Turkey News

Thanks for the K. You should set up a blog here on libcom, man.

(delete)

Police Raid Teachers Union in Anarka

Last sunday there was a call for international actions by turkish anarchist groups in solidarity with the suruç massacre: http://sosyalsavas.org/2015/07/anarsi-inisiyatifinin-yaptigi-uluslarasi-cagriya-gelen-yanitlar/ (I thought this was postes somewhere here already but I couldn't refind it)

There was at least one action in Germany at the Consulate near Cologne: http://apjkoeln.blogsport.de/2015/07/27/solidaritaet-mit-den-ermordeten-genossinnen-in-suruc/
Shortly after the action in front of the consulate started they were filmed and threatened by Bozkurts (Turkish fascist / MHP), apperently they have their meeting space right across the street from the consulate...

I am getting confused myself from all the news and links etc.

I think we need a blog like the occupied london blog for the greece riots.

The Supreme Court (of Turkey) has opened an investigation against HDP: http://national.bgnnews.com/terrorism-investigation-launched-by-supreme-court-against-turkeys-hdp-haberi/8058

Do they really go this road and close HDP? What will happen than? What is the position of CHP? This really looks like a coup.

It looks to me as if the Turkish state has used the Suruc attack, which, on form, poses the possible involvement of Turkish intelligence, in order to have done with any “peace” deal with the Kurds and go on to a direct offensive in this imperialist war. The “new” situation seems to be indicated by the fact that just after the Suruc attack the PKK carried out the killing of two Turkish cops. I don’t think, at the moment at any rate, that Turkish forces are about to launch a serious assault against Isis but this is rather a fundamental realignment of Turkish/US interests in an attempt to override and put an end to the US/YPG coalition that has been steadily gaining ground (the latter has also been supported by German and British imperialism).

Almost from the beginning of the war in Syria, Turkey has been actively supporting jihadi forces and their transit into the battlefronts. Isis commanders have openly been seen in the streets and resorts of Turkey. Halis Bayancuk, the reputed Isis leader in Turkey has just been arrested in Turkey – just as he was a year ago and then quietly released while the cop that detained him was sent to prison instead. US news agencies reported last night that there had been only one Turkish air assault on Isis positions while there have been numerous attacks against Kurdish targets, along with the general repression that always accompanies developments in imperialist war. Turkish attacks include those on PKK bases in Qandils, northern Iraq and Turkish tank attacks on YPG positions.

Four years into the Syrian war and one year of the "Caliphate" and Isis seems to be getting stronger and more extensive. It could be that the relative success of the US/Kurdish military coalition has forced Turkey to move but it’s more likely to be the result of last month’s election where the opposition HDP took away the majority from Erdogan’s AKP. Thus the latter is attempting to whip up Turkish nationalism against that of Kurdish nationalism and its military “successes” which a new election could turn on. Turkey has opened serious talks with the US since the result of that election and the availability – not yet a done deal – of the Incirlik air base is an important element in the development of this imperialist war. The idea of a Turkish/Syrian buffer zone seems to have been accepted by the US and this will be to the detriment of Kurdish nationalism.

All this manoeuvrings and Machiavellianism leaves the Kurdish forces in a bad place but being stitched up by the US and the west generally is nothing new in the hundred year old saga of the pious hopes of a Kurdish state. Just after World War One the Kurds, after sending a delegation to Versailles, were given a statelet with one hand that was rapidly taken away with the other. In the 1991 Iraq War, Britain and the US called on the Kurds to rise up against Saddam, herded into a “safe haven” and shot down by Iraqi helicopter gunships acting with express US permission. These are the sort of “morals” of imperialist war and they apply to all the actors involved in them – however big and however small. And this is just another twist in the growing expression of chaos and decomposition in the whole region.

baboon

In the 1991 Iraq War, Britain and the US called on the Kurds to rise up against Saddam, herded into a “safe haven” and shot down by Iraqi helicopter gunships acting with express US permission. These are the sort of “morals” of imperialist war and they apply to all the actors involved in them – however big and however small. And this is just another twist in the growing expression of chaos and decomposition in the whole region.

Let us not forget that at the same time, there was the uprising of the Kurdish Workers Councils.

