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TURKEY'S PAST AND FUTURE COLLIDE: WHY 2015 IS A CRITICAL YEAR
CBC News, Canada
Jan 23 2015
ISIS, Syrian refugees and Kurdish unrest all factors in the year ahead
By Nil Koksal, CBC News
Turkey's past and possible future seem to be picking a fight once
again.
Istanbul and Ankara saw major gatherings this week that show the kind
of year 2015 will be in Turkey, and why it matters.
In the nation's capital on Monday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan did something
a Turkish president hasn't done in 15 years. He held a meeting with
cabinet - an eight-and-a-half hour one at that.
This is big news here, because it is usually the prime minister, not
the president in his largely ceremonial role, who meets with ministers.
There were assurances Erdogan would not be making a habit of this. But
tell that to those who are concerned the president is tightening his
grip on power.
The governing AK (Justice & Development) Party puts this under the
banner of what it calls a "New Turkey." Critics aren't convinced.
They point to ongoing media censorship as one example of Erdogan's
style of rule. Just this week, members of his party presented a new
bill that, if passed, would allow the government to shut down any
website it wants for "protection of public order."
Turkey's Twitter ban lifted after top court shoots it down
They are concerned Erdogan's vision is far too reminiscent of Turkey's
Ottoman past - a time of conquests, empire and single-leader rule.
Remembering the past
Part of that past once again reverberated through the streets of
Istanbul this week, where thousands gathered to remember Hrant Dink.
In 2007, the Armenian-Turkish newspaper editor was murdered outside
the paper's Istanbul offices by a teenager now serving a 22-year
sentence. It is believed he didn't act alone, but there is still no
clear picture of who helped orchestrate the crime.
As Dink mourners marched on the eighth anniversary of his death,
authorities announced the arrest of the former chief of intelligence
for the Trabzon police, who allegedly, along with other authorities,
ignored evidence of an imminent threat to the editor.
The arrest is not enough for Armenian Turks, however, who demand
answers not just for Dink's murder, but for deaths that occurred 100
years ago.
This year marks the centenary of the killings of Armenian Turks
in 1915. In recent years, the Turkish government has taken steps
to improve relations with Armenia. It offered formal condolences,
but will not use the word genocide.
Armenian genocide: Conciliatory statement from Turkey PM rejected
Canada is among several countries that do, however, and Armenian
Turks demand the same of the country they still call home. As the
April anniversary of the massacres approaches, those demands are
likely to become louder.
A new strategy abroad
On the home front, Turkey is also grappling with a resurgence of
Kurdish violence in the southeast, the threat of the Islamic State
in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) at its border and a Syrian refugee crisis.
At the same time, Turkey continues to assert itself abroad.
Prime Minister (and former foreign minister) Ahmet Davutoglu looks
increasingly comfortable on the world stage. He is currently at
the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, ending Erdogan's
long-standing boycott of the summit, which helps pave the way for
the G20 summit, which Turkey is hosting this year.
Earlier this week, Davutoglu met with British Prime Minister David
Cameron as well as British Muslim leaders to tackle the issue of
growing Islamophobia in Europe.
President Erdogan confronted concerns over ISIS in an address
to international Muslim leaders in Istanbul on Wednesday, asking
rhetorically where these extremists are "getting the authority" to
commit murder in the name of Islam, given that the Muslim faith does
not support such acts.
Charlie Hebdo attack: Hayat Boumeddiene may be in Syria Turkey denies
deal reached with U.S. on airbase use in ISIS fight
There has been criticism from the West that Turkey hasn't said or
done enough to stem the rise of ISIS. Turkish officials say the vast
900-kilometre southern border separating the country from ISIS-held
areas in Syria is a clear example of how difficult stopping the
Islamic extremists, and preserving Turkey's own security, can be.
A poll from Istanbul's Kadir Has University found that 93.2 per cent
of Turks surveyed view ISIS as a terror organization, and 82.3 per
cent see ISIS as a serious threat to Turkey.
Turkish authorities say they've stopped thousands of potential
threats from getting through. Yet among the threats Turkey says it
has identified, the world is concerned with the ones that may have
gotten away.
Turkey has always been wedged tightly in a temperamental region,
but this space is now more volatile than ever. How well the country
navigates domestic challenges and the dangers on its doorstep, and how
it balances planning its future while addressing its past, will define
the year ahead. The entire region's security may well depend on it.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/turkey-s-past-and-future-collide-why-2015-is-a-critical-year-1.2921255
CBC News, Canada
Jan 23 2015
ISIS, Syrian refugees and Kurdish unrest all factors in the year ahead
By Nil Koksal, CBC News
Turkey's past and possible future seem to be picking a fight once
again.
