Türkiye in Focus

Weekly newsletter by TRT World Research Centre

Catch Up with This Week’s Highlights;

President Erdoğan traveled to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Meanwhile, a new Turkish #MeToo wave shaking the arts and celebrity world was another issue drawing public attention. In this week’s newsletter, we spoke with defense researcher and journalist Muhammed Ünalmış (@Muhammedunalmis) about Türkiye’s newly unveiled defence technologies. Here are some highlights from this week’s Türkiye in Focus:

President Erdoğan Attends Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit

“For the past century, Türkiye has positioned itself as part of the Western world, while simultaneously cultivating an identity as a bridge between continents. In recent years, however, this policy has evolved into a more proactive and multidirectional foreign policy. Türkiye has expanded its engagement with the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and even Latin America, steadily establishing itself as a regional and global player. Its participation in the SCO as a dialogue partner is emblematic of this broadened diplomatic vision.”

Interview with Muhammed Ünalmış on Türkiye’s Newly Introduced Weapon Technologies

“Taken together, these systems demonstrate that only a very limited number of states are capable of producing such advanced ballistic, hypersonic, and long-range air-to-air missiles. Moreover, these weapons are not traded on open markets, even to states that can afford them, as they are strategic assets with the potential to alter the outcome of wars. In this regard, Türkiye’s announcement of its development and possession of such capabilities signifies a new positioning as a central actor within both regional and global power dynamics.”

New Turkish MeToo Wave Shakes the Arts and Celebrity Community

“Given that speaking out is not easy, especially in societies where victims, often women, still face victim-blaming, public disclosures went beyond being mere personal testimonies and challenged the power of the accused who rely on silence. However, it is also important to remember that such disclosures exist outside of formal judicial processes. “
 

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Ömer Sevim
Ömer Sevim
Ömer Sevim is a Researcher at TRT World Research Centre. After graduating from Boğaziçi University Department of Sociology, he completed his master's degree in Critical Theory and Cultural Studies at the University of Nottingham. His areas of interest can be listed as media discourse analysis, neoliberalism, immigration and European studies.

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