Public Perception of the Kurdish Question in Turkey, 2009

Kurremkarmerruk are you aware of a similar list of who has been hit in the airstrikes (it looks to me like its 3 against ISIS on Friday and then dozens against the Kurds but after some googling I haven't found a list in English)

http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1069/wrecking-the-peace-process/

http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1069/erdogans-twin-strategy/

"The Kurdish people must wage all-out resistance against these attacks in all areas and demonstrate to the Turkish sate and the AKP government that the people of Silopi and Amed are not alone"

Kurdish Movement Calls for All-Out Resistance Against AKP and Turkish State

Gov. introduces "Temporary safe zones" in 8 provinces to ensure "peace & security"

tweet

Geçici güvenlik bölgeleri huzur ve güven için ilan ediliyor

Notice any similarity?

7 Haziran Sandık ve Seçmen Analizi

2015 Turkey General Election Results

There have been attacks on HDP offices and kurdish people since last weekend. Attackers are Nationalists and/or Islamists, partly organized, partly spontaneous. Mostly in western Turkey. The HDP office in Ankara was almost torched. Also the building of Hurriyet newspaper in Istanbul was attacked two times. AKP- and MHP-youth (grey wolves) are said to be behind the attacks . There have also been reports of attacks on kurdish workers and busses going to kurdish areas.

http://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article146176146/Wir-wollen-keine-Operationen-wir-wollen-Massaker.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34193733?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central

Demonstrations today at 18:00 everywhere in Germany.

New Mouvement Communiste article about the strike wave in Turkey earlier this year:

http://mouvement-communiste.com/documents/MC/Leaflets/BLT1509ENVF.pdf

Liveticker about the Ankara Bombing: http://www.diken.com.tr/ankarada-baris-mitingi-oncesi-patlama/

Yesterday there where talks about a PKK ceasefire which would be a good thing, espcially for the civil movements, but may not happen now after this.

Terrible.

Keep us informed.

General strike on monday and tuesday declared (by unions that organized the peace demonstration)

Still Islamofascits/Islamists have not taken the honour of mass murder in Ankara today. However, we know well, this level of barbarism has its roots and branches in the corridors of power/state machinery and capital requirement of crisis/war management related to the process total destructionism in the middle East: In the framework of USA-Nato imperialism against the rival imperialist network of Russia –Syrian-Iran-Hezbollah, Turkish state/capital focused on moving its geopolitical position forward by replacing the Assad regime. The Islamist AKP with lunatic Erdogan in lead suffers heavily from a fundamental split within Turkish ruling class in dealing with internal and external issues, including the war in Syria.

However, AKP uses the ballot box mechanism to enforce its mini-imperialist and Islamist project in the country and the region. Of course it depends on its ally’s Saudi Arabian and Qatari state. Thus, Turkish state/capital uses the mass murder Islamist to accentuate its military and political ambitions: After all the IS in the Middle East is to certain degree the creation of Turkish, Saudi and Qatari state’s geopolitical planning. The Turkish state with AKP/Erdogan allows itself to apply IS/Isalmist or nationalist mass murdering mechanism against Kurds and Kurdish question in a self sustaining reaction to open current crisis of capitalism in (Islamic) periphery: Barbarisms we witness in the Middle East (to day in Ankara) portray power and true contribution of capitalism and its attributes Imperialism and Islamism for humanity.

here's what I gots:

Call for a General Strike from progressive labor confederations and organizations
http://sendika3.org/2015/10/call-for-a-general-strike-from-progressive-labor-confederations-and-organizations/

I don't know the Turkish comrade, but here's what an American comrade has shared on FB

Morgan Presta reports ---"Anarcho-syndicalist Ali Kitapçı, who was injured in today's bomb attack in Ankara":
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153673877979634&set=a.10151613271804634.1073741826.712259633&type=3&theater

EDIT: Morgan now reports that the comrade is dead.
https://www.facebook.com/tacankaAKK/photos/a.1559093467698092.1073741830.1552810614993044/1620998794840892/?type=3&hc_location=ufi

This is just so fucking grim.

HDP organized vigil for Sunday 6PM at the White House in Washington, DC

thanks for your posts kurremkarmerruk.

This is awful. Al jazeera is saying at least 95 dead now.

Serge Forward

This is awful. Al jazeera is saying at least 95 dead now.