Istanbul and Ankara saw major gatherings this week that show the kind
of year 2015 will be in Turkey, and why it matters.
In the nation's capital on Monday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan did something
a Turkish president hasn't done in 15 years. He held a meeting with
cabinet - an eight-and-a-half hour one at that.
This is big news here, because it is usually the prime minister, not
the president in his largely ceremonial role, who meets with ministers.
There were assurances Erdogan would not be making a habit of this. But
tell that to those who are concerned the president is tightening his
grip on power.
The governing AK (Justice & Development) Party puts this under the
banner of what it calls a "New Turkey." Critics aren't convinced.
They point to ongoing media censorship as one example of Erdogan's
style of rule. Just this week, members of his party presented a new
bill that, if passed, would allow the government to shut down any
website it wants for "protection of public order."
Turkey's Twitter ban lifted after top court shoots it down
They are concerned Erdogan's vision is far too reminiscent of Turkey's
Ottoman past - a time of conquests, empire and single-leader rule.
Remembering the past
Part of that past once again reverberated through the streets of
Istanbul this week, where thousands gathered to remember Hrant Dink.
In 2007, the Armenian-Turkish newspaper editor was murdered outside
the paper's Istanbul offices by a teenager now serving a 22-year
sentence. It is believed he didn't act alone, but there is still no
clear picture of who helped orchestrate the crime.
As Dink mourners marched on the eighth anniversary of his death,
authorities announced the arrest of the former chief of intelligence
for the Trabzon police, who allegedly, along with other authorities,
ignored evidence of an imminent threat to the editor.
The arrest is not enough for Armenian Turks, however, who demand
answers not just for Dink's murder, but for deaths that occurred 100
years ago.
This year marks the centenary of the killings of Armenian Turks
in 1915. In recent years, the Turkish government has taken steps
to improve relations with Armenia. It offered formal condolences,
but will not use the word genocide.
Armenian genocide: Conciliatory statement from Turkey PM rejected
Canada is among several countries that do, however, and Armenian
Turks demand the same of the country they still call home. As the
April anniversary of the massacres approaches, those demands are
likely to become louder.
A new strategy abroad
On the home front, Turkey is also grappling with a resurgence of
Kurdish violence in the southeast, the threat of the Islamic State
in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) at its border and a Syrian refugee crisis.
At the same time, Turkey continues to assert itself abroad.
Prime Minister (and former foreign minister) Ahmet Davutoglu looks
increasingly comfortable on the world stage. He is currently at
the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, ending Erdogan's
long-standing boycott of the summit, which helps pave the way for
the G20 summit, which Turkey is hosting this year.
Earlier this week, Davutoglu met with British Prime Minister David
Cameron as well as British Muslim leaders to tackle the issue of
growing Islamophobia in Europe.
President Erdogan confronted concerns over ISIS in an address
to international Muslim leaders in Istanbul on Wednesday, asking
rhetorically where these extremists are "getting the authority" to
commit murder in the name of Islam, given that the Muslim faith does
not support such acts.
Charlie Hebdo attack: Hayat Boumeddiene may be in Syria Turkey denies
deal reached with U.S. on airbase use in ISIS fight
There has been criticism from the West that Turkey hasn't said or
done enough to stem the rise of ISIS. Turkish officials say the vast
900-kilometre southern border separating the country from ISIS-held
areas in Syria is a clear example of how difficult stopping the
Islamic extremists, and preserving Turkey's own security, can be.
A poll from Istanbul's Kadir Has University found that 93.2 per cent
of Turks surveyed view ISIS as a terror organization, and 82.3 per
cent see ISIS as a serious threat to Turkey.
Turkish authorities say they've stopped thousands of potential
threats from getting through. Yet among the threats Turkey says it
has identified, the world is concerned with the ones that may have
gotten away.
Turkey has always been wedged tightly in a temperamental region,
but this space is now more volatile than ever. How well the country
navigates domestic challenges and the dangers on its doorstep, and how
it balances planning its future while addressing its past, will define
the year ahead. The entire region's security may well depend on it.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/turkey-s-past-and-future-collide-why-2015-is-a-critical-year-1.2921255