Opinions - Turkey

BİR GÖZALTI HİKÂYESİ (in Turkish)

BİR GÖZALTI HİKÂYESİ (in Turkish)

Geçtiğimiz yıl Mayıs ayında, kimileri için oldukça sıradan geçecek olan bir günde Dışişleri Bakanlığı eski mensuplarına Ankara Emniyetince operasyon düzenlendiğine ve şüphelilerin giriş sınavlarında usulsüzlük yapmakla suçlandığına ilişkin haberler ulusal medya organlarında genişçe yer almıştı. İlerleyen günlerde bu şahıslara KOM şube görevlilerince işkence uygulandığına dair raporlar ise aynı ölçekte duyurulmayacaktı.
Diplomatlar ve Diktatörler (in Turkish)

Diplomatlar ve Diktatörler (in Turkish)

Diplomasinin birçok açıdan önemli değişimler yaşadığı günümüzde, diplomatlar için en büyük sorunlardan birisi otoriter ve populist liderler. Dış politikayı iç politik hesaplarıyla, ideolojik görüşleriyle ve kişisel hırslarıyla yönetmek isteyen liderler diplomatlar için ciddi bir problem teşkil etmekte. Yılların emeği siyasi ilişkiler bir basın açıklamasıyla ya da mitingle buhar olurken, bu tarz liderlerin duygusal, kişisel ve heran değişebilen kararları ise diplomatların uluslararası muhatapları karşısında itibarlarını zedelemekte.
Türk Dış Politikası: Davutoğlu’nun Mirasını Yeniden Düşünmek (in Turkish)

Türk Dış Politikası: Davutoğlu’nun Mirasını Yeniden Düşünmek (in Turkish)

Ahmet Davutoğlu kuşkusuz Türk dış politikası tarihindeki en önemli isimlerden birisi. Gerek fikirleri gerekse uygulamadaki performansıyla Davutoğlu son yıllarda sıkça eleştirilen bir isim. Soğuk Savaş yıllarından kalma tarihi geçmiş jeopolitik kavramlara atfettiği önem ve neo-Osmanlıcı (bazılarına göre ise neo-İslamcı) ideolojik takıntısı Davutoğlu’nun fikirlerine dair önemli eleştirilerden.
Terrorists without terror: Turkey’s way of defaming dissidents and Europe’s role as an enabler (in English)

Terrorists without terror: Turkey’s way of defaming dissidents and Europe’s role as an enabler (in English)

Iranian philosopher Ali Shariati once said: “Do not believe anything in a nation where only the government enjoys freedom of speech.” The wisdom of these words has been proven time and time again, most recently during the Covid-19 pandemic where the Chinese government’s handling of the outbreak included withholding information while blatantly abusing the World Health Organization in a way that possibly cost thousands of lives across the globe.
Ankara’da COVID-19 Etkisi (in Turkish)

Ankara’da COVID-19 Etkisi (in Turkish)

COVID-19’un siyasi yansımaları krizin en fazla konuşulan ve üzerine öngörülerde bulunulan yönlerinden birisi. Genel beklenti bu krizin uluslararası ilişkilerde ve küresel ekonomide devrimsel sonuçlarının olacağı yönünde. Birçokları beklentiyi Türk iç siyasetine de uyarlamakta. Bu devrimsel sonuçları görmek için henüz erken. Ancak şu ana kadar gerek küresel dengelerde gerekse iç siyasette kriz temel dinamikleri değiştirmedi.
Kapıda bekletilen lider ve bir milletin zedelenen itibarı (in Turkish)

Kapıda bekletilen lider ve bir milletin zedelenen itibarı (in Turkish)

Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan'ın son Moskova ziyaretinde Kremlin Sarayı'nda Putin'le görüşmesi öncesinde dakikalarca bekletilmesine dair görüntüler ev sahibi Rusya adına tam bir nezaketsizlik ve görgüsüzlük örneği. Bir Türk vatandaşı olarak görüntüleri izlerken kahrolmamak elde değil. Rus devlet televizyonunun sözkonusu anları kronometreli olarak yayımlaması olayın Kremlin tarafından önceden kurgulandığını gösteriyor.

