organized by different institutions and in the context of different regulations. Türkiye’s evolving development and foreign policy agenda over the past 20 years have compelled it to undertake more ambitious endeavors in the area of communication and public diplomacy. As a result of this requirement, the Directorate of Communications was established on July 24, 2018. This study provides a broad overview of the evolution of the Turkish strategic communication viewpoint and conducts an indepth analysis of the development of the Türkiye communication model and current strategic communication initiatives undertaken by the Directorate of Communications.

Insights into Türkiye’s Technology Development Journey

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:56:00 GMT

Türkiye, an emerging economy, has been attempting to improve its socioeconomic strength through the promotion of research and development (R&D), innovation, and technological development activities. Most notably, since 2000 the government has been implementing programs and supporting schemes with a particular focus on improving the innovation capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and universities. First, institutions were set up by the government to provide support to SMEs, and different support programs were then introduced by these institutions. The support programs subsequently diversified to include patenting, commercialization, and entrepreneurship support as well as support for ecosystem improvements. In this commentary, I provide a summary of these programs and how they have affected technology R&D and innovation capacity in Türkiye. Although it is clear that the programs have had an impact, we were not able to source any evidence delineating the size of their impact. Nevertheless, it would have been better if we, as a country, could have focused on measuring not only the financial contributions of the programs but also their social impact as well.

Türkiye's Middle Corridor and China's BRI: Identification and Assessment

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:59:00 GMT

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Türkiye’s Middle Corridor (MC) are two ambitious initiatives that foster trans-continental integration. These two grand schemes have been developed independently of one another. Nonetheless, they have the common objective of connecting Europe and Asia as well as facilitating commercial, economic, political, and socio-cultural interactions between the two continents. While the MC is one of the most important components of the BRI, the alignment of these two projects will offer a range of benefits for Türkiye’s MC, especially in finding alternative financing sources. This article aims to examine the history, objectives, and phases of Türkiye's MC. In doing so, it harmonizes the BRI with the MC and examines the opportunities that the integration offers for the region, as well as its inherent risks and challenges. This research is also significant and worthwhile as it provides insights into the compatibility of the BRI and the MC.

F-35 Crisis between the U.S. and Türkiye: Is This the End of American Nuclear Assurance for Türkiye?

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:11:00 GMT

This article analyzes the possible consequences of the F-35 fighter crisis between the U.S. and Türkiye, particularly in terms of its effect on the tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) now deployed in Türkiye as part of NATO’s nuclear sharing program. It argues that the U.S. should respond to Ankara’s demands by either allowing Türkiye to rejoin the F-35 fighter project or by selling new F-16 fighters and modernization kits to Türkiye that will permit its continued deployment of TNWs. This move would, in turn, prevent the ‘brain death’ of the alliance; otherwise, negative attitudes emanating from the U.S. may lead Türkiye to search for alternative suppliers, a move that could include buying fighter aircraft from Russia or China and might lead Türkiye to question its membership in NATO. Anything that causes Türkiye to do this is a problem in the current security environment since competition between NATO and Russia has reached dangerous levels with the Russian invasion of Ukraine under the shadow of the threat of the use of nuclear weapons.

Governmental System Discussions Ahead of the 2023 Elections: Why the Nation Alliance’s Proposal for Semi-Presidentialism is not a Viable Option

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:12:00 GMT

Ahead of the 2023 elections, one of the top items on Türkiye’s political agenda will relate to the different systems of government that various parties have proposed. The country overhauled its political system in 2017, replacing the parliamentary system with a Turkish-style presidential system. The differences between Türkiye’s system of government with the U.S. presidential system, along with other aspects of the Turkish system, have been the subject of public debate for a long time. Whereas the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) advocate the preservation of the current system, they have not completely ruled out potential revisions based on five years of experience. Türkiye’s opposition parties, in turn, unveiled a series of proposed constitutional amendments to which they collectively refer as the ‘augmented’ parliamentary system. This article analyzes the systems of government proposed by two major alliances, which will compete in the 2023 elections and the debates on their proposals.

