William Armstrong

Nora Fisher Onar on Turkish political history beyond binaries Turkey Book Talk #256 – Nora Fisher Onar, Associate Professor and Chair of Global Studies at University of San Francisco, on “Contesting Pluralism(s): Islamism, Liberalism, and Nationalism in…

New episode 📢📢

Nora Fisher Onar on “Contesting Pluralism: Islamism, Liberalism and Nationalism in Turkey and Beyond” (Cambridge University Press)

The book challenges the idea that Turkish political history is driven by binary divides between opposing forces.

👇👇

turkeybooktalk.com/2025/10/28/n...

Sean Mathews on Greece’s regional comeback amid rivalry with Turkey Turkey Book Talk #255 – Sean Mathews, Athens-based journalist at Middle East Eye, on “The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East” (Hurst). The book examines Greece’s c…

Good conversation about Greece and where it stands on @turkeybooktalk.bsky.social. Is Greece part of Middle East? (Yes, I dare to say, but it's also Balkans, and Europe)

Turkey Book Talk: Sean Mathews on Greece’s regional comeback amid rivalry with Turkey
turkeybooktalk.com/2025/10/14/s...

“İngiliz casusu” İmamoğlu’ndan İngiliz Başbakan'ın Ankara ziyaretine İngiltere Başbakanı Keir Starmer Ankara’da olacak. Cumhurbaşkanı Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’la iş birliği imkanlarını konuşurken, tarihinin en zorlu baskıcı döneminden geçen ideolojik yoldaşı CHP’yi görmezd...

UK PM Starmer visits Ankara today, with Turkey’s purchase of Eurofighter jets expected to be confirmed.

Several pundits see the visit as a sign the UK/Europe are focusing overwhelmingly on defence ties with Ankara, overlooking a growing crackdown on Turkey’s opposition.

t24.com.tr/yazarlar/bar...

This hypothesis is all the more plausible given that, a few hours before the verdict, a new investigation (for espionage) was launched against the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu.

BBC World Service - The Global Jigsaw, Culture wars: Turkey’s anti-LGBT drive What’s behind the evolution of the Turkish president's anti-LGBT narrative?

This episode last year tries to explain some of the deeper history and international political dynamics underlying this latest push

👇🎧

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

Report on the steady ramping up of anti-LGBTQ measures in Turkey

👇👇

Amy Marie Spangler on Leyla Erbil’s dark vision of Istanbul’s history Turkey Book Talk #252 – Amy Marie Spangler on the late great author Leyla Erbil’s What Remains. Amy co-translated the novel, along with Alev Ersan and Mark David Wyers, for an edition t…

Leyla Erbil's great novel "What Remains" appeared in English translation this month, published by Deep Vellum.

Amy Marie Spangler discussed the book, which sweeps the reader from the Byzantine Empire to 20th century Turkey, in our recent episode.

Listen 👇👇

turkeybooktalk.com/2025/09/02/a...

Seçim sonuçları Ankara’nın işine gelir, artık Rumlar düşünsün AK Parti liderliği KKTC seçim sonuçlarını vakit geçirmeden kabul etti, zira gelmekte olanın geldiğini çok önceden görmüştü. Sanki seçimlere kendisi müdahale etmemiş gibi Kıbrıs Türk halkının tebrik ed...

Interesting article. Paradoxically, Tufan Erhürman's victory in the presidential election in Northern Cyprus against the candidate supported by the AKP could benefit Ankara, which has not abandoned the negotiating table and intends to improve its relations with Europe.
t24.com.tr/yazarlar/bar...

Big win for opposition candidate Tufan Erhurman in today's TRNC presidential election.

Fiona Mullen on the Cyprus question amid mounting geopolitical uncertainty Turkey Book Talk #243 – Fiona Mullen, director of the Nicosia-based Sapienta Economics consultancy, on uncertainty around the future of the decades-long Cyprus divide amid mounting geopolitic…

This recent Turkey Book Talk (@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social) episode with Fiona Mullen (@fionamullency.social) also detailed some of the deeper history and outlined the current fragile situation on the island

🎧👇

turkeybooktalk.com/2025/04/29/f...

Turkish Cypriots Go to the Polls. Will It Matter? What a potentially unfair election in a definitely unrecognized country means for the Middle East and Europe.

Turkey has big interest in Sunday's presidential election in the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Ankara has in recent years called for a formal divide in Cyprus, abandoning reunification efforts.

This article gives a good summary of the stakes 👇

foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/08/e...

Crackdown or capital grab? Turkey state fund controls 1,000 businesses Anti-corruption drive transfers hundreds of companies to a deposit guarantee fund in the past year

In the space of a year, the Turkish government, via the TMSF, has confiscated more than 400 businesses, including recently around 100 linked to Can Holding. The aim? To finance the AKP's patronage networks in anticipation of the next presidential elections.
www.ft.com/content/5c13...

