Gazze’deki şiddetin yoğunluğu göreceli olarak azalırken Orta Doğu Lübnan-İsrail sınırında yeni bir savaşın eşiğine geldi. Aslında geçen sene 7 Ekim’de Hamas’ın gerçekleştirdiği terör saldırısının ardından Hizbullah ve İsrail arasında da yeni bir çatışma başlamıştı.

On September 4, 2024, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made an official visit to Turkey, signaling a deepening of relations between Egypt and Turkey. During the first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, Turkish President Erdogan referred to el-Sisi as "my dear brother," and the leaders displayed a level of cordiality that marked a significant departure from past tensions.

The internal balance of power in the security bureaucracy directly influences Turkish politics. A perception of change in that balance can immediately escalate the tensions or affect alignments. So indeed, the graduation ceremony of new cadets from the war college on August 30 has once more polarized the politics in Turkey.

The 953-year-old Battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert) between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Turks was the most important agenda item in Turkey this week. This year's ceremonies were more spectacular, with Erdoğan's coalition partners, leaders of various religious groups and, of course, generals in attendance.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Özgür Özel, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader, visited each other's headquarters and came together on ceremonial occasions. As an unprecedented case of rapprochement between the two poles of politics, this friendly environment had to provide an opportunity for dialogue and compromise. Nevertheless, the détente has so far failed to offer any improvement in terms of democracy and human rights in Turkey.

On his return flight from the USA after attending the NATO Summit, Turkish President Erdoğan informed journalists that he had instructed Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to arrange a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, President Bashar al-Assad. Despite Erdoğan’s persistent efforts — and mediation from Russia and Iraq to mend fences between Ankara and Damascus — the Syrian leader remains reluctant to engage in a personal meeting.

It has been five years since the failed coup attempt in Turkey and no one has any clear idea yet what actually happened that night. While the complete narrative and evidence about the failed coup have yet to be clarified, the scope of the reaction by the Turkish government to the coup attempt was quite horrifying.

In the past year, through our various publications, analyses and podcasts, instituDE has strived to shed light on Turkey; its domestic politics, economy, foreign policy and human rights situation. We have worked to provide valuable information and comments on Turkey for the foreign observers as well as the Turkish public. We put effort into raising awareness on the human rights violations and authoritarian practices in Turkey.