Key Issues in Turkish Politics Before the 2023 Elections

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:16:00 GMT

In 2023, Türkiye will celebrate the centennial of the establishment of the republic and will also hold a crucial election. The 2023 elections are one of the most important in Türkiye’s history. Four main topics will determine the fate of the elections: refugees, the economy, rising nationalism, and the Kurdish question. There are serious differences of opinion between the government and opposition blocs regarding the solution to these problems. Concerning refugee policies, Türkiye is still the country hosting the highest number of displaced persons under temporary protection in the world. While policies against immigrants are rising all over the world, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has adopted a humanitarian approach in terms of refugee policies. Erdoğan has also used his power of persuasion in society in terms of solving economic problems. In many parts of the world, the combination of refugees and economic problems manifested itself in the form of reactionary nationalism. Erdoğan, on the other hand, used nationalist rhetoric in an integrative way, blending the concepts of native (yerli) and national (milli). Although the opposition has not demonstrated a clear approach to these issues, it positioned itself directly opposite Erdoğan. Likewise, recently, a new approach has been adopted in terms of the solution to the Kurdish question, apart from the PKK. The 2023 elections will show which of the approaches of the government or the opposition wings coincide with Turkish society’s expectations.

Reclaiming the Umma from the Margins: The Case of Türkiye’s HÜDA-PAR

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:16:00 GMT

This paper investigates the relationship between an ethnic Muslim minority identity and transnational Muslim solidarity through the case study of HÜDA-PAR,1 the most organized political Islamic organization and the second-largest political party native to Southeast Türkiye. In this paper, it is scrutinized how the concept of ummah motivates the domestic/ideological, national, and transnational political discourse and initiatives of HÜDA-PAR. Based on interviews with senior members of the party, it is clear that HÜDA-PAR views “Islam as nationalism” while also adopting the ummah as a mechanism to voice the aspirations for greater Kurdish rights and interests. As a part of examining the party’s ideological position, the first section explores how ummah became an empowering notion within a national Turkish political structure. Section two illustrates the way the notion was used as a legitimizing force within the religiously conservative Kurdish social structure. The third section examines the notion’s unifying role with like-minded Pan-Islamic groups within the region they operate. The article also addresses the ambiguities that a mostly abstract and idealist ummahist approach to modern politics brings when faced with Kurdish nationalism, the regional realpolitik, and democratic pluralism.

Syrian Women in the Turkish Labor Market: Understanding Their Labor Supply Behavior

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:17:00 GMT

This study explores the various dynamics that Syrian women under temporary protection in Türkiye encounter in the labor market. By conducting a qualitative study on female Syrian employees residing in six different cities in Türkiye and basing our analysis on the neoclassical theory of labor supply, the study seeks to elucidate nationwide factors that potentially affect these women’s work decisions. It also attempts to identify if any differences exist in the labor market outcomes for Syrian women compared to their female Turkish counterparts or male Syrian counterparts. Therefore, the study employs a gender perspective and aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the experiences of working Syrian women by distinguishing them from the overall Syrian population living in Türkiye. Study findings point to both pecuniary and nonpecuniary factors that shape the labor supply behavior of these women.

Israel’s COVID-19 Diplomacy in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Europe

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:21:00 GMT

Israel’s aid initiatives have historically been facilitated through the Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV). However, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted MASHAV’s ability to provide assistance due to budget cuts and government instability. As such, Israel’s COVID-19 diplomacy initiative took on greater importance in maintaining its presence and reputation internationally. This article analyzes Israel’s approach to COVID-19 diplomacy, which involved providing medical teams, PPE, and surplus vaccines to approximately 20 countries, and examines the political and strategic calculations behind Israel’s decision to extend assistance to specific countries. The article argues that Israel’s COVID-19 diplomacy initiative was more limited in scope and geography compared to other countries with similar economic development levels, and aid efforts were concentrated in regions where Israel has sought to increase its involvement in recent years, particularly sub-Saharan Africa and Central Europe. Finally, the article assesses the impact of Israel’s COVID-19 diplomacy initiative on its diplomatic relations with recipient countries and the broader international community.

Religion, Armed Conflict and the Quest for “Secular”: Mapping Martyrdom in Kashmir

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:23:00 GMT

Religion is bivalent. It can be argued that religion is an instrument of peace and equivocally the role of religion in conflicts can be voiced as well. Religion can be a motivation to perpetuate violence; it can also be a background to conflict or it can be the means and end for parties involved in the conflict. Armed conflict has been a key feature of contemporary world politics, and its relation with religion would be interesting to probe into. Kashmir has been a festering political problem with little global attention. Intangible political positions have led to shame and humiliation. Kashmir has to resort to ‘scapegoating’ in the form of a ‘body of a militant’ as a sacrifice. The failure of the secular world to deliver on its secular promises in the form of the right to self-determination is increasingly turning the local populace to transcendental means to achieve the secular. This paper will try to contextualize the quest for “secular” while examining the construction of Muslim identity, the institution of martyrdom, and its societal basis in Kashmir.

