BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Turkish–Israeli normalization on hold BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Turkish–Israeli normalization on hold

“How do hedgehogs make love? Very carefully,” says the ancient joke. That is how the normalization process between Israel and Turkey was described by one diplomat around a year ago.

April 09 2018
National security vs online rights and freedoms in Turkey BARÇIN YİNANÇ

National security vs online rights and freedoms in Turkey

As the recent Cambridge Analytica controversy has shown, digital surveillance is a growing concern. The question of how online surveillance should work in democratic societies is at the heart of the latest research paper from the Istanbul-based Center for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM). 

April 04 2018
Turkey is falling into the Russian trap BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Turkey is falling into the Russian trap

The top 10 countries that Turkey exports to are listed as follows, according to the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TİM): Germany, the U.K., Italy, Spain, the United States, France, Iraq, Holland, Israel and Belgium.

April 02 2018
Greek Cyprus has begun to pay for its failure at the peace talks BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Greek Cyprus has begun to pay for its failure at the peace talks

Do Greek Cypriot ruling elites think Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan left the EU summit in Varna with a deep sense of intimidation that would be enough to keep him from sending warships to the island’s waters?

March 28 2018
Good news follows bad news in Turkey–US relations BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Good news follows bad news in Turkey–US relations

“The U.S. has dropped charges against 11 of the 15 bodyguards for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who were indicted after a brawl with protesters outside the country’s embassy in Washington last May, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney in DC told CNN on Thursday,” read the CNN news report published on March 22. 

March 26 2018
You can’t choose your family, your sex or your president BARÇIN YİNANÇ

You can’t choose your family, your sex or your president

The quote in the title belongs to a Russian journalist who said “you cannot choose three things in Russia: Your family, your sex and your president.” Servet Yıldırım, one of the producers and commentators of an economy program broadcast every weekday on Turkey’s private broadcaster NTV, quoted him after the Russian elections that took place over the weekend.

March 19 2018
Turkey-EU summit an attempt to rebuild trust BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Turkey-EU summit an attempt to rebuild trust

“Suppose I am Donald Tusk. What advice would you give me on Turkey? What kind of stance should the EU adopt to reverse the democratic backsliding in Turkey? Should the EU close the doors or should it engage with Turkey?” I asked these questions to Bulgaria’s former President Rozen Plevneliev late last month.

March 14 2018
A Turkish-Venezuelan solidarity story BARÇIN YİNANÇ

A Turkish-Venezuelan solidarity story

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was supposed to make a trip to Latin America following his visit to the Vatican on Feb. 5.

March 12 2018
Istanbul could become a global hub for UN’s work on women BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Istanbul could become a global hub for UN’s work on women

Interviewing Alia El-Yassir, the acting U.N. Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, one realizes once again how Turkey provides a contradictory image to the world.

March 07 2018