Turkey’s already illiberal democracy shows all the signs of slipping towards dictatorship. A civil war between its livid political factions could be next.
Tempers flare after the Ankara bomb attacks.
Reuters
The news that two British journalists and their unnamed Iraqi colleague were arrested and charged by the Turkish authorities [though released following publication of this article] for “engaging in terror…
Unrest has spread to Istanbul where the US consulate has been attacked.
The use of Incirlik airbase by Turkish warplanes launching attacks across the border and its re-opening to the US Airforce reflect the domestic and international goals of Turkey’s campaign.
FlickrUS Airforce
What prompted Turkey’s punishing campaign against both Islamic State and Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria? The explanation for this sharp reversal of policy may lie in calculations for fresh elections.
An anti-government protest underway in Istanbul.
EPA/Ulas Yunus Tosun
Whatever the pretext, Turkey’s latest push against the Kurds will do nobody any favours.
A victim, with a flag of the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations covering him, lies on the ground following an explosion in Turkey on July 20 2015.
Ozcan Soysal/REUTERS
A suicide bombing in Turkey last week has pulled Ankara closer to the US in the fight against ISIS. It has also raised concerns about Kurds who are also being targeted by Turkish bombing raids.
Turkish troops patrol the Syrian border as airstrikes begin.
EPA/Deniz Toprak
Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University