Endless EU Facilitated - Mediated Dialogue Between Kosovo and Serbia

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:24:00 GMT

The dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia facilitated and mediated by the EU and strong U.S. support is a critical part of sustainable peace, stability, and the road to the European integration of the Western Balkans. This article seeks to provide the mediators’ insights into the process of dialogue by outlining the factors and circumstances in which it is being developed, as well as analyzing strategies that lead toward desired success, peace, stability, and the EU integration of the Western Balkans. The article discusses the important issues linked with the dialogue that is being facilitated and negotiated by the EU, including essential activities, challenges, difficulties, obstacles, antagonism (inner and international), the approach the EU facilitators/mediators undertake as well as the reaction and the expected results that the parties involved in the process have regarding reaching a final solution to the dispute. The researchers of this paper used the methods of legal analysis, comparative analysis, and teleological analysis. The study is an update of the work done in the field by the authors and aims to contribute to further political, diplomatic, and academic debate developed in this field locally and internationally.

Hamas: Isolated, Contained, But Not Co-opted?

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:27:00 GMT

Hamas was not only besieged in Gaza but also politically isolated and delegitimized. This isolation has paved the way for Hamas’s rule in Gaza to develop more organically, as Brenner’s details in his book. Hamas utilized formal and informal governing mechanisms, blurring the boundaries between its partisan politics and the governing of Gaza, thereby falling into the same trap of Fatah, which embodied the PLO, and later the Palestinian Authority (PA). The logic of power consolidation that Hamas followed in Gaza, and its commitment to govern and provide services to almost two million Palestinians under blockade, force Hamas to become more pragmatic and less spoiling in its regional politics (as in the case of its policy towards Egypt), as well as in its encounters with Israel. Hamas became more careful in maintaining ceasefires, and willing to sell ‘stability’ as political good; Baconi brilliantly unpacks these dynamics.

Turkey between the United States and Russia: Surfing on the Edge

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:50:00 GMT

Turkey between the United States and Russia distinguishes itself from other studies in the literature by simultaneously considering tripartite relations in a historical context. The book has a good flow of chapters; it is concise, well-organized, and uncluttered. It provides readers with one of the most up-to-date accounts of Türkiye’s balancing act in its relations with Russia and the U.S. and therefore is a must-read for anyone interested in Türkiye’s foreign affairs.

EU-Turkey Relations: A New Direction for EU Foreign Policy?

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:57:00 GMT

This book, which analyzes the EU’s foreign policy between the years 2014-2019 and its relations with Türkiye, contains positive aspects as well as some difficulties and limitations. The work offers rich content on EU foreign policy, with an institutional perspective on the EU. In this sense, it is an important resource for researchers in terms of the structure and functioning of EU institutions, EU law, EU policy and foreign policy, and the EU in the axis of international politics. However, since the book deals with the circumstances from a Eurocentric perspective, the approaches and interpretations are made from a purely European perspective. This approach, unfortunately, ignored Turkey’s stance and determination in the EU-Türkiye relationship and demonstrated Türkiye as a one-sided problem in the EU-Türkiye relations.

Imperial Resilience: The Great War’s End, Ottoman Longevity, and Incidental Nations

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:01:00 GMT

One of the ultimate matters the book makes the reader reconsider is that one cannot think of the Anatolian independence struggle independently of Syria and Iraq, an approach that has often been ignored by the literature. Moreover, it is important to consider this period as the continuation of the Empire, rather than a nationalist split. As the author asserts, it may be more appropriate to look for the origins of the nationalist disintegration only after the 1930s (p. 182). Therefore, it makes an important contribution to the literature in terms of positioning beyond the determinant boundaries of classical nationalist literature.

