TURKISH STUDIES

Nickolaos Mavromates
(Security Analyst-Historian)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 17 July 2016

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

“Nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests.” Lord Palmerstone (1784-1865)

President Tayyip Erdoğan's success in putting down the Turkish military Putsch aimed at him and his administration with the help of Dr Hakan Fidan automatically elevates him in the foreseeable future as the new premier of Turkey. Without the support of Chief of the Turkish Intelligence Dr. Hakan Fidan any resistance by Erdoğan to the Coup mutineers actions would had been futile.....Read more

Tassos Symeonides
(RIEAS Academic Advisor)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) – Publication date: 8 May 2016

The disgraceful fracas over the European Commission's proposal to grant visa-free travel to75 million Turks inside the Schengen area proves beyond any doubt the real worth of our European «leaders» beginning with no other than Germany's Frau Merkel.

With the European dis-Union on the verge of a ignominious retreat, no rational pundit -- or bookmaker for that matter -- would put the collective value of our present European «leadership group» above a few petty euro cents. The entire European mandarinate, led by the German chancellor, has simply cowered in the face of Turkey's government, the Islamist president Erdogan, threatening to unleash millions of unwanted Moslem illegal immigrants upon Europe unless Europe's «leaders» kowtow to Turkish demands. Subverted by the Four Ms -- Merkel's Moslems & Merkel's Madness -- that emerged in the summer of 2015, Europe is now prostrate before Erdogan's criminal whims and fundamentalist Islamic threats...Read more

(And the trembling Europeans)

Tassos Symeonides
(RIEAS Academic Advisor)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) – Publication date: 13 March 2016

Tayyip Erdogan, the rising Islamic despot of Turkey, isn't a man to be dissuaded by the usual tricks of politics. Attacking all those who oppose him with blind fury, he has set a new measure of brewing totalitarianism in Turkey's violent history. His most recent brutality against Zaman, Turkey's largest circulation daily, has added to the growing Western unease about the "model Muslim democracy" that was touted for decades as the best thing that happened to the Islamic world since the coming of the Prophet (peace be unto him)...Read more

Interviews with Prof Daniel Pipes

Copyright: (December 12, 2015)
http://www.danielpipes.org/16332/why-erdogan-decided-to-shoot-down-a-russian-plane
Republication at RIEAS (www.rieas.gr) on 13 December 2015.

The editors of Aydınlık, a Turkish newspaper, asked me a number of questions about the shoot-down of the Russian plane on Nov. 24. I replied to the questions and sent in my replies on Nov. 27 but did not hear back. So, over two weeks later, I am providing them here, as I wrote them, in English.
As relations between the Turkish and American governments have worsened in recent years, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sought improved relations with Russia and (to a lesser extent) China. With the shoot-down of the Russian SU-24 warplane, Erdoğan has seemingly thrown away this option. Why? Read more

Compiled by Middle East Forum web editor Gary C. Gambill

Copyright: www.meforum.org - Republished on RIEAS web site (www.rieas.gr) on 14 November 2015

The victory of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a November 1 snap election took most informed observers by surprise.
Less than five months after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in a regularly scheduled legislative election in June, the AKP captured 317 of 550 seats on this second try, securing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's grip on power through at least 2019. How did this turnabout happen?.. Read More

Anthony Derisiotis (PhD)
(Lecturer in Turkish Foreign Policy, Department of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies, School of Economics and Political Sciences, University of Athens, GR)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 8 November 2015

After 5 turbulent months and contrary to expectations that it will again fall short of winning the majority vote, the Justice and Development party secured 49.4% of the vote and 317 seats in the 550-seat Turkish parliament, thus securing a generous majority but not the 367 seats that would pave the road for the government to proceed to the transition to a presidential system, or the 330 seats that would allow a referendum, in line with President Erdoğan's aspirations. The Republican People's party, which is the main opposition, did not succeed substantial improvement, whereas the nationalistic MHP and the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) saw their votes dropping sharply...Read more