Implementing the Chinese Economic Model in Turkey
President Erdogan is seeking to incorporate the Chinese economic model in Turkey. As such, Turkey will abandon high-interest rates and turn to production and exports. Opposing parties have cited this proposal to be unquestionably authoritarian. The author, Necati Demircan, explores Turkey’s abandonment of the neoliberal economic model and the new slogan of production in the country’s orientation towards Asia.
Pakistan-Turkey Relations: A Harmonious Partnership
After Pakistan became an independent state in 1947, Turkey was one of the first states to recognize it. The two states are bound together by cultural and religious links. The author, Muhammad Abdullah, notes that throughout the years, they’ve cooperated and shown support for each other on several fronts. When Pakistan was hit with a devastating earthquake in 2005, Turkey sent millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan. Similarly, after the Van earthquake of 2011, Pakistan’s Red Crescent Aid Society donated $100,000 to the people of the Van province in eastern Turkey.
President Biden’s Summit for Democracy 2021: A Big Question Mark?
President Biden of the US will host a two-day Summit for Democracy this week to cast an eye over the current status of democracy in the world. Much like the author, many feel this summit to be an affront to the US’s ‘undemocratic’ rivals, China and Russia — two nations that were struck off the invite list.
The New Canal Project of Istanbul & the Montreux Convention
Each year, around 48,000 vessels pass through Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait, making it the world’s busiest sea route. The Montreux Convention, under which Turkey regulates the strait, imposes several limitations on countries not bordering the Black Sea and prevents Turkey from taxing the vessels of the Black Sea littoral states. However, the author, Muhammad Hamza Tanvir, reveals that by constructing the Istanbul Canal, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aims to overcome these restrictions, since the convention is inapplicable to the canal. While the Turkish government defends the canal project, the Turkish opposition, environmental experts, and Russia are concerned about its implications.
The Kurdish Region: From Great Dynasties to Stateless Nation
The dissolution of empires and the formation of new nation-states after the two world wars divided the Kurdish region and population into four states—Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. For decades, the Kurdish people have been subjected to persecution, discrimination, assimilation, and repression in these states. Unlike the Kurds of Iraq, the Kurds of Syria, Iran, and Turkey do not have their own autonomous regions. The author argues that this can be contributed to the fact that the Kurdish people have long forgotten their true objective and have assumed the role of pawns for the very states that once abandoned them.
Turkey’s Foreign Policy Towards the Caucasus & the Black Sea
The Ottoman Empire lost its control over the Black Sea after the conclusion of the 6th Russo-Turkish War.
However, the Black Sea continues to hold great economic and geostrategic importance for Turkey, as the Turkish Straits serve as the only pathway connecting other nations to the Black Sea.
The author, Muhammad Bilal Farooq, also expores the dynamic interaction between Turkey and the nations in the Caucasus.
The Economic Growth in Turkey Post the 2000-01 Turkish Financial Crisis
Although the two consecutive financial crises of 2000 and 2001 shook Turkey’s economy to the core, they also paved the way for major economic reform.
Against that backdrop, the author, Nimra Dawood, reflects on the remarkable economic development witnessed in Turkey shortly after the financial crises.
How Regional Powers Are Strengthening Relations with the Taliban
With a looming civil war and he Taliban’s growing control in Afghanistan, the author examines the interactions between the Taliban and many powerful nation states.
The Taliban’s alliance will China and Russia, among others, would signal a threat to the US’s hegemony and India’s influence in the region.
The Impact of Climate Change Globally: Flooding, Heat Waves & Wildfires in 2021
With massive flooding and implacable wildfires enveloping planet earth, one fact that has been constantly overlooked for centuries has now come to the fore – the impact of climate change is real and merciless.
Turkey, Japan, Canada, and Northern Ireland have recorded their highest temperatures. Asian countries, particularly China, face flash floods and drowning cities.
The author stresses citizens and governments to inculcate sustainable and environmental-friendly practices so that the fierce forces of climate change can be mitigated.
Parliamentary System vs Presidential System: What’s Better for Pakistan?
The failure of the parliamentary system in the country has raised concerns regarding its effectiveness. The populace is divided between the pros and cons of transitioning to a presidential form of governance yet again after the pathetic display of the politicians in the Parliament over the budget proposals. The overarching concern, in either case, is for the delivery of democracy and good governance to the grassroots level.
Turkey: Atatürk’s Secularism vs Erdoğan’s Islamization
Turkey’s foundation as a secular state, as set by its founding father Kemal Ataturk, now clashes with the incumbent President Erdogan’s vision of Islamization. The author uses several examples to showcase how Turkey is now being redirected to its imperial glory – to when Islam was the linchpin of the Ottoman Empire.
Eurasianism vs. Neo-Ottomanism in the Turkish Foreign Policy
Turkey, formerly the Ottoman Empire, is said to have a foreign policy dictated by neo-Ottomanism, mainly by those who support the West. The author argues that neo-Ottomanism is incompatible with Turkey’s current foreign policies, and instead cites Eurasianism as the idea behind Turkey’s foreign policies.
The US Intervention in Syria: Complications or Resolutions?
A minor conflict that arose in 2011 turned Syria into a battleground of a full-fledged civil war within a few years involving the regional and major powers. This research paper will unfold in a sequence of explanations of the factors that contributed to the surge of a conflict and what interested the United States to intervene. Moreover, the diplomatic activities that took place and how Russia, Iran, and Turkey contributed are discussed.
Pakistan’s Search For its New Bloc: Shifting Ideological Imaginaries
With astringent estrangement reigning over Pak-Saudi relations, Pakistan must now search for its own kindred bloc, and it is probable that it looks to China, Iran, Russia, and Turkey for the creation of such.
The Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Deal: Investing in the South Caucasus
The peace deal has yielded up the control of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan. This settlement could prove to be markedly advantageous to the South Caucasus; however, it could also intensify the deep-seated animosity between the two states.
Turkey’s Foreign Relations: A Game of Chess
Turkey is widely known for its distinctive foreign policy. Its active involvement in the affairs of several nation-states continues to strengthen and expand in almost every direction.
Azerbaijan and Armenia: The Conflict Explained
The South Caucasus pulsates with the sounds of an incipient war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Nagorno-Karabakh region remains the main area of contention between the two states since 1918. A more worrisome matter is that their respective allies could further ignite the aggression.