Turkey

Policy Analysis on Turkey

In Long-Secular Turkey, Sharia Is Gradually Taking Over

Erdogan will not declare Islamic law overnight, but his steady empowerment of the country's religious directorate is a disturbing omen.

Feb 16, 2018

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Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

Time for Tillerson to Repair U.S. Ties with Turkey

The secretary has a chance to turn the deteriorating relationship around if he can convince Ankara that the U.S.-YPG alliance is winding down.

Feb 15, 2018

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Soner Cagaptay

Video

Brief Analysis

Turkey: A Partner in Crisis

As part of a special screening event, two experts joined the producers of a new PBS investigation to discuss Turkey's 2016 coup crisis and ongoing struggles with authoritarianism.

Feb 13, 2018

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David Heidelberger
MacDara King
Lisel Hintz
Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

How Europe Lost Turkey

The Turkish people are responsible for the health of their own democracy, but it's high time the EU accepted its share of political and economic blame for encouraging Erdogan's most illiberal instincts.

Feb 12, 2018

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

Containing the Afrin Crisis: Turkey's Goals and Military Challenges

Given the continued Islamic State threat in Syria, Washington cannot afford what is shaping up to be a bloody conflagration between allies it needs to eradicate the group.

Jan 31, 2018

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Barak Barfi

Articles & Testimony

NATO Leaders Need to Have a Frank Talk with Turkey's President -- Behind Closed Doors

By helping Erdogan break his authoritarian habit now, Washington and Paris can prevent the nightmare scenario of a Turkey crippled by its own self-destructive tendencies.

Jan 26, 2018

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Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

How to Stop the War Between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds

Fighting between two vital U.S. allies will only strengthen Assad and Iran.

Jan 25, 2018

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James Jeffrey
David Pollock

Brief Analysis

Will Turkey Call Early Elections?

The next domino in Erdogan's consolidation of power may soon fall, and Washington should view any short-term spike in his nationalist rhetoric through this domestic political lens.

Jan 11, 2018

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Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

To Save Turkey's Democracy, the Country's Opposition Must Offer Erdogan a Grand Bargain

If Erdogan does not compromise with Turkey's forty-million-strong opposition, Kurdish nationalists and other factions could spark widespread unrest.

Jan 8, 2018

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

U.S. Troop Deployment in Syria: Potential Pitfalls

Washington has ample reason to maintain a long-term military presence in eastern Syria, but it will need to overcome a host of political, legal, and logistical problems along the way.

Dec 12, 2017

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James Jeffrey

Brief Analysis

Managing the Shift in U.S. Relations with Syria's Kurds

Any plans to end arms transfers to the SDF must be handled carefully if Washington hopes to prevent an Islamic State resurgence, alleviate tensions with Turkey, preserve a valuable local ally, and curb Iranian influence.

Dec 8, 2017

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Bilal Wahab
Jackson Doering

Video

Brief Analysis

Authoritarianism, Politics, and Literature in Turkey

Watch a stimulating conversation with acclaimed Turkish writer Ece Temelkuran, whose latest novel examines the upheavals around Turkey's 1980s coup.

Nov 21, 2017

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Ece Temelkuran
Robert Finn
Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

Resetting U.S. Relations with the Kurdistan Region

Washington's post-referendum reengagement should focus on getting U.S.-Kurdish relations and Kurdish democracy back on the right track.

Nov 2, 2017

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Michael Knights
Bilal Wahab

Brief Analysis

Tourism Patterns Show Turkey Shifting from Europe to the Middle East

Many Turks traditionally got their only firsthand exposure to European values by interacting with European tourists, but lately this trend seems to be weakening even as visitors from Muslim-majority or former Soviet countries are on the rise.

Oct 30, 2017

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Soner Cagaptay
Oya Aktas

Brief Analysis

Iran Flexes Its Muscles After the Kurdish Referendum

Given its recent military movements and high-level contacts with Turkey and Baghdad, Iran may be looking to exact an intolerable cost on the KRG.

Oct 10, 2017

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Farzin Nadimi

Turkey and U.S. Enter Most Important Crisis in Recent Memory

Even if Erdogan strikes a deal to keep the crisis from boiling over, Washington has shown him that there are limits to U.S. tolerance of his authoritarian balancing act.

Oct 10, 2017

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

The Urgent U.S. Role in Post-Referendum Kurdistan

The Iraqi Kurds have angered their neighbors, but imminent punitive measures could quickly strengthen Iran and disrupt the campaign against the Islamic State.

Sep 29, 2017

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Is the Kurdish Referendum 'Mission Accomplished' for Barzani?

International pressure has raised the stakes of the planned referendum, but the Kurds have made their case even if the vote is canceled.

Sep 22, 2017

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Bilal Wahab

Articles & Testimony

What Is at Stake in Iraqi Kurdish Vote for Independence?

Despite all the diplomatic posturing and domestic politicking, the day after the referendum may look very much like the day before.

Sep 18, 2017

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

How to Untie the Syrian Kurdish Knot with Turkey

To preserve its relations with both Ankara and Rojava, Washington may need to push for military action against the PKK leadership in northern Iraq.

Sep 7, 2017

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Soner Cagaptay

Supported by the

Turkish Research Program

Since its inception in 1995, The Washington Institute's Turkish Research Program has established itself as the most influential center in Washington for research and information on Turkey -- a predominantly Muslim, secular, and democratic U.S. ally.

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Soner Cagaptay

Soner Cagaptay is the Beyer Family Senior Fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute.

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Policy Analysis on Turkey

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Policy Analysis on Turkey

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