Reports - Turkey

Electrifying Turkey's Roads: EV Adoption Scenarios & Their Impact on Oil Imports

Electrifying Turkey's Roads: EV Adoption Scenarios & Their Impact on Oil Imports

by Baki Kaya, Ömer Güler, Harun Güngör, and Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 10 September 2025
This study evaluates, through long-term projections to 2053, the potential impact of increased EV penetration on Turkey’s energy landscape. It provides a comparative assessment of how changes in the share of EVs within the total vehicle fleet, across several scenario frameworks, could influence fuel demand and petroleum import volumes. A second, closely related objective is to measure the scale of Turkey’s oil dependency in order to establish a basis for examining its policy implications.
Geopolitical Constraints of Turkey's Energy Hub Ambitions

Geopolitical Constraints of Turkey's Energy Hub Ambitions

by Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 8 July 2025
This study focuses on the geopolitical dimensions and constraints shaping Turkey’s ambition to become a natural gas hub. The emphasis is on Turkey’s diplomatic relations with key supplier countries, the political instability across the wider Middle East, and the limited capacity of neighboring states to produce and export gas reliably—factors that collectively can make or undermine Turkey’s hub ambitions.
MODERNIZING THE TURKEY–EU CUSTOMS UNION: ISSUES AND PROSPECTS

MODERNIZING THE TURKEY–EU CUSTOMS UNION: ISSUES AND PROSPECTS

by instituDE, published in March 2025
The Turkey–EU Customs Union, established in 1995, has been a defining feature of trade relations between Turkey and the European Union. Over the past three decades, the global economic landscape has evolved significantly, necessitating a modernization of the agreement to address new trade realities, regulatory developments, and emerging geopolitical challenges.
TURKEY‘S MASS PURGE AS VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC SERVICE IN ICCPR

TURKEY‘S MASS PURGE AS VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC SERVICE IN ICCPR

by instituDE, published on 23 October 2024
'A gift from God' was one of Erdoğan's first descriptions related to coup attempt in July 15. At first no one realized that God's gift meant a chaotic environment in which he needed to declare a national emergency with no checks and balances and then transform Türkiye’s parliamentary democracy into an executive presidency.
JUDICIAL CORRUPTION IN TÜRKİYE

JUDICIAL CORRUPTION IN TÜRKİYE

by instituDE and Arrested Lawyers, published on October 2024
This submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) highlights severe issues undermining the integrity of Türkiye's judiciary, particularly focusing on rampant judicial corruption and impunity as well as human rights abuses which they facilitate. Based on the most recent incidents of corruption concerning members of the judiciary who serve in courts in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara, this report seeks to examine the high-level corruption within the judiciary and the Turkish government’s failure or even willful ignorance in addressing it.
TURKEY'S GROWING ROLE IN GLOBAL COCAINE TRAFFICKING

TURKEY'S GROWING ROLE IN GLOBAL COCAINE TRAFFICKING

by Dr. İmdat Öner, Halil Çavuş, Ömer Güler and Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 17 September 2024
This report focuses on Turkey's prominence as an emerging market for cocaine trafficking and organized crime in the last decade. Cocaine production in Latin America has dramatically increased since 2013, and Turkey’s status as an emerging market has attracted the attention of Latin American government officials on the front lines of the cocaine trade.

Videos - Turkey

Meloni's Deal with Erdoğan: Energy, Migration, and Silence

May 1, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş, published on 1 May 2025
This video breaks down the real reason behind Italy's silence: gas, migration, and Libya. With Russia out of the picture, Italy is turning to North Africa for energy and is desperate to control migration flows from Libya. But in Libya, Turkey calls the shots.

Energy, Power, and Politics: Turkey’s $350 Billion Oil Question

April 23, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş, published on 23 April 2025
Turkey is drilling deep—literally and politically. With potential reserves in the Diyarbakır and Thrace Basins, and rising production in the Black Sea Sakarya Gas Field, this could be a turning point for the country’s energy future. But is this an economic breakthrough—or just another political power play?

Is a Turkey-Israel Clash Coming?

April 9, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş, published on 9 April 2025
In this video, we break down the rising tensions between Turkey and Israel following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. As Ankara emerges as the dominant power in post-war Syria, Israel grows increasingly concerned about Turkish influence spreading across the region.

Erdogan’s Biggest Blunder: Is This the Beginning of the End?

March 26, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş, published on 26 March 2025
In this video, we break down why Imamoglu’s arrest is backfiring on Erdogan, the growing resistance in Turkey, and what might come next. Will Erdogan tighten his grip with more force, or is he facing an unstoppable wave of change?

Türkiye Sokaklarda!

March 24, 2025
by Mehmet Demirbaş and Haşim Tekineş, published on 24 March 2025
Erdoğan sarayında, İmamoğlu hapiste, Türkiye sokaklarda! Türkiye nereye gidiyor? Gösteriler nereye varacak? Dünyanın tepkisi nasıl?

Sivil Darbenin Uluslararası Konjonktürü

March 19, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş, published on 19 March 2025
Uluslararası dengeler tek adam rejimini sağlamlaştırması konusunda Erdoğan'a ciddi bir avantaj sağladı.