"Number of killed in #AnkaraAttack reaches 128 & number of wounded 516 according to HDP crisis desk." (ANF)

i don't know the turkish press at all, but found this in english:

http://www.todayszaman.com/national_95-killed-246-wounded-in-deadliest-act-of-terrorism-in-turkeys-history_401143.html

Solidarity statement of FAU (Free Workers' Union, german anarcho-syndicalist union).
http://www.fau.org/artikel/art_151011-225853 (Turkish/English/German)

Solidarity Statement – Ankara attack
A peace demonstration under the motto "Work, Peace and Democracy" organized by unions on 10 October 2015 in Ankara, Turkey, was attacked killing at least 128 people and injuring over 200, many seriously. The union federation FAU (Free Workers' Union) is appalled by this cowardly attack on the labor and peace movement.

The demonstration was in reaction to the impending civil war and the increased repression against the left and Kurdish opposition by the Erdoğan-AKP regime. It was organized by the independent unions and trade associations DİSK (Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey), KESK (Confederation of Public Employees' Trade Unions), TMMOB (Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects) and TTB (Turkish Medical Association). The left, democratic and Kurdish opposition also called for participation in the demonstration.
This murderous attack fits in with the pattern of the attacks in Diyarbakir/Amed and Suruç/Pirsus as well as those against the left social-democratic HDP (People's Democratic Party) and Kurdish people in northern Kurdistan and eastern Turkey. For years, Turkey has been governed in an authoritarian manner by the religious-nationalist AKP.

As a reaction, the DİSK, KESK, TMMOB and TTB have called for a general strike on 12 and 13 October.

The FAU, as an internationalist, anarcho-syndicalist union, stands by the workers in Turkey in this difficult hour and declare our solidarity.
We also speak out our condolences to the victims and their families.
The FAU calls upon its members and friends to show their solidarity.

kurremkarmerruk, Thanks for keeping us connected to.

Report from Germany in regard to the situation in Turkey
As you may know Germany has the largest diaspora of people originating from Turkey, this includes all minorities. This also means that political events in Turkey often result in reactions here.

[*]Since the start of th civil war there has been a lot of kurdish/leftist demonstrations against the war and against Erdoğan. There have been also anti-kurdish demonstrations by nationalists and islamists but way fewer.
[*] (12.09.2015) Knifeattack against a kurdish demonstration in Hannover. A kurdish refugee from Rojava, who participated, was badly wounded. The demonstration was a counterdemonstation against a anti-kurdish demo organized by AKP and MHP sympethizers. (Statement of YXK)
[*] (25-27.09.2015) The first "Ivana Hoffmann Festival" was organized in her hometown of Duisburg. Ivana was the first german and the first foreign female fighter in the YPG that died in the war. She was a member of MLPK linked youth group "Young Struggle". The festival consisted of political panels, a street festival, concerts and a demonstration to her grave. (pictures and report, pictures on facebook)
[*] (4.10.2015) One day after its opening there was an arson attack against the office of HDP in Berlin. Neighbors stopped the fire before it could do much damage. (Newspaper article with a picture, Stellungnahme der HDP zu den Angriffen auf das HDP - Büro in Berlin)
[*]Ankara massacre: Demonstrations and vigils were organized in all bigger cities in Germany. From what I saw participation by german left was poorly. Even worse was the participation and reaction by the "antiauthoritarian left" and anarchists, which is a bit strange because there was some sort of "Rojava-hype" which renewed interest in kurdish and turkish movements/issues. I think the main problem is that there are still only very few connections between non-traditional left (read: non marxist-leninist) and the kurdish and turkish left, which is a pitty and needs to change. Of this part of the german left apparently only Free Workers' Union (federation of anarcho-syndicalist unions in Germany) managed to published a statement of solidarity and a report about the funeral of anarcho-syndicalist Ali Kitapçı.
[*]Political relationship betweens Germany and Turkey: The relationship between Germany/EU and Turkey has been not so good since Turkey started the bombing of Kandil and the attacks against kurdish civilians (I guess this is to some degree a result of the good publicity work the kurdish freedom movement is doing in Europe). But now Erdoğan has come back as a partner to the european stage because of the current so called "refugee crisis". The EU and Germany are sketching plans that make Turkey into some sort of transitstate for the EU. Turkey will get money for refugees camps and to secure its borders to the EU so that there will be no uncontrolled flow of refugees anymore.
[*] (10.2015) Turkish nationalists started a shitstorm against Germanys biggest drugstore chain dm, because one local store had annonced an event at which they would donate all earnings to the local kurdish community society for one hour. The turkish nationalists claimed that this money would go to the PKK. In fact the money was to be used for german courses for refugees that the kurdish community is organizing. One of the "proves" was the fact that the name of the kurdish community organization shared two words with an PKK group: Community and Kurdistan. For some people anything that is kurdish has to be connected to the PKK. The donation-event was cancalled (in the week after the Ankara massacre) in fear of violent attacks.
[*]This shows how deeply the turkish community (which is compromised of all people that have some background regarding turkey) in germany is divided. This is only getting stronger since the Ankara massacre and towards the election. More confrontations will happen.

