W hen Mine Gencel Bek and I had met - out of coincidence - in Boston in the autumn of 2014, we had no idea we would find ourselves as outcasts, although then we were concerned…
by Yavuz Baydar
'When universal values and international law are cast aside, global affairs are governed by force.'
This powerful remark printed at the end of a long, detailed report by Freedom House (FH)…
by Yavuz Baydar
Forget the old guidebooks on how to conduct foreign policy. These are times that require that the modes and codes change. The official introduction of Donald Trump as the leader…
by Yavuz Baydar
Turkish President Erdoğan's playbook never runs out of surprises.
Three most recent decrees meant that 649 academics were arbitrarily fired, and 83 associations were shut down, including the well-established Kurdish Insitute,…
by Yavuz Baydar
One point emerges as undisputable after the series of terror attacks, and the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara by a police officer: Turkey, now showing strong signs as 'ungovernable' under…
by Yavuz Baydar
So, this is the end. Well, more or less so if you read into the most recent General Affairs Council statements about the state of accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU.
Following…
by Yavuz Baydar
'Never mind those, it's going to be a very tough time ahead...'
When I met Marty Beth Long at the well-attended Rome MED - Mediterranean Dialogues conference in the Italian capital, I went…
by Yavuz Baydar
Angry journalists in exile may easily end up as pure political activists, attracted by propaganda, forgetting their delicate professional roles.
As I addressed colleagues at a recent gathering in Brussels and the…
by Yavuz Baydar
The Peri Tower Hotel is the latest to throw in the towel.
“By the end of November, we will shut our doors to tourists,” said Nazif Demir, the manager of the hotel, which…
by Yavuz Baydar
'I feel like Diyarbakır does: dreary, angry, resentful. But still standing...'
This comes from a 'local rapporteur' from the southeastern corner of Turkey; devastated, battered - both morally and physically.
I will explain.
These are…