Enjoyed this conversation and learnt a lot from this book

👇👇

Enjoyed this conversation and learnt a lot from this book

👇👇

Sean Mathews on Greece’s regional comeback amid rivalry with Turkey Turkey Book Talk #255 – Sean Mathews, Athens-based journalist at Middle East Eye, on “The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East” (Hurst). The book examines Greece’s c…

New episode 🚨🚨

Sean Mathews on “The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East” (@hurstpublishers.bsky.social)

The book explores Athens' role as a regional player and its ties with Turkey amid mounting geopolitical uncertainty

🎧👇

turkeybooktalk.com/2025/10/14/s...

U.S.-Turkish Relations Have Gotten Duller, Not Better Erdogan’s visit to Washington showed that the United States and Turkey just don’t need each other as much as they used to.

My latest piece for @foreignpolicy.com

Erdogan’s visit to Washington showed that the United States and Turkey just don’t need each other as much as they used to.

foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/30/t...

Perin Gurel on the history of comparing Turkey and Iran in the West Turkey Book Talk #254 – Perin Gurel of the University of Notre Dame on “Türkiye, Iran, and the Politics of Comparison: America’s Wife, America’s Concubine” (Cambridge University P…

New episode 💯💯

Perin Gurel on “Türkiye, Iran, and the Politics of Comparison: America’s Wife, America’s Concubine” (@universitypress.cambridge.org)

The book explores the political and cultural history of Turkey–Iran comparisons from the Cold War era to today

👇👇

turkeybooktalk.com/2025/09/30/p...

Looking fwd to reading this new book on Turkey, Iran and the US. As always, thank you @turkeybooktalk.bsky.social for keeping us all updated!

A great article by Amberin Zaman detailing the main issues surrounding the KAAN project, Turkey's fifth-generation fighter jet. In summary: Ankara could complete the project if it reaches an agreement with Washington that includes the purchase of F110 engines and F16 aircraft.

Erdogan’s Irredentism Just Can’t Keep Up As international norms crumble, Turkey’s revisionist policies appear less provocative in comparison.

My latest from @foreignpolicy.com

"Just recently, Turkey stood out for its repeated assaults on international norms. Now, those norms have been shattered by a host of bigger and more aggressive actors, and Turkey looks almost calm in comparison.

foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/17/t...

Gokhan Bacik on Turkey’s citizenship-selling programme Turkey Book Talk #253 – Gokhan Bacik, professor in the department of politics and European studies at Palacky University, on his article “Selling Citizenship in Turkey: Political Parties, Pra…

New episode 🚨🚨

Gokhan Bacik on Turkey's citizenship-selling programme.

The conversation examines the government's Citizenship By Investment scheme, its economic and social consequences, and the way it has been discussed in the national political debate.

👇👇

turkeybooktalk.com/2025/09/16/g...

An image that speaks volumes about the political situation in Turkey: during the first hearing of the trial on allegations of ‘fake diplomas’, Mehmet Pehlivan, Ekrem İmamoğlu's lawyer, was forced to speak via videoconference, as he is currently in detention.

Some thoughts on the most recent assault on the CHP:

1) As the regime's loyalty test with the CHP fails to achieve the desired outcomes, the CHP leadership is exposed to accelerated and aggrevated forms of domination test.

Turkey's opposition MPs pile tables and chairs to block police besieging its headquarters in Istanbul www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Journos and CHP activists tweeting as they are detained by police this morning at the Istanbul CHP HQ

Chart from NetBlocks showing platform feature restrictions by ISP in Turkey on September 7, 2025. The data indicates widespread internet restrictions affecting platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram and TikTok. Access issues are observed across major ISPs such as Türk Telekom, TT Mobil, and Turkcell, with services showing varying levels of reachability, in some cases down to 0%. The disruptions coincide with main opposition party CHP calls for rallies after police blockade its Istanbul headquarters.

⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show online platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp have been restricted in #Turkey on multiple networks; the incident comes as main opposition party CHP calls for rallies after police blockade its Istanbul headquarters

Snapshot of narrow interests terrorising popular will with the support of the iron fist.

Amy Marie Spangler on Leyla Erbil’s dark vision of Istanbul’s history Turkey Book Talk #252 – Amy Marie Spangler on the late great author Leyla Erbil’s What Remains. Amy co-translated the novel, along with Alev Ersan and Mark David Wyers, for an edition t…

New episode 📢📢

Amy Marie Spangler on the late, great author Leyla Erbil's novel "What Remains", published soon by @deepvellum.bsky.social

The book is a sophisticated, dark vision of Istanbul's history, sweeping from the Byzantine era to 20th century Turkey

🎧👇

turkeybooktalk.com/2025/09/02/a...

Very much enjoyed this book and this conversation, I definitely recommend both 👇👇

Very much enjoyed this book and this conversation, I definitely recommend both 👇👇