William Armstrong
@williamarmstrong.bsky.social
Istanbul-based with BBC Monitoring. Founder, presenter, hype-man with Turkey Book Talk (@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social). I have no views. https://turkeybooktalk.com https://turkeybooktalk.substack.com/
🎙️ Below, you can listen to the episode featuring my book on the environmental history of Ottoman Izmir. Thanks to @turkeybooktalk.bsky.social for this conversation
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · yesterdayNew episode 📚📚 Onur İnal (@onurinal.bsky.social) on the rise of late Ottoman İzmir. The conversation discusses his book “Gateway to the Mediterranean: An Environmental History of Late Ottoman Izmir” (Cambridge University Press) 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/08/04/o...
New episode 📚📚 Onur İnal (@onurinal.bsky.social) on the rise of late Ottoman İzmir. The conversation discusses his book “Gateway to the Mediterranean: An Environmental History of Late Ottoman Izmir” (Cambridge University Press) 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/08/04/o...
Onur İnal on the rise of late Ottoman İzmir
Turkey Book Talk #275 – Onur İnal of the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Vienna on “Gateway to the Mediterranean: An Environmental History of Late Ottoman Izmir” (Camb…
turkeybooktalk.com
In addition to the obvious political implications, I wrote for @bloomberg.com last year about how these ongoing arrests and detentions are affecting issues critical to the city's future: bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Jennifer Hattam@jenhattam.bsky.social · 7d agoA plurality of Istanbul's district mayors are now in prison, along with the city's metropolitan mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been behind bars since last March. Image source: fatihaltayli.com.tr/yazarlar/fat...
A plurality of Istanbul's district mayors are now in prison, along with the city's metropolitan mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been behind bars since last March. Image source: fatihaltayli.com.tr/yazarlar/fat...
Enjoyed the @turkeybooktalk.bsky.social conversation on Turkish foreign policy and how it interacts with domestic politics. 👇
Sinem Adar@sinemadar.bsky.social · 2w agoThanks for the kind invitation, @williamarmstrong.bsky.social.
Enjoyed this conversation with @sinemadar.bsky.social on how Turkey's foreign policy trajectory is helping to reinforce Erdogan's domestic political crackdown. 🎧👇
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · 2w agoFresh 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...
Pew Research finds 13% of Turkish citizens have a positive view of the US, while 43% have a positive view of China. Just 6% say they have confidence in Trump to do the right thing in world affairs, while 32% say they have confidence in Xi Jinping. www.pewresearch.org/global/2026/...
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
Enjoyed this conversation with @sinemadar.bsky.social on how Turkey's foreign policy trajectory is helping to reinforce Erdogan's domestic political crackdown. 🎧👇
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · 2w agoFresh 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...
The ousted CHP leader Özgür Özel has now publicly announced his farewell to CHP and intention to form a new opposition party -- a long-awaited move by his supporters (BBC Türkçe) www.bbc.com/turkce/artic...
Özgür Özel CHP'de son grup toplantısını yaptı - BBC News Türkçe
Özgür Özel, kendisi dahil 83 milletvekilinin bulunduğu grup toplantısında Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi'ne veda konuşması yaptı ve "Yeni partimizi kuruyoruz" dedi.
bbc.com
Since 2016, Turkish public sector jobs grew from 3.56 to 5.37M. Using these stats, @liselhintz.bsky.social and @hakkitas.bsky.social write: "Power consolidation is achieved" by restructuring jobs so that "a larger share of the population holds a direct material stake in the survival" of the regime.
Epic Autocratisation: Turkey’s Decade of Coup-Fuelled Transformation
giga-hamburg.de
Interesting poll from @istanpol.bsky.social finds broad general support for Turkey's Nato membership. Research conducted 22-29 June, ahead of the recent Nato summit in Ankara. istanpol.org/post-nato-ya...
It is ten years since Turkey's coup attempt - when a faction of the military tried to topple Erdoğan's government. I visited the neighbourhood directly below Bosphorus Bridge, which saw some of the fiercest fighting, to hear from those that came on to the streets www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
BBC Audio | Witness History | Turkey’s failed coup
On 15 July 2016, more than 300 people were killed in the coup attempt
bbc.com
Thanks to Will for another great conversation! After listening, check out my recent newsletter for more behind-the-scenes details on how a travel guidebook gets made: istanbuletcetera.substack.com/p/how-a-trav...
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · 2mo agoFrom last week ⌛⌛ Jennifer Hattam (@jenhattam.bsky.social) on what goes into updating the Lonely Planet travel guide to Turkey. The conversation touches on the epic work involved, her impressions of places visited, and how Turkey has changed over the years. 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/05/26/j...
Good article describes how Turkish govt sees upcoming NATO summit in Ankara as a platform for “interests-first” bargaining. Greater Turkish commitment to NATO doesn't mean shift to liberal/democratic values. Recent developments in fact indicate the opposite. yetkinreport.com/2026/06/26/a...
Ankara’nın Jeopolitikası Batıyla Normalleşme mi, Çok Yönlü Pazarlık mı? - Yetkin Report - Murat Yetkin
Hepsini bir ara düşündüğümüzde Ankara’nın derdi kesinlikle Batı ile eski usul bir normalleşme değil, çok yönlü pazarlık.
yetkinreport.com
Civil society figures including gay rights group head, environmentalists detained as "armed terrorists" before Ankara NATO meeting t24.com.tr/gundem/nato-...
