Clément Plaisant
@cplaisant.bsky.social
International Relations | Diplomacy | Turkey-Syria | Et un peu d'@OL. Personal views here
Once again this week, several excellent publications shed light on key domestic and foreign policy issues related to #Turkey. My latest blog post covering a range of topics: • The aftermath of the Ankara Summit — highlighting the article coordinated + clmentplaisant.substack.com/p/this-weeks...
This Week's Reading on Turkey (July 16–July 23, 2026)
Thanks for reading Mayıs Sıkıntısı!
clmentplaisant.substack.com
According to pro-government commentator Nebi Miş, the bill establishing the legal framework for the "peace process" between Ankara and the PKK is expected to be introduced in the Turkish Grand National Assembly in the coming days + m.sabah.com.tr/yazarlar/neb...
NEBİ MİŞ - Terörsüz Türkiye hedefinde yasal süreç aşaması
Cumhurbaşkanımız Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, haziran ayının son haftasında grup toplantısında Terörsüz Türkiye sürecine ilişkin olarak yeni aşamayı şu sözlerle duyurmuştu: 'Örgütün tasfiye sürecini hızlandı...
m.sabah.com.tr
Once again this week, several excellent publications shed light on key domestic and foreign policy issues related to #Turkey. My latest blog post covering a range of topics: • The aftermath of the Ankara Summit — highlighting the article coordinated + clmentplaisant.substack.com/p/this-weeks...
This Week's Reading on Turkey (July 16–July 23, 2026)
Thanks for reading Mayıs Sıkıntısı!
clmentplaisant.substack.com
The legal framework outlining the peace process between Ankara and the PKK is expected to be submitted to the Turkish Parliament on July 27 or 28. While Abdullah Öcalan and the organization's senior leadership are expected to remain outside the scope of the legislation + t24.com.tr/politika/pkk...
PKK'nın silahsızlandırılması için hazırlanan düzenlemede sona doğru: Öcalan'la kritik temaslar, Ankara'da koordinasyon hazırlığı | T24
PKK'nın silahsızlandırılması için hazırlanan düzenlemede sona doğru: Öcalan'la kritik temaslar, Ankara'da koordinasyon hazırlığı
t24.com.tr
As important as the societal support for the success of Özel’s new party is how much support and appeal that it could gather from political elites - not only within KK’s CHP but also from within other opposition parties.
"Another challenge will be how quickly the new party can fulfil the legal requirements to contest elections, and whether the current enthusiasm among Özel’s supporters can be translated into lasting political support." + yetkinreport.com/en/2026/07/2...
Özgür Özel Leaves CHP to Form a New Party - Yetkin Report - Murat Yetkin
Declaring that he was “listening to the voice of the street,” Özel has chosen to forge a new path—and embarked on a new political march.
yetkinreport.com
Whilst Ruşen Çakır’s interview with senior PKK figure Duran Kalkan may have generated quite a bit of enthusiasm, I highly recommend this article by Ragıp Duran. In summary, according to the author, Çakır’s interview is not a genuine interview in the + apoletlimedya.blogspot.com/2026/07/kalk...
Kalkan-Çakır Söyleşisi Üzerine
· Bugün Türkiye’de gerçek anlamda bağımsız, özgür gazetecilik yapılabiliyor mu? Söyleşinin, haber, yorum, incelemeden ne gibi far...
apoletlimedya.blogspot.com
As ousted CHP chairman Özgür Özel prepares to launch a new opposition party, I am publishing an English version of my 25 June article examining the intense debate in Turkey’s press — across both opposition and pro-government circles — over this initiative. clmentplaisant.substack.com/p/authoritar...
Authoritarian Consolidation in Turkey: Toward a New Opposition Party
This paper is an English translation of a previous blog post originally published in French on 25 June 2026.
clmentplaisant.substack.com
Fresh new episode 🎧🎧 Sinem Adar (@sinemadar.bsky.social) returns to the podcast. The conversation takes stock of Turkey’s geopolitical clout and its domestic political crackdown after the recent NATO summit in Ankara. 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/07/21/s...
