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302. Working Girls and Education: Policy Recommendations in the Framework of Children Rights
- Author:
- Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) and Aydın Doğan Foundation (ADV)
- Publication Date:
- 05-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)
- Abstract:
- Aydın Doğan Foundation (ADV) and Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) launched, in December 2015, www.turkiyedecocuklar.org as an innovative policy tool. Open data from TÜİK, ILO, and Hacettepe TNSA on working girls in Turkey was assembled and reorganized as an interactive database to facilitate evidence-based effective policy making. Working girls and education is the most alarming issue on the database. As a follow-up, ADV and TESEV brought together experts, in Istanbul, on 28 April 2016, to discuss and recommend policies.
- Topic:
- Education, Labor Issues, Children, and Economy
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Middle East
303. Turkey’s coup attempt
- Author:
- Lauren Baker
- Publication Date:
- 08-2016
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)
- Abstract:
- Late in the evening of July 15, a faction of the Turkish army blocked key bridges into Istanbul and occupied several locations throughout the country. The attempted coup failed before morning, but its consequences will reverberate far into the future. The government’s response was immediate and harsh: mass arrests and a purge of not only the military, but also civil servants, judges, academics, and political opponents. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned cleric Fethullah Gulen as the chief conspirator and demanded his extradition from self-imposed exile in the United States. Meanwhile, some opponents of Erdogan suggest that the government orchestrated the attempt as a “false flag” operation to consolidate power and crackdown on dissidents. Turkey is not new to coups, but looking at previous conflicts and the political science literature on coups can tell us why this failed attempt is unique and what its repercussions will be in Turkey and the broader Middle East. The pieces in POMEPS Briefing 30 offer insightful and timely analysis from top scholars of the region published in the Monkey Cage blog on the Washington Post.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
304. The Catch-22 in Nineveh: The Regional Security Complex Dynamics between Turkey and Iran
- Author:
- Tomáš Kaválek and Athanasios Manis
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
- Abstract:
- This paper argues that the future political stability of Nineveh depends on a two-level normalisation. A potential agreement between competing local actors, such as Baghdad and Erbil, is not the only necessary condition to stabilise the area. It also requires that Turkey and Iran decide to desecuritise Nineveh to the extent that it ceases to play the role of a buffer zone in the Middle East regional security complex. This argument is underpinned by the close examination of Turkey’s and Iran’s involvement together with their respective local allies in Nineveh in the post-2014 period. Developments referring to the cases of Bashiqa, Shingal, Tal Afar, as well as activities in favour or against Mosul leaders’ post-Islamic State (IS) vision illustrate that Nineveh’s securitisation has transcended Iraq’s borders. All in all, Turkey and Iran are vying for greater influence in Nineveh, or at least attempting to ensure that it will not become a satellite area of a competing power. Partly through their direct diplomatic and military engagement, but most importantly through their military and economic support to their local allies, the two regional powers pursue their security and diplomatic goals. At the same time, their involvement in the area has compounded the friction between local actors. Accordingly, the paper argues that in order to avoid greater polarisation in Nineveh and prepare the ground for constructive negotiations in the post-IS environment, Turkey and Iran should work on institutionalising their relationship beyond trade. Working together on issues of security between them, but also specifically in Nineveh, would improve trust and confidence in their relationship and help overcome the catch-22.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Iran and Turkey
