Copyright 2010 Soner Cagaptay Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:40:02 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Soner Cagaptay :: Writings http://www.cagaptay.com cagaptay@gmail.com (Soner Cagaptay) webmaster@pundicity.com en-us http://www.cagaptay.com/7711/turkey-lost-turkey Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST U.S. President Barack Obama last week partly blamed the European Union for supposedly driving Turkey away from the West by stalling the country's EU accession. Mr. Obama is confusing cause and effect. The real problem is that the ruling Islamist Justice... http://www.cagaptay.com/7705/akp-hamas-policy-radicalization Fri, 9 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST For Turks today, after seven years of propaganda, Hamas appears to be a good organization as it has been a guest in Istanbul seven times and has had multiple contacts with the government. It even has fundraisers in Turkey. Therefore, one should not... http://www.cagaptay.com/7683/akp-hamas-policy Mon, 5 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST At home, the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, has promoted the Islamist mindset of "us Muslims" in conflict with "the bad others" through the media and also by spreading Hamas' views throughout Turkey, whether through official Hamas visits to... http://www.cagaptay.com/7659/the-akps-hamas-policy-i-how-turkey-turned Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST Turkey has not traditionally boasted strong popular support for Hamas, or any other groups with a violent Islamist agenda. Turks generally have had an attitude of benign indifference towards their country's ties with Israel. Lately though, this is... http://www.cagaptay.com/7583/turkey-clash-of-civilizations Tue, 8 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST Ever since the Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed power in 2002, Turkish foreign policy has made a 180-degree turn. The country's once-strong ties with the United States and Israel have been weakened, and entry talks with the European... http://www.cagaptay.com/7578/afraid-of-turkey Fri, 4 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST Turkey is starting to scare Americans, for good reason. There was the high-profile clash at Davos over the Palestinians, fraying Turkish ties to Israel. Then came the surprise uranium deal with Tehran, undermining Western pressure on Iran to come clean... http://www.cagaptay.com/7574/turkey-israel-lose-lose Fri, 4 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST Turkish-Israeli ties, born in March 28, 1949 when Turkey became the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel, effectively ended on May 31, 2010. This happened as IDF commandos boarded a convoy of ships reportedly bringing humanitarian assistance... http://www.cagaptay.com/7557/turkey-iran-policy Mon, 31 May 2010 09:00:00 EST The central problem with the recent nuclear deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil with Iran is that it does not quite tackle Iran's ability to weaponize its uranium stockpile. According to the arrangement, Iran is to deposit 1,200 kilos of enriched uranium... http://www.cagaptay.com/7535/turkey-game-changer Mon, 31 May 2010 09:00:00 EST The recent resignation of Deniz Baykal, leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), over an alleged sex tape scandal presents a serendipitous window of opportunity for Turkish politics. Since the Justice and Development Party... http://www.cagaptay.com/7516/womens-diminishing-power-in-turkey Thu, 27 May 2010 09:00:00 EST Click here to access the full article.... http://www.cagaptay.com/7404/turkey-new-political-balance Sun, 16 May 2010 09:00:00 EST Turkey's protracted political battle between the governing Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and its opponents reached a crescendo this month with the Turkish Parliament's vote on proposed constitutional amendments. The battle over the amendments... http://www.cagaptay.com/7288/turkey-akp-alcohol-government-social-change Mon, 10 May 2010 09:00:00 EST Since the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, rose to power in Turkey in 2002, special taxes on alcohol have increased dramatically, making a glass of wine or beer one of the most expensive in Europe, and for that purpose anywhere in the world. The... http://www.cagaptay.com/7031/who-lost-ergenekon Sun, 7 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST When the Ergenekon case started in 2007 based on allegations of a coup plot against the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government, Washington agreed: "this is serious stuff." Three years, two hundred arrests, hundreds of house raids and wiretaps... http://www.cagaptay.com/7018/turkey-republic-of-fear Thu, 4 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST Last week's arrests in Turkey of dozens of high-ranking military officers mark the country's latest step toward authoritarianism. Neither Europe nor the United States can afford to ignore Turkey's transformation. Since coming to power in 2002, the ruling... http://www.cagaptay.com/6994/turkey-turning-point Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST Turkey's Islamist ruling coalition faces the courts and military in a showdown for the nation's future. Will Turkey move closer to the liberal democracies or away from them? This tension has riven Turkey since its founding as a secular state by Atatürk....