The Turkish society is divided and even its over lass( secularist, Islamist, nationalist ...). However, the Turkish state machinery has managed to hold itself united by the Islamist Ideology under violent domination of the AKP in Turkey. Tragically, the working masses, the proletariat, in Turkey and diaspora is divided along the state-Islamism line. This is fragmentation of society as a whole and the proletarian masses as well: This division of social fabric is the great function in introduction and application of Islamism in the Middle East; the negative empiric results of the process is self evident from Khomenism in Iran to today's Erdoganism in Turkey. When capitalism finds its crisis unmanageable and is terrified by a class line approaches from the masses, the ruling classes ( at least part of the over class) in Islamic periphery resort to Islamism as an ideological arsenal to run the social order.

In this regard, the political agenda is set by the State when the orderliness are required to maintain the capital accumulation process: that is where state/capital finds Islamism (from Khomeinsim to Erdoganism; bullet-box/ballot-box) very functional and useful to make a semi disciplinary socio-political environment, which is necessary to preserve the existing social and world order in place.

However, Turkey is a major player in imperialist situation that is unfolding in the Middle East and Turkey is going to play a central role for the US-NATO operation in the region. What is happening in the Middle East is kind of prelude to future world war. Thus, the US-NATO network and its imperialist rival Russian- Middle East network trying to limit the scope of the war and barbarism to the Middle East. But they are playing a dangerous game against each other that can transcend the Middle East geography. Turkey is important gang member for US-NATO network in this imperialist power play and the Turkish state with Islamist Erdogan in the lead utilizes completely this geopolitical relationship. The Turkish Stat/capital has its own agenda and plan for outcome of the Syrian war; grabbing Syrian land among other thing!

In this context, it is essential for the proletarian political environment associated with working masses not to make more mistake to send the masses to minefields that are laid out by Turkish-stat machinery (Secret services in brotherly collaboration with the IS). The Turkish state has already the backup of the EU in managing domestic crisis and war in Syria. Life should not be scarified for confronting this state/capital/Islamist machinery on the street s of Istanbul, Ankara … when the capitalist state is fully prepared to apply any barbaric means to hold its violent dominance over society.

http://anfenglish.com/news/kck-unilateral-inaction-has-ended-due-to-akp-s-ongoing-attacks

KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-Presidency has announced that the unilateral position of inaction by their side has ended due to the war policy and ongoing attacks of the AKP. KCK said it is clear and obvious that there will be no change in the war policies that were pursued by the AKP government before the November 1 election.

1,000 (mostly academic) signatories of a letter calling for peace are apparently to be charged with treason. Police raids arrested 20+ this morning, while 'student fascist groups' have been marking the doors of those targetted and calling to 'spill their blood'.

Turquie : les travailleurs de Renault Bursa toujours mobilisés
Les ouvriers, par leur refus d’heures supplémentaires, ont provoqué une diminution de la production. Ce qui représente une baisse de 600 véhicules par jour dont une partie présente des défauts de fabrication et par conséquent doivent être revus.

http://www.lutte-ouvriere.org/breves/turquie-les-travailleurs-de-renault-bursa-toujours-mobilises-64968.html
19/01/2016

Suite à la grève du printemps 2015, partie de l'usine Renault de Bursa (Turquie) entraînant plusieurs dizaines de milliers de travailleurs de la métallurgie, le gouvernement turc a annoncé récemment une hausse du salaire minimum de plus de 35%. À Renault Bursa, les travailleurs se mobilisent à nouveau pour que cette augmentation soit répercutée sur tous les salaires ouvriers.
Ils font la grève des heures supplémentaires et manifestent régulièrement en fin d'équipe. Dans une vidéo datant de vendredi 15 janvier, on voit les travailleurs de l'équipe du matin se regrouper en arrivant, s'organiser selon les différents secteurs de l'usine, pour revendiquer la hausse de tous les salaires.
Ils crient à l'adresse de la direction "tu dois payer !", ou encore "tous ensemble !" et "Vive l'unité des travailleurs de Renault !
Cette vidéo est visible sur le lien suivant :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkFX4XUgxq0&feature=youtu.be

and another strike at Renault Bursa, still the demand to increase the minimum wage by 35%, according to Labournet Germany, no union involvement

https://communismeouvrier.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/renault-bursa-la-lutte-continue/

from a mainstream union source: http://www.industriall-union.org/turkey-renault-dismisses-workers-using-police-violence-instead-of-upholding-commitments