Sinem Adar on Turkey’s role in a fracturing Western alliance
Turkey Book Talk #274 – Sinem Adar, head of the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, returns to the podcast. The conversation take…
turkeybooktalk.com
The English translation of Rusen Cakir’s very important and insightful interview with senior PKK figure Duran Kalkan. medyascope.tv/2026/07/20/i...
"It will not fail" - Medyascope interviews senior PKK commander on Kurdish peace process - Medyascope
For the first time, a senior PKK commander has spoken to an outlet outside its media wing.
medyascope.tv
Judicial engineering in Istanbul: - the metropolitan mayor is in prison - two district mayors were recently released (but have not yet been reinstated?) - 12 other district mayors are in prison (Beşiktaş, Beykoz, Şişli, Beylikdüzü, Büyükçekmece, Gaziosmanpaşa, Avcılar, Şile, Bayrampaşa, Ataşehir)
Kemal Can explores the growing discussion surrounding the proposed new party project of Ekrem İmamoğlu and Özgür Özel. It's well worth reading, offering many thought-provoking reflections. medyascope.tv/2026/07/20/y...
Kemal Can yazdı: Yeni Parti tartışmaları genişliyor - Medyascope
Mutlak butlan sonrası gündeme gelen Yeni Parti tartışmaları büyüyor. Yeni oluşumun hedefi ve muhalefete olası etkileri değerlendiriliyor.
medyascope.tv
An insightful interview between senior PKK figure Duran Kalkan and Ruşen Çakır. One of the passages that particularly struck me — though it was very brief — was Kalkan’s fierce criticism of the CHP, which in many ways echoed the views expressed by the ruling elites +
Medyascope Kandil’de | Duran Kalkan Ruşen Çakır’a konuştu: "Bu süreç batmayacak" - Medyascope
Ekim 2024'te başlayan yeni çözüm sürecinde Kandil, kapılarını Medyascope'a açtı. PKK/KCK'nin üst düzey yöneticisi Duran Kalkan ne anlattı?
medyascope.tv
Pro-government commentator Okan Müderrisoğlu outlines the main features of the proposed legal framework underpinning the "solution process," also referred to as the "Terror-Free Türkiye" initiative. According to his column, the draft framework legislation would include the following key provisions:
Clément Plaisant@cplaisant.bsky.social · 3w agowww.sabah.com.tr/yazarlar/mud...
OKAN MÜDERRİSOĞLU - Terörsüz Türkiye Yasası ve milli hazmetme kapasitesi!
Yakın coğrafyamızda yaşanan çatışmalar ve arkasındaki siyonist hesaplar bir kez daha teyit etti ki 'Terörsüz Türkiye ve Terörsüz Bölge Projesi', ülkemizin bekası için hayati önemde. İsrail'in, Tahran'...
sabah.com.tr
Ranked: Countries With the Biggest Declines in Academic Freedom. Unsurprisingly, Turkey is in a very bad position. Poke @heissenstat.bsky.social @nateschenkkan.bsky.social www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-count...
After more than two months without any visitors, Öcalan is set to receive a delegation of MPs from the DEM Party. The meeting comes as the AKP works on the legal framework for its "Terror-Free Türkiye" initiative. However, the draft law remains far from satisfying the Kurdish movement's expectation.
Clément Plaisant@cplaisant.bsky.social · 3w agoI’d also like to clarify the format: rather than offering critical reviews—which would be too time-consuming for a weekly column—the aim is to provide a detailed, thematically organized selection for readers with limited time to follow the Turkish press or specialist literature on Turkey.
Clément Plaisant@cplaisant.bsky.social · 3w agoIn my latest blog post, I review and highlight a selection of key articles from this week that provide valuable perspectives on #Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy developments. The post covers a range of topics, including: clmentplaisant.substack.com/p/this-weeks...
In my latest blog post, I review and highlight a selection of key articles from this week that provide valuable perspectives on #Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy developments. The post covers a range of topics, including: clmentplaisant.substack.com/p/this-weeks...
Mehmet Uçum latest comments clearly illustrate the idea that 15 July 2016 has become a founding myth. In his article for AA, President Erdoğan’s legal adviser views the failure of the coup attempt as a “second war of liberation” and a genuine “political revolution” + www.aa.com.tr/tr/analiz/15...
