CATS Network Roundup

Welcome to the CATS Network Roundup of news, developments and assessments on relevant issues of Turkish domestic and foreign policy. 

If you would like to receive the CATS Network Roundup by email before it is published on our website a few days later, please subscribe at cats@swp-berlin.org. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments.
 

September 2024

Authors: Yaşar Aydın, Lisa Schwitalla

In this issue we look at the plans of BYD, the world's largest electric carmanufacturer, to build a new plant in Turkey. What does this mean for EU-Turkey relations, the single market and for China's role as a car exporter?

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July 2024

Authors: Yevgeniya Gaber, Salih Bıçakcı

In this issue we take an in-depth look at Turkey’s role within NATO, ahead of the July 9–11 summit marking the Alliance’s 75th anniversary. We analyse Turkey’s crucial role in the regional security landscape, focussing on the Black Sea region and the regional alliances, Ankara’s careful balancing between NATO and Russia, and the transformation of the security landscape since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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June 2024

Authors: Sinem Adar, Hürcan Aslı Aksoy

In this issue, we take stock of Turkey after the municipal elections, examining the fragmentation of power - but also the potential for the AKP and CHP parties to reconcile their domestic and foreign policy objectives. We look at the impact of the elections on President Erdoğan's aim to consolidate power, the future of the rule of law in Turkey and the government's push for a new constitution. We also look ahead to this week's European election, and question its implications for EU-Turkey relations. 

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Roundup Local Elections 2024

27 March 2024

Authors: Jannes Tessmann, Yaşar Aydın, Maximiliane Schneider 

In this issue, we take stock of Turkey after the municipal elections, examining the fragmentation of power - but also the potential for the AKP and CHP parties to reconcile their domestic and foreign policy objectives. We look at the impact of the elections on President Erdoğan's aim to consolidate power, the future of the rule of law in Turkey and the government's push for a new constitution. We also look ahead to this week's European election, and question its implications for EU-Turkey relations. 

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14 March 2024

Authors: Bekir Ağırdır, Jens Bastian, Maximiliane Schneider

In our third issue on the local elections, we look at Turkey’s polarised political spectrum, the emergence of new political actors, the government’s efforts to form a right-wing coalition under Erdoğan’s leadership, and the implications for the ruling elites. We also shed light on the New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah Partisi, YRP), which is capitalising on dissatisfaction with the performance of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and is presenting itself as a conservative alternative. 

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22 February 2024

Authors: Hürcan Aslı Aksoy, Yaşar Aydın

Alliances and frictions are at the centre of this roundup, not only within the ruling coalition and among the opposition, but also with regard to the positioning of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), the successor of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

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01 February 2024

Authors: Sinem Adar, Hürcan Aslı Aksoy

Our first issue on the local elections asks: What is at stake in the local elections? We also shed light on some of the main parameters of the race. These include AKP’s candidate selection in Istanbul and Ankara, the economy and the impact of the 2023 February earthquakes on voters in 2024.

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Roundup General Election 2023

09 June 2023

Authors: Edgar Şar, Yaşar Aydın, Cetin Demirci

In our seventh and final issue on the general election, we examine the consequences for Turkey’s opposition after its recent election defeat, the overwhelming support for President Erdoğan among Turkish voters in Germany, and look ahead to future EU-Turkey relations.

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25 May 2023

Authors: Sinem Adar, Emre Erdoğan, Hürcan Asli Aksoy

In our sixth issue, we assess the results of the elections on May 14, look at the polls to explain the rise of Sinan Oğan, and learn which campaign strategies worked and which did not, and why.

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11 May 2023

Authors: Çetin Demirci, Günter Seufert, Maximiliane Schneider

In our fifth issue, the last before the elections, we assess the role of identity politics for the two main political alliances, look at the polls to predict the chances of success for the main presidential candidates, and learn about the concerns and expectations of the more than five million young people who will be eligible to vote for the first time.

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27 April 2023

Authors: Salim Çevik, Günter Seufert, Bettina Emir

In our fourth issue, we turn our attention to a new law that poses a number of challenges to the security and integrity of Turkey’s elections. In addition, we explore the role of identity and political issues in voter outreach, and look at the role of refugee policy in the election campaigns.

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13 April 2023

Authors: Zeynep Alemdar, Hürcan Aslı Aksoy, Edgar Şar

In our third issue, we shed light on why Erdoğan's move to ally his bloc with the Kurdish-Islamist Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) comes as no surprise to women's rights defenders in Turkey. In addition, we take a look at the final lists of parliamentary candidates and the crucial role the Kurds will play in the upcoming elections.

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30 March 2023

Authors: Edgar Şar, Hürcan Aslı Aksoy, Salim Çevik

In our second issue, we look at the parties' use of electoral lists and how presidential candidates are seeking to expand their alliances, while we also learn which groups of voters the government is having difficulties with.

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16 March 2023

Authors: Günter Seufert, Sinem Adar, Jens Bastian

Our first issue on the local elections asks: What is at stake in the local elections? We also shed light on some of the main parameters of the race. These include AKP’s candidate selection in Istanbul and Ankara, the economy and the impact of the 2023 February earthquakes on voters in 2024.

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