Thanks to this news an article on the Renault Bursa strike could be made.
For the moment in Dutch only.
See http://arbeidersstemmen.wordpress.com

Translation into English:
http://www.left-dis.nl/tu/TurkeyWhenTheWorkersMakeTheirVoicesHeard.html

Earlier article:
http://www.left-dis.nl/tu/TurkeyErdoganIsPlayingAdangerousGame.html

Which group are these articles from, Fredo?

Devrim

Devrim

Which group are these articles from, Fredo?

Devrim

As mentioned:
http://arbeidersstemmen.wordpress.com
Not a group but a blog, neither an "anti-group" group.
See the blog for some articles translated from English into Dutch, URL at the bottom of the article.
Mail if you want translations of limited parts.
mailto:[email protected]

Pkk (kurdish resistance group) and leftist groups in turkey mainly defending armed struggle against the turkish state has just taken the decision to unite under the name of “United Revolution Movement of the Peoples/URMP”. http://www.diken.com.tr/pkk-ve-mlkp-dahil-10-orgut-halklarin-birlesik-devrim-hareketini-kurdu/
They declared that the united organization will fight against rising fascism backed mainly by ruling Islamic party (Justice and Development Party/AKP) in turkey.
They also highlighted that the situation is getting worse for the oppressed in turkey and if the jihadist, fascist AKP gangs will not be defeated, peoples in turkey will face a more bloody dictatorship. The only way to get out of this situation is getting organized and armament of the peoples (with the leadership of united movement).
This development is both crucial and remarkable as there has been an ongoing war between turkish army and ydgh (militant wing of youth organization of pkk in kurdish towns) since december 2015 in Kurdish towns of turkey (north Kurdistan) including cizre, silopi, diyarbekir, idil and etc. Tens of thousands has just forced to leave their homes and many civilians have died including children during the war.
This war which is spreading toward hakkari nowadays (a city near border of turkey with Iran and Iraq where pkk time to time controls the area and get most of the peoples support) may have the potential of evolving into a generalized civil war in turkey. The experts claim that the weather conditions are going to become more available in the coming days and provide Kurdish guerillas with the ability to move and camouflage easier. After the declaration, we may assume that there would be zone defending wars in the cities with the opening of new barricades and ditches even in the western Turkish cities. The other parties of the URMP get support from the suburbs of big cities mainly in the west of Turkey like İstanbul, Ankara, Mersin or Adana where police suppression is a daily routine killing young sympathizer continuously.
With the declaration, we may also assume that the ruling party is going to use the probable rising violence as an excuse for suppressing the leftist, unionists and democratic mass movements which has been in a paralyzed condition since the gezi movement in 2013.

Article in english: http://en.hawarnews.com/peoples-united-revolutionary-movement-established-for-a-joint-struggle-in-turkey-and-north-kurdistan/

Ankara explosion: At least 32 killed and 75 wounded after large blast in Turkish capital

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/12192759/Ankara-explosion-Several-wounded-in-centre-of-Turkish-capital-Kizilay.html

3 Turkish academics arrested over ‘terror propaganda’ charges

http://theturkishsun.com/news/3-turkish-academics-arrested-over-terror-propaganda-charges/

ISTANBUL | A local court in Istanbul has charged three academics with making terrorist propaganda and ordered them arrested pending the outcome of a trial.

Their arrests late on Tuesday came a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey should “redefine” terrorism and terrorists so that legal action can be expanded against anyone supporting terrorism — including legislators, academics and journalists.

The three Istanbul-based academics were among a group of more than 1,000 scholars who in January signed a declaration denouncing military operations against the PKK. The declaration angered Erdogan and led to legal proceedings against some. Erdogan lashed out at the signatories and said human rights violations in the southeast were being committed by terrorists, not by the state:

“Despite all of these facts, this crowd, which calls itself academics, accuses the state through a statement. Not only this, they also invite foreigners to monitor developments. This is the mentality of colonialism,” he said. Likening today’s situation with the Turkish War of Independence, Erdogan said the country was again facing “treason” from “so-called intellectuals.”

