To date, climate change has been variously framed as an environmental, scientific, economic, or political issue. These framings are valid and important, but one...
Zbigniew Brzeziński notes that between 1914 and 1990 “mega-deaths” are estimated to have reached 187 million—roughly 9 percent of the world’s population at the...
Extinction refers to the irreversible loss of a species – when the last individual dies and no living members remain anywhere on Earth. Biologically,...
The Pakistanization of Turkey? Why Tactical Supports of Yesterday Could Be Turkey’s Ideological Crisis Tomorrow
On December 29, just before New Year’s Eve celebrations, three...
Can we celebrate sustainably? Rethinking seasonal traditions in a warming world
Celebration is a universal human instinct. Across societies, people mark transitions such as the...
Recep Tayyip Erdogan—Turkey’s longtime leader as prime minister (2003-2014) and subsequently as president (2014-)—infamously once declared that “democracy is like a train; you get...
Overview of COP30
The 30th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is being...
Two weeks ago, I again visited Iraqi Kurdistan—often referred to as the Iraqi Kurdistan Government (KRG)—to deliver the keynote address on “Kurdish Identity” at...
Coffee, one of the world’s most traded commodities and a daily ritual for billions, faces an existential threat from climate change. Rising temperatures, erratic...
In the ongoing debate in France about “republic versus democracy,” a common consensus has emerged: the republic answers the question “who will govern,” while...
In any functioning democracy, collective organization (the ability of individuals to form groups, join associations, and pursue political, social, or cultural objectives) is not...
The digital landscape has become a critical battleground against violent extremism and the spread of anti-democratic values. Authoritarian regimes and extremist groups are...
The Rising Influence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
Along with its status and mission, the institution referred to in Turkey’s official discourse as the “Fener Greek...
Pharmaceuticals in the environment: The global challenge of pharmaceutical pollution and how governments, industry, prescribers, and patients can respond
Ever wonder where all our medicine...
The Caucasus is a relatively small, but geostrategically significant region between the Black and Caspian Seas, athwart Europe and Asia, at the northern edge...
What comes after growth? Reimagining our economies for people and planet
Self-proclaimed radical economist, Kate Raworth, has remarked that the only thing in nature that...
At least three developments are driving recent Turkish domestic politics.
1. The crackdown against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political opposition has become so severe ...
Last month, a striking development emerged from the Turkish Parliament: a legislative proposal concerning Qur’anic translations (meals) was approved. One of the proposed amendments...
Nature underpins the global economy in fundamental yet frequently overlooked ways. While certain natural resources, such as timber or rare metals, are traded with...
According to the Bible (Ezra 1:1-4), the famous founder of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great, ironically freed the Israelites from their Babylonian captivity...
A hundred days into Donald Trump’s second presidency, the contours of transatlantic relations have shifted dramatically. US foreign policy, once anchored in multilateralism, now...
The Weekly Turkey Report: The End of May
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has once again declared his intention to remain president for life. To legitimize this...
Following recent developments, the concept of “state reason” (devlet aklı), once again brought to the fore by Mümtaz’er Türköne, has reignited debate. The question...
In Turkey, the mission of safeguarding the authoritarian regime has been assigned to two institutions that appear to be in competition with one another...
Will planting a tree save the planet? The role of nature-based carbon offsetting in net zero transitions
Addressing anthropogenic climate change demands urgent, multifaceted interventions...
We can say that secularism entered political life as a world order alongside the Enlightenment. European history has offered the world four distinct models...
The Weekly Turkey Report: 1st Week of May
As Turkey continues to spiral into chaos and lawlessness, its economic crisis deepens further. The brief market...
One of the most persistent issues in Turkish public discourse is the debate over the constitution. Once again, a new constitutional initiative is on...
On April 8, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared alongside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office and made a striking public appeal:...
The detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, 2025, amid terrorism and corruption investigations marks a new stage in President...
The global plastic waste crisis is one of the most dangerous anthropogenic environmental issues of our era. Plastic pollution has been found everywhere, from...
Three years ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest-scale and deadliest war in Europe since 1945. However, Ukraine’s heroic resistance—bolstered by military and political...
A Historical Perspective on the New Law Granting Expanded Seizure Powers
On January 30, 2025, Turkey’s Grand National Assembly (TBMM) passed a new law expanding...
It is evident that the Muslim world is experiencing a profound and widespread crisis. While the crisis manifests differently across regions, its core nature...
It is generally accepted that the Muslim world has a democracy problem. This is somewhat true, as various attempts at democracy have not succeeded. While the internal inadequacy...
In Turkey, democracy has always been perceived as merely changing the government through elections. The act of holding elections, regardless of the conditions under...
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Turkey's place in NATO has become even more critical in parallel with Europe's comprehension of how vital NATO is....
