A version of this blog appeared on Carnegie Endowment
On May 9, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss energy cooperation and the war in Ukraine. The meeting highlights a broader trend in Central and Eastern Europe: Even after Viktor Orban’s fall from power in Hungary, several regional leaders continue to engage with Russia in search of economic...
Turkey’s path to the dictatorship
The first phase of Erdoğan’s plan to neutralize the main opposition party — carried out in cooperation with former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu — has been completed. The crisis escalated when figures close to Kılıçdaroğlu, along with individuals linked to organized crime, made their way to CHP headquarters. It intensified further after Kılıçdaroğlu submitted a petition to the Ankara Police...
Weekly Turkey Report: Fourth Week of January 2026 – A New Kobane Moment for the Kurds
Executive Summary
Kobane once symbolized Kurdish resistance against ISIS...
Weekly Turkey Report: 3rd Week of January – Turkey Chooses the Sri Lanka Model
Executive Summary
The report argues that Ankara’s long-admired “Sri Lanka model”...
Weekly Turkey Report: 2nd Week of January 2026 – Peace by Beating the Kurds
Executive Summary
Türkiye entered the new year amid an Ankara-backed assault in...
Weekly Turkiye Report: 1th Week of January 2026: Members of the Gülen Movement Labeled “Terrorists,” ISIS Members Treated as “Suspects”
Executive Summary
Turkey was shaken...
Weekly Turkey Report: 4th Week of December 2025: Erdoğan Shifts the Agenda with Drug and Betting Operations
Executive Summary
Turkey spent the week with drug,...
Weekly Turkey Report: 3rd Week of December 2025: Parties Respect the State’s Red Lines on the Kurdish Issue
Executive Summary
Turkey’s main political parties continued...
Weekly Turkey Report: 2nd Week of December 2025 – Sex, Drug Allegations, and the Kurdish Question
Executive Summary
Turkey’s domestic agenda was dominated by allegations...
Weekly Turkey Report: 1st Week of December 2025 – Poverty Deepens amid Contentious Kurdish Peace Debates
Executive Summary
A new Metropoll survey confirms that the...
Weekly Turkey Report: 5th Week of November 2025 – An Öcalan Visit without Concrete Steps
Executive Summary
A parliamentary commission visited PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan...
Weekly Turkey Report: 3rd Week of November 2025 – Politics Rocked by Planned Öcalan Visit
Executive Summary
A planned parliamentary commission visit to Abdullah Öcalan...
Weekly Turkey Report: 2nd Week of November 2025 – Is Erdoğan Preparing to Shut Down the CHP?
Executive Summary
Prosecutors filed a 3,809-page indictment against...
