In recent years, Turkey has embarked on a sweeping integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into law enforcement and justice systems. From automated traffic enforcement to predictive criminal analytics, these systems promise efficiency—but at what cost to civil liberties, transparency, and the rule of law?

When technological determinism intersects with realpolitik, Cold War-era modalities of power projection are replaced by a new foundation of dominance – one built on emerging technologies and digital ecosystems. Over the years, BRICS countries have come to terms with the fact that control over critical technologies is crucial for securing as well as asserting power on the international stage.

As tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated across military and political dimensions, a quieter but critical component has re-emerged: cyber operations. Over the past month, both countries have used digital tools alongside conventional weapons—not as decisive game-changers, but as supplements to broader military strategies.

In cybersecurity terms, a “zero-day” attack refers to an exploit that takes advantage of a previously unknown vulnerability in software, hardware, or network systems before developers can issue a patch or fix. These attacks are particularly dangerous because they leave targets defenseless, often leading to severe consequences. The Netflix series Zero Day borrows this terminology to depict a large-scale cyberattack that cripples U.S. infrastructure, exposing the vulnerabilities of modern states in the face of cyber warfare.

The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor, Karim A. A. Khan, published an op-ed in Digital Front Lines, highlighting the ever-increasing use of cyberspace in modern warfare and denoted the potential for the ICC to prosecute cyber operations as international crimes defined in the Rome Statute.

On 14 June 2023, the European Parliament agreed on their version of the AI Act, and negotiations began with the European Council on the final form of the legislation. The act is expected to be passed into law by the end of 2023, establishing the EU as a leader in creating laws and regulations to address AI-related concerns and challenges.

This report sets out to provide a comprehensive analysis of the tactics employed by the Erdoğan administration to achieve repressive goals abroad and the vulnerabilities and how they are enabled by the AML and CFT regulation in place.