Promised Lands: The British and the Ottoman Middle East

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:05:00 GMT

Promised Land is an exhaustive work that focuses on the often neglected early British encounter in the Middle East. Though the vast amount of details and solely the British Empire perspective can prove a source of disillusionment for some, Parry’s effort to avoid all kinds of stereotypes, which often prove a distraction, can be appreciated by the readers. To him, the relationship between Mehmet Ali and Britain can be explained by Britain’s reliance on the “quiet and natural industry of the Arabs” (p. 76), rather than pure imperialism. What is striking the most is there was no mention of the Young Turk Revolution and Committee of Union and Progress, İttihad ve Terakki. These are the key elements of anti-Ottoman sentiment in the period where Parry tirelessly argues that it was the enmity between the Ottoman Empire and other locals which forced Britain to get involved in the first place. Nonetheless Promised Land is an impressive work of scholarship and essential reading for anyone with an interest in the modern history of the Middle East.

Fraternal Enemies: Israel and the Gulf Monarchies

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:08:00 GMT

Fraternal Enemies: Israel and The Gulf Monarchies can be a useful book for anyone interested in the ties between the Gulf countries, Iran, the U.S., and Israel, especially for academics, students, and politicians, with its rich use of academic resources. Such an in-depth study on the secret agreements between Israel and the Gulf monarchies will greatly contribute to the literature.

The Middle East from Empire to Sealed Identities

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:22:00 GMT

An equally problematic aspect of the book is its mere focus on the 19th century to explore the roots of the present conflicts in the region, which seems to attribute much, if not all, of the responsibility to the Ottoman context. By doing so, it reconstructs the Ottoman past through the national present to narrate a linear history of the nationalization of Middle Eastern identities while trying to deconstruct essentialist identity narratives of the Middle East. Instead of jumping from the immediate aftermath of WWI to the present, the author should have also engaged with the parameters of the 20th century, which have been substantially contributing to the homogenization of diversities, the construction of problematic national identities, and causing chronic crises in the region.

How ISIS Fights?: Military Tactics in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Egypt

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:25:00 GMT

How ISIS Fights provides a satisfying explanation for ISIS’ expansion and endurance in different regions by focusing on the Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Egypt battlefronts. ISIS has been examined previously in various aspects including ideology, politics, and economy, but there is a lack of military analyses of ISIS in the literature. Therefore, How ISIS Fights fills this gap by focusing on combat effectiveness and tactical innovations of the organization.

Everyday Boundaries, Borders, and Post-Conflict Societies

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:29:00 GMT

Throughout the book, Summa demonstrates a healthy contrarian streak. She tries to make a less ‘statist’ and territorialized analysis. Comprehensively, the strength of the book is the depth of its historical excavation and the synchronization of relevant literature on everyday boundaries, which are usually ignored or under-theorized by the literature. It is an interesting scholarly piece that attempts to explore new approaches and offers a clarifying lens for understanding this critical and multifaceted concept. Therefore, the book is an important contribution to the study of ongoing debates on everyday borders and boundaries in post-conflict societies and is of interest to academic scholars and policymakers alike.

Russia’s 2022 War against Ukraine and the Foreign Policy Reaction of the EU: Context, Diplomacy, and Law

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:32:00 GMT

The most interesting aspect of the book is that it was published a short time after the start of the war in February 2022. This is a normal case considering that the last two chapters of the book, almost half of it, consist of two articles previously published by the author. It is also noteworthy that the author made use of English, French, Italian, and Russian sources for his book. On the other hand, although the European Council granted Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the EU in June, the lack of a wide-ranging analysis on Ukraine’s EU membership process is the most obvious shortcoming of the book. Despite this shortcoming, the book provides a good contribution to the literature on the EU’s reactions to the war. In any case, I recommend this short book as a good starting piece primarily for analysts, post-graduate students, and journalists who would like to understand the past of EU-Ukraine relations and the EU’s reactions to the war.

The Rise of Blockchains: Disrupting Economies and Transforming Societies

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:36:00 GMT

Blockchain is a relatively new technology and has its own weaknesses. DeFi, or decentralized finance, is one such area where there are numerous hacking attacks against digital currencies or cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrency wallets especially hot wallets are often associated with cybersecurity risks. Ethereum contracts and DAOs are also frequently hacked. However, blockchain can still be used to improve security and privacy in finance, IoT devices, and even in healthcare. It will work much better than conventional password-based security systems. At a minimum, people won’t have to send over and record their personal data at some central repository. Data won’t be sent over to anyone or anywhere, just access permission will be granted whenever needed. It also provides anonymity, without revealing the true identity of a user. The book is highly recommended for experts, scholars, and researchers interested in digitalization in finance and blockchain technologies in general.