“Hey, you so-called intellectuals! You piece of academic garbage! You are not enlightened persons, you are dark. You are nothing like intellectuals. You are ignorant and dark, not even knowing about the east or the southeast. We know these places just like we know our home addresses,” he said, reiterating his position that Turkey’s problem is “not a Kurdish one, but one of terror.”

The three were detained for questioning earlier on Tuesday for holding a news conference last week during which they stood by the declaration.

Turkish Sun

"A police raid was carried out on the houses of eight lawyers from Libertarian Jurists Association who were taken into custody after the search towards this morning. The lawyers were not given any justification, there is a confidentiality order on the case. "

"In the police operation conducted this morning (March 16) in İstanbul, a police raid has been carried out on the houses of eight lawyers from Libertarian Jurists Association (ÖHD)."

http://bianet.org/english/law/173050-police-raid-on-lawyers-from-libertarian-jurists-association

Erdogan is having the HDP arrested.

I posted a couple of items at the end of this thread, http://libcom.org/news/miliary-coup-turkey-15072016 that might have been better here.

I've added a further item to the linked thread mentioned in my post 86 above regarding the recent Turkish military bombing of the Syrian Kurdish regime despite USA opposition.
This thread could do with more updating by other comrades.

That last item also referred to here:
http://libcom.org/news/joint-patrol-ypg-us-army-02052017

This thread could do with more updating by other comrades.

Yeah, but it seems like many of our Turkish comrades have stopped posting which is unfortunate. I wonder what the reason for that is. I hope it's just them being fed up rather than having to refrain from posting due to the regime.

Khawaga

This thread could do with more updating by other comrades.

Yeah, but it seems like many of our Turkish comrades have stopped posting which is unfortunate. I wonder what the reason for that is. I hope it's just them being fed up rather than having to refrain from posting due to the regime.

i think leo was on yesterday, but i see what you mean.

Short article reflecting on the current repression in Turkey here:
www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2018/no-1363-march-2018/turkey-whats-going

As a follow-up to the article I recommended above this article summarises something of the history of ethnic classifications and their political interpretation, misuse and dangers in the light of more recent internal repression by the Turkish government;
www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2018/no-1365-may-2018/ethnicity-sticky-wicket-or-slippery-slope

We should add to these internal dimensions of the conflict in Turkey the growing near-military skirmishes over energy resources in the Mediterranean and migration border clashes between Turkey and Greece, both NATO countries.

There hasn't been much interest in following up on my earlier linked material dealing with the growing repression in Turkey but maybe Erdogan's current state visit to the UK and the desperation of the UK government for commercial and military deals in the light of 'Brexit' and the USA/Iran confrontations as mentioned here, might reignite some interest and contributions from others;
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/may/13/theresa-may-under-fire-human-rights-as-turkish-president-lands-in-uk

In today's world I'm not sure how much value there is in a competition for ''the most dangerous man in the world'' but certainly Trump and Erdogan would qualify for inclusion on a very long list of the current ultra-nationalist leaders around the world dragging us into an increasing number of dangerous regional wars. I have posted a number of links to articles about Turkey from my post No91 on recently without getting much interest on this site so maybe this contribution from someone I've had my disagreements with on other texts might engender a bit more interest now:
https://libcom.org/library/president-erdogan-dangerous-president-trump

Erdogan was sworn in as the new 'all-powerful' President of Turkey yesterday (amidst the continuation of mass sackings of public employees and media shut downs) with 22 heads of state scheduled to attend the ceremony but none it seems from leading western and Nato powers such as the USA, Germany France or the UK - a sign of the slowly shifting alliances from the fallout of recent middle-eastern wars?

So now that Trump has increased tariffs on Turkeys steel production amidst continuing diplomatic rows between the two leaders on top of Turkeys ailing economy things are deteriorating fast and God wont help Erdogan out with this one. More details here:
https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2018/08/11/turkey-total-meltdown/
and more along these lines from a liberal Guardian economist here;
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/12/turkey-crisis-widen-and-options-running-out-erdogan

I don't share the politics of the 'Weekly Worker' but this short article was quite useful in providing some historical background to the relationship between the state and private business interests in terms of private and public debt issues prior to the current crisis with the Turkish currency;
https://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1216/nurtured-by-the-state/

I've provided a number of earlier linked articles under the Turkey news heading which others might find of interest.

