Monthly Archives: February 2016
Freed Turkish journalists: ‘Our job, by nature, is auditing of those in power’
After being jailed for 92 days, two Turkish journalists charged with revealing state secrets (for a report alleging that President Erdoğan’s government had tried to ship arms to Islamist forces in Syria in early 2014) have been released. For now … Continue reading
Even the western press is now criticising Turkey
In November 2015, French journalist Pascal Celerier said Turkey wants to be a “great power” again, as it was when it was the centre of the Ottoman Empire. In fact, Celerier claims Ankara wants to re-establish this empire. For this … Continue reading
Posted in politics
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Turkey attacking Rojava to see how the world reacts
In the run up to Syria peace talks set to begin in late January 2016, Michael Stephens from the Royal United Services Institute insisted that the YPG/J defence militias of Rojava had both “Russian political backing and American political backing”. … Continue reading
Turkey’s political priorities are destruction & expansion
Apart from unwisely escalating tensions with Russia, Ankara has followed destructive and divisive policies in Syria from the very start of the country’s conflict in 2011. While blockading the secular and democratic territory of Rojava since 2012, for example, Turkey … Continue reading
Posted in politics
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Democracy and freedom of speech are terrorist offences in Turkey
Turkey was never exactly the home of freedom and democracy. But since the ruling AKP abandoned peace talks with the left-wing militants of the PKK in July 2015, the State’s authoritarian crackdown on civil society has become even worse. The … Continue reading
Tensions between Turkey & Russia will be decisive in Syria
On 24 November 2015, Turkey shot down a Russian jet, killing one of its pilots in the process. This was a key moment for both the Syrian Civil War and Turkey’s standing in the international community. According to Patrick Cockburn … Continue reading
Posted in politics
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Curfews, sieges and state-created war zones in Turkey
On 11 December, ROAR spoke about the historical Sur neighbourhood of Amed (Diyarbakır in Turkish). It said Turkey’s largest Kurdish city now resembled “a war zone”. In a military assault on the largely Kurdish communities of Turkey’s south-east, State authorities … Continue reading
Posted in politics
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Ankara bombing – Turkey’s attempt to justify invading Syria
On 17 February, 28 people – mostly soldiers – were killed by a car bomb attack in the Turkish capital of Ankara. A further 64 were wounded. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu almost immediately tried to pin the blame on … Continue reading
Posted in Erdogan, politics, Rojava, Rojava Revolution, Syria, Syrian Civil War, Turkey, USA
Tagged PKK, PYD, Rojava, Syria, Turkey, YPG
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Resistance Is Fertile 