Women protest in Istanbul against attacks on Kurds. Avni Kantan/Demotix. All rights reserved.
The news coming out of Turkey at present is hardly cause for optimism. The political arena is paralysed with the failure of coalition talks in the wake of the inconclusive election of 7 June. Society is increasingly polarised and incidents of vigilante violence appear to be escalating. The military conflict against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in abeyance for several years, has reignited, and there is confusion over Turkey’s role in the international fight against ISIS. This spiral of unfortunate circumstances has prompted some to query whether Turkey is heading towards civil war.
In times of trouble, Turkey has a tendency to circle the wagons. An old adage runs that a Turk has no friends other than his fellow Turks: Türk’ün Türk’ten başka dostu yoktur. Prominent columnist Mustafa Akyol recalls the education system in earlier decades teaching students that Turkey is surrounded by seas on three sides and by enemies on four.