Erdogan's pleas over the threat to Idlib fall on the deaf ears of his recent international 'friends'. See here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/erdogan-calls-idlib-ceasefire-tehran-summit-180907122805420.html

So keeping this particular news line connected see also;
https://libcom.org/news/no-more-fake-charges-20092018

Seems the strained relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia just got another twist with the disappearance of Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. Despite accusations of Saudi 'human rights' abuse in this respect, rather laughably in the case of the AKP and friends, Erdogan is in no position just now to make any permanent break with the Saudis.
Latest here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/jamal-khashoggi-case-latest-updates-181010133542286.html

This ongoing tale of regional rivalries in the 'middle-east' is very relevant to more recent developments in Turkey itself. See here:
https://libcom.org/blog/imperialist-manoeuvring-behind-khashoggi-affair-22102018

Turkey's recent maneuvers in the inter-imperialist wars of the middle east and the use of 'proxies' gets extended further east across the Mediterranean and more complex still as this report suggests:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/15/exclusive-2000-syrian-troops-deployed-to-libya-to-support-regime
and also laughably the Turkish government has complained to the Egyptian government about it's suppression of press freedom after Egyptian security forces raided the Cairo based Turkish news agency!

There is some more useful detail following my posted link above relating to the complex issues around exploration of the gas supplies in the Eastern Mediterranean and other historic conflicts and ideological factors here:
https://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1282/a-new-adventure/

And the Guardian now reports that France has agreed to lend Greece a war ship as tensions between Greece, Cyprus and Turkey hot up again over these issues.

Another useful short summary of some of the issues mentioned in my post #104 above here;
https://worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2020/2020s/no-1387-march-2020/resource-war-oil-gas-and-aphrodite/
Can now add the further manipulation of the Syrian refugee crisis between Turkey and the EU.

Thus now the latest foray of the Turkish state military to Iraqi Kurdistan alongside their ongoing military war in Libya, KAF statement here:
https://libcom.org/forums/middle-east/we-condemn-turkish-state-attack-invasion-iraqi-kurdistan--26062020
I've tried to keep this thread going as there is a useful trail of linked texts charting the twists and turns of Turkey's regional imperialist aims and adventures not unrelated to it's internal struggles.

Following up post#104 tensions increase over rival naval military exercises between Greece and Turkey and their associated allies in the Mediterranean region as reported here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53892896

More here analysing the Greek/Turkey conflict from a broadly international anti-capitalist perspective:
https://allianceofmesocialists.org/the-greek-turkey-imperialist-conflict-in-east-mediterranean/
Turkeys ambitions in the wider middle-east and near east also now involved the the recent flare-up of old ethno-nationalist state conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan (see latest news on Aljazeera online) and this news story here:
https://freedomnews.org.uk/azerbaijan-anarchist-detained-for-making-anti-militarist-statements/
Plus this news story connecting the possible use by Turkey (as previously elsewhere by Russia) of state contracted private armies in the same conflicts:
https://theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/28/syrian-rebel-fighters-prepare-to-deploy-to-azerbaijan-in-sign-of-turkeys-ambition
Edit: Adding this as well in an effort to keep these various items related to the Turkish states regional imperialist ambitions together.
https://libcom.org/news/anti-war-statement-azerbaijani-leftist-youth-02102020
Also this article on the Armenian 'diaspora':
https://theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/03/armenian-diaspora-feels-pull-of-another-war-kardashian-azerbaijan

Not a bad summary of the tightrope that the Turkish state is walking in it's various foreign 'adventures' here:
https://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1318/more-blood-and-tears

Also there is this very useful background text highlighting the overlap with Iranian interests in the region and the complexities of other competing interests between Russia, Turkey, Iran etc in the region;
https://dw.com/en/iran-fears-spillover-from-nagorno-karabakh/a-55250556
Thanks to ajj for that.

