The Baines Report
This month marks the seven-year anniversary of the Syrian Civil War. The country, an arena of catastrophic destruction since March 2011, has witnessed a reign of terror from ISIS, proxy wars between major powers, and an incomprehensibly large-scale humanitarian crisis. Last fall, the international community celebrated the liberation of Raqqa, the self-designated capitol of the […]
Last week we discussed how Turkey’s unique style of democracy came into existence. In the second part of this series, we will explore the underlying problems and repercussions of the recent referendum vote where 58 percent of voters supported a referendum that limits the political power of the military and places the judiciary square in […]
The Turkish electorate just resoundingly passed a referendum with 58 percent of the vote that could very well end Turkey’s definition of democracy. Turkish democracy is not like other versions of democracy; well, maybe not until now. This week we will discuss how Turkey’s unique style of democracy came into existence. Next week, we will […]
In 1974, Cyprus was split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. Turkey invaded Cyprus after supporters of unification with Greece organized a coup. Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983, but are only recognized by Turkey, which maintains 35,000 troops there. For the first time in a generation there […]