Monthly Archives: July 2010

In a private meeting not long ago where a couple of leading US senators met with a group of Turkish deputies in a quiet, prestigious restaurant in Ankara, I was the only writer to join the discussion. When the issue … Continue reading →

Reports about the alleged rift between the Turkish government and military over Turkey’s relations with Israel were based more speculation than the facts, and in some cases based on wishful thinking, against a background of sustained refusal by Israel to … Continue reading →

On the heels of opening a new chapter in negotiations with Turkey last month, the political dialogue meeting being held today in İstanbul at the ministerial level between the EU and Turkey will be an important venue to survey the … Continue reading →

Although the Constitutional Court did not veto the amendments altogether and allowed the referendum to go forward, it was still disappointing to see that the justices overstepped their authority by taking up the constitutionally unauthorized task of reviewing the case … Continue reading →

Courts and the judicial system are supposed to produce resolutions in contested issues within the guidelines of the Constitution and in light of universally accepted rules. Yet in Turkey we have a highly politicized higher judiciary and many controversial Constitutional … Continue reading →

I was in Brussels last week to follow an intergovernmental conference between the European Union and Turkey which marked the opening of the 13th chapter, on food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy. The Turkish delegation was led by Foreign Minister … Continue reading →