NATO gözaltıları: Doç. Dr. Emel Memiş, TEMA gönüllüleri ve gazeteci Yıldız Tar‘ın da olduğu 103 kişi tutuklandı | T24
Savcılık sevk yazısında "Türkiye'nin terörle anılan bir ülke olması gayreti içinde terör eylemi gerçekleştirebilirler" ifadelerini kullandı
t24.com.tr
Enjoyed this splendid conversation about a timely new book Listen below 📢📢
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · last mo.New episode 📚📚 Hannah Lucinda Smith on Turkey, Russia and Europe's hinterlands The conversation is based on her new book “Hinterlands: Journeys through Europe’s Unfinished Frontiers” (@profilebooks.bsky.social) 🎧👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/06/23/h...
New episode 📚📚 Hannah Lucinda Smith on Turkey, Russia and Europe's hinterlands The conversation is based on her new book “Hinterlands: Journeys through Europe’s Unfinished Frontiers” (@profilebooks.bsky.social) 🎧👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/06/23/h...
Hannah Lucinda Smith on Turkey, Russia and Europe’s hinterlands
Turkey Book Talk #273 – Hannah Lucinda Smith on “Hinterlands: Journeys through Europe’s Unfinished Frontiers” (Profile Books). The book is based on vivid reporting from Eastern Europe, the Ea…
turkeybooktalk.com
Enjoyed this splendid conversation about a timely new book Listen below 📢📢
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · last mo.New episode 📚📚 Hannah Lucinda Smith on Turkey, Russia and Europe's hinterlands The conversation is based on her new book “Hinterlands: Journeys through Europe’s Unfinished Frontiers” (@profilebooks.bsky.social) 🎧👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/06/23/h...
Everyone in Turkey talks about emigration. But the official numbers are strangely calm: in a country of 86 million, a couple hundred thousand leave per year. No great exodus. So why does it feel like everyone is leaving? Because the question isn't how many. It's who.
Enjoyed recording this episode. Excellent insights from Doruk Erhan on the mounting crackdown on Turkey's main opposition party and what comes next 📌📌
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew episode 📢📢 Doruk Erhan on the limits of Turkey’s shift to autocracy. The conversation weighs up what comes next in Turkey's judicial crackdown on the main opposition CHP and how it fits into a broader global shift away from liberal democracy Listen below 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/06/09/d...
New episode 📢📢 Doruk Erhan on the limits of Turkey’s shift to autocracy. The conversation weighs up what comes next in Turkey's judicial crackdown on the main opposition CHP and how it fits into a broader global shift away from liberal democracy Listen below 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/06/09/d...
Doruk Erhan on the limits of Turkey’s shift to autocracy
Turkey Book Talk #272 – Doruk Erhan, doctoral candidate at Yale Law School and visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, on the crackdown …
turkeybooktalk.com
Enjoyed recording this episode. Excellent insights from Doruk Erhan on the mounting crackdown on Turkey's main opposition party and what comes next 📌📌
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew episode 📢📢 Doruk Erhan on the limits of Turkey’s shift to autocracy. The conversation weighs up what comes next in Turkey's judicial crackdown on the main opposition CHP and how it fits into a broader global shift away from liberal democracy Listen below 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/06/09/d...
From last week ⌛⌛ Jennifer Hattam (@jenhattam.bsky.social) on what goes into updating the Lonely Planet travel guide to Turkey. The conversation touches on the epic work involved, her impressions of places visited, and how Turkey has changed over the years. 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/05/26/j...
Jennifer Hattam on updating the Lonely Planet guide to Turkey
Turkey Book Talk #271 – Long-time Istanbul-based journalist Jennifer Hattam on her work updating the Lonely Planet travel guide to Turkey. The conversation touches on the immense amount of wo…
turkeybooktalk.com
Armenia’s election is scheduled for Sunday, and issues of war and peace have been at the top of the campaign agendas. Candidates have debated dueling visions of Armenia’s relations with Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Russia, and the West. Our preview from @crisisgroup.org: www.crisisgroup.org/qna/europe/a...
Issues of War and Peace Gain Top Billing in Armenia’s Election | International Crisis Group
Armenians will head to the polls on 7 June for the country’s first general election since 2021. In this Q&A, Crisis Group expert Joshua Kucera explains why foreign policy has dominated the campaign an...
crisisgroup.org
New episode 📢📢 Jennifer Hattam (@jenhattam.bsky.social) on updating the Lonely Planet travel guide to Turkey. The conversation touches on the epic work involved, her impressions of places visited, and how Turkey has changed over the years. 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/05/26/j...
Jennifer Hattam on writing the Lonely Planet guide to Turkey
Turkey Book Talk #271 – Long-time Istanbul-based journalist Jennifer Hattam on her work updating the Lonely Planet travel guide to Turkey. The conversation touches on the immense amount of wo…
turkeybooktalk.com
Enjoyed this conversation with Jeniffer Hattam on what goes into updating the Lonely Planet travel guide to Turkey. Listen below 🎧👇
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew episode 📢📢 Jennifer Hattam (@jenhattam.bsky.social) on updating the Lonely Planet travel guide to Turkey. The conversation touches on the epic work involved, her impressions of places visited, and how Turkey has changed over the years. 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/05/26/j...
Enjoyed this conversation with Jeniffer Hattam on what goes into updating the Lonely Planet travel guide to Turkey. Listen below 🎧👇
Turkey Book Talk@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew episode 📢📢 Jennifer Hattam (@jenhattam.bsky.social) on updating the Lonely Planet travel guide to Turkey. The conversation touches on the epic work involved, her impressions of places visited, and how Turkey has changed over the years. 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/05/26/j...
Scenes from Ankara. Police storm the CHP headquarters to remove Özgür Özel and his supporters from the building, following the court decision stripping him of the party leadership.