15-16 Temmuz: Milli Demokratik Halk Devrimi
15-16 Temmuz, dünya siyasal tarihinin gördüğü en büyük barışçı devrimdir. 15 Temmuz’da siyasal gerici ve faşist hareketin devirme amaçlı kalkışmasıyla antidemokratik sistem ve demokratik merkez arasın...
aa.com.tr
Evrensel is publishing a series of articles and critical analyses examining the many consequences of the attempted coup of 15 July 2016, particularly with regard to the trajectory of the Turkish regime, civil-military relations, and the Kurdish question.
Evrensel Gazetesi@evrensel.net · 3w ago📌Hukuk, siyaset ve askeriyede 10 yılda 15 Temmuz Doç. Dr. Dinçer Demirkent, Doç. Dr. Fatih Yaşlı, EMEP Milletvekili İskender Bayhan, DİP Genel Başkan Yardımcısı Levent Dölek, Gazeteci Barış Terkoğlu ve Dr. Hakan Şahin; hukukun araçsallaştırılmasından TSK’deki “epistemolojik kopuşa”, sermaye…
On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the attempted coup, some sections of the pro-government Turkish press are seeking, in the light of that very day – 15 July 2016 – to counter criticism centred on the AKP government’s authoritarianism + www.sabah.com.tr/yazarlar/mud...
OKAN MÜDERRİSOĞLU - 15 Temmuz Ruhu ve Liderlik!
Türk siyasi tarihi, daha açıkçası demokrasi tarihi özürlüdür! Demokrasimiz, darbelerle ezilmiş ve malûliyetle gelişmiştir. Bu aziz millet, darbeler karşısında maalesef bağrına taş basarak çoğu kez ken...
sabah.com.tr
An excellent study on the political consequences of Turkey’s failed coup attempt of 15 July 2016. The authors use the term “epic autocratisation” to describe the evolution of the Turkish regime since that “founding” moment. www.giga-hamburg.de/en/publicati...
Epic Autocratisation: Turkey’s Decade of Coup-Fuelled Transformation
giga-hamburg.de
An interesting comparison of the authoritarian trajectories of #Turkey and #Tunisia by Salim Çevik : arabcenterdc.org/resource/tun...
“There’s a difference between an illiberal democracy and a hybrid regime. There’s a difference between a hybrid regime and full-bore authoritarianism and a single-party state.” My comments in the NY Sun, along with my friend @sinanciddi.bsky.social www.nysun.com/article/in-n...
In NATO Summit at Ankara, Turkey’s Deepening Crackdown on Dissent Was the Unspoken Issue | The New York Sun
President Trump and European leaders kept their attention focused elsewhere even as Turkey fills its jails with critics and opposition figures.
nysun.com
Political scientist Cuma Çiçek, one of Turkey’s leading experts on the Kurdish issue, has published a comprehensive report assessing the current peace process between the Turkish government and the PKK. While he notes that the dialogue initiative has seen + www.ihd.org.tr/icerik/baris...
Barış Süreci İzleme Raporu (1 Ekim 2024 – 1 Temmuz 2026)
TÜRKİYE – PKK BARIŞ SÜRECİ İZLEME RAPORU (1 Ekim 2024 – 1 Temmuz 2026) şimdi yayında. Görüntülemek için lütfen…
ihd.org.tr
On Saturday, legal proceedings targeting Turkey’s main opposition party, the CHP, spread to Çankaya. This district is of central importance in terms of size (the largest in Ankara and the third-largest in Turkey) + www.nefes.com.tr/yazarlar/nev...
Çankaya operasyonu neden hepsinden daha önemli
Cumartesi sabahına Çankaya Belediyesi’ne operasyonla uyandık. Bir süredir CHP belediyelerine operasyonlar artık günlük rutin...
nefes.com.tr
After the NATO summit in Ankara, is this the end of the F-35 saga for Turkey? It's not that clear-cut, according to @aaronstein1.bsky.social : www.fpri.org/article/2026...