A very useful longer article here adding material to that in my post #110 above:
http://www.leftcom.org/articles/2020-10-15/nagorno-karabakh-war-for-workers-the-real-enemy-lies-at-home

A longer article which summarises recent developments and draws together the links between internal political/economic crisis and risky imperialist ambitions by the Turkish state here:
https://www.leftcom.org/en/artcles/2020-11-09/turkey-s-imperialist-aggression-threatens-to-set-more-than-the-mediterranean-alight

Further clashes between the PKK and KDP forces in the north of Iraq against a background of Turkish state military involvement reported here:
https://al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/12/peshmerga-krg-kdp-kurdistan-iraq-pkk-dead-clashes-killed.html

Can Dundarn, not a radical but a journalist sentenced to jail whilst in exile for exposing the truth about the Turkish state's early involvement in the Syrian War. Not the first and probably not the last. reported here:
https://aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/23/turkey-sentences-exiled-journalist-can-dundar-to-27-years-in-jail

State crimes and criminals past and present:
https://theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/25/turkeys-mobsters-step-out-of-shadows-and-into-public-sphere

A short critical left communist comment on the recent university student protests sparked off by the political appointment of a new Rector here:
http://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2021-02-26/student-protests-in-turkey-a-communist-critique
I suppose essentially correct in it's democratic reformist classification but in it's style heavy on the denunciation and thin or weak in supporting analysis about the role of the university, the class relation of students there and the divisions between the conservative and liberal bourgeoise in relation to the oppression of minorities. Doesn't really pose any alternative communist practice in relation to oppressed minorities within the everyday class struggle. Too short for that but then not sure who it was aimed at - doubt it would get much feedback as a leaflet distributed to the university students but who knows! There is better stuff elsewhere on the CWO website.

'Istanbul no longer'! Well conventions are no protection but I suppose this reflects a growing trend in the wrong direction;
https://aljazeera.com/news/2021/03/20/turkey-pulls-out-of-treaty-protecting-women-from-violence
meanwhile Turkey faces growing financial turmoil around it's currency and stock market moves.

The continuing Turkish military attacks on the PKK stronghold in Iraqi Kurdistan supported by the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish statelet as reported here:
https://theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/04/iraq-turkey-pkk-drones-kurds-kurdistan

The Turkish Constitional Court 'shut down' the left-wing Kurdish lead HDP on March the 17th and bans many existing political representatives from standing for re-election in further repressive measures against political opposition to Erdogan's party.
In addition to that the government detains many retired senior navel officers that criticised Erdogan's geo-political canal building alongside the narrow Bosphorus strait which they claimed could threaten the 1937 Montreeux Convention on free passage for civil and Black Sea countries military vessels on to the Mediterranean. See here:
https://theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/05/turkish-ex-admirals-arrested-over-criticism-of-erdogans-crazy-canal-scheme

And further to the above post Erdogan now walks a diplomatic tightrope in discussions with Turkeys 2 Black Sea neighbours over the continuing military dispute between the Ukraine and Russia as Russian forces continue their build up 100miles from the western Ukrainian border whilst the Ukrainian government makes please to the USA and NATO for support. Edit and also reported that the USA has requested Turkey to allow it's 2 battleships access through the straights into the Black sea.
Edit: Here a reflection on the complexities of the Erdogan/Putin relationship over recent decades:
https://aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/20/ukraine-tensions-test-erdogan-and-putins-complex-relationship

A bit more on Turkey:

https://en.internationalism.org/content/17007/turkey-and-imperialist-free-all

It is also reported in a sign of the times that Turkish state agents have seized Gulen's nephew Selahaddin Gulen in an 'overseas operation' and removed him back to Turkey for detention and trial on charges of terrorism.

The Mediterranean/Cyprus and Erdogan's Two state 'solution' is pushed forward against the opposition of Greece and the EU ensuring the continuation of arguments and military threats regarding gas and other economic resources in that area.

Erdogan plays to his political base despite a failing economy and risk to the Turkish Lira with a flurry of hot air as here:
https://aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/23/turkeys-erdogan-orders-explusion-of-10-western-ambassadors
or maybe here:
https://aljazeera.com/economy/2021/10/25/turkish-lira-drops-to-record-low-on-erdogan-comments

Update:
And here a short text relating connections between the Turkish government and its support for the
Kazakhstan regime:
https://anarchistcommunism.org/2022/01/08/turkey-a-powder-barrel/
Note in addition the disparity between the Russian lead military intervention in that last country and it's different hands off approach in Armenia resulting from the more complex Russia/Turkey relationship.

Class struggle report here:
https://libcom.org/blog/turkey-workers-are-trying-find-their-own-voice-all-over-world-04022022
and here:
https://libcom.org/blog/inflationary-struggles-after-dismissal-their-work-mates-workers-occupy-farplas-factory-turk