305. A Transitioning Turkey: Out with the Old, in with the New?
- Author:
- Athanasios Manis
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
- Abstract:
- Turkey is experiencing a crisis of orientation in its internal and external affairs as a result of a transition between a dying and an emerging vision. The end of the current transitional period will not necessarily mark the end of the country’s crisis, but most probably its entrenchment or deepening.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, International Relations, and International Security
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
306. Trouble on the tracks: Averting the Turkey-EU ‘train wreck’
- Author:
- Asli Aydıntaşbaş
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Council On Foreign Relations
- Abstract:
- With the European Parliament decision to “freeze” accession talks, Turkey’s decades-long engagement with Europe is in crisis. In 2016 Turkey-EU relations took a step forward, with a historic deal on refugee resettlement, but also a step back, with a sweeping crackdown in the wake of the failed 15 July coup and global criticism of Turkey’s human rights situation. Instead of populism and resentment, both Europe and Turkey need to develop “strategic patience” to anchor Turkey to Europe. Turkey’s history has been an ebb and flow between Westernisation and nativist reaction. It is important for the EU to think long-term about Turkey. One way to bypass the current impasse might be to offer Ankara an upgraded customs union, with political benchmarks for market access. Despite tensions, Turkey and the European Council should think about their shared interests and high degree of integration to avert a “train-wreck”.
- Topic:
- International Security and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Turkey
307. The good, the bad and the Gülenists
- Author:
- Asli Aydıntaşbaş
- Publication Date:
- 10-2016
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Council On Foreign Relations
- Abstract:
- According to the Turkish government, the Gülenist movement is at the heart of the failed coup attempt of 15 July. Fethullah Gülen, the movement's leader is a former ally of the Turkish president and one of the country's most powerful and influential forces. With the help of the Turkish government, the Gülen movement successfully created a deep state within the Turkish bureaucracy and persecuted political enemies in show trials in 2008-2013. The movement is opaque and secretive in the state bureaucracy. There is enough evidence linking followers of Gülen to the coup but evidence pointing to Fethullah Gülen himself remains scant. Turkey’s extradition request for Fethullah Gülen will continue to create turbulence in Turkey’s relationship with Washington. For the US, this is a legal matter; for Ankara, a prerequisite for partnership. The Turkish government has embarked on a massive purge to "clean the state", involving tens of thousands of state employees, banks, and companies. In its quest to protect Turkish democracy by purging Gülenists, the Turkish government needs to make sure it does not destroy the frail democracy it is trying to save.
- Topic:
- International Security
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
308. Should We Upgrade the V4-Turkey Dialogue?
- Author:
- Lucia Najšlová
- Publication Date:
- 06-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Europeum Institute for European Policy
- Abstract:
- At a time when the Visegrad Group (V4) is becoming a more ambitious regional bloc, several policymakers and analysts have floated the idea of deepening a dialogue with Turkey, a country of tremendous importance for the EU, and one that is enjoying unprecedented interest of policymakers, business circles and publics at large.2 Perhaps this should not come as a surprise – although the V4’s approach to the refugee crisis left some Western EU leaders questioning whether accepting the Eastern Europeans in the 2004 enlargement was a mistake – the V4 has a track-record of constructive engagement in the EU neighborhoods, and consistent support for further enlargement, including Turkey’s accession.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Turkey
309. Failed Turkish Coup: Dynamics and Implications
- Author:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Publication Date:
- 07-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Abstract:
- The military coup attempt that unfolded in Turkey on the night of 15 July 2016 was successfully put down by popular protests across the country responding to President Erdogan’s calls for citizens to stand for democracy. Despite this, the coup attempt will have domestic, regional and international implications. This policy brief is a preliminary analysis of the reasons the coup failed, the paths Turkish politics may take after this coup and the regional and international reactions to the coup.
- Topic:
- International Security and Military Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
310. Davutoglu’s Resignation: Crisis Under Control
- Author:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Publication Date:
- 05-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Abstract:
- After two meetings between Turkey’s President Erdogan and Prime Minister Davutoglu in the span of less than a week, Davutoglu announced his resignation as head of government and head of the AKP party on 5 May 2016. This policy brief examines the key points of contention between Erdogan and Davutoglu, the republic’s governmental crisis, the impact of Davutoglu’s resignation on the Justice and Development (AKP) Party and the possibility of constitutional reform that will change the country’s system of governance.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Political Power Sharing, and Political stability
- Political Geography:
- Turkey