Tag Archives: Turkey

Murders in Paris

Posted on January 20, 2013 by jonathanspyer

PJ Media, 16/1. Three female Kurdish activists were murdered in Paris earlier this month. The execution-style killings took place at a Kurdish information office on the quiet Rue Lafayette, near Paris’s Gare Du Nord. One of the three women, Sakine … Continue reading →

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A Nation Once Again?

Posted on December 28, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 28/12/12 In Syria, the Assad regime’s retreat back to Damascus and the Alawi heartlands in the west of the country has made possible the emergence of a Kurdish autonomous area in the country’s northeast. This area shares a … Continue reading →

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Erdogan’s Problems with the Neighbors

Posted on October 13, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 12/10. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayep Erdogan, in a speech this week said that Turkey was ‘not interested in war – but we’re not far from it either.’ This rather confused phrase perfectly sums up the dilemmas in … Continue reading →

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Turkish Difficulty – Kurdish Opportunity

Posted on September 15, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 14/9. The PKK increase attacks in south-east Turkey. Is this evidence of a grand bargain between the movement, Syria and Iran? A serious escalation is currently under way in the long conflict between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) … Continue reading →

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Turks Fear ‘Kurdish Spring’

Posted on August 15, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Turkish forces have launched a major offensive in recent days against positions held by the PKK rebel movement in the area of the Turkish-Iraqi border. Up to 2,000 troops are taking part in the operation, according to Turkish media sources. … Continue reading →

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Civil war begins in Syria; Turkey’s stance will prove crucial

Posted on November 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

A civil war is now under way in Syria. It is a contest in which the two sides are vastly mis-matched. Without increased international pressure and possible intervention, the blood-letting looks set to continue for a long time ahead. The … Continue reading →

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Storm clouds over the eastern Mediterranean

Posted on October 3, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post 28/09/2011 Early this week, the US-based Noble Energy Company began exploratory drilling for offshore gas deposits off the coast of Cyprus. They did so with the agreement of the Nicosia authorities, in an area indisputably located within Cypriot … Continue reading →

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The Forgotten Minority

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 09/07/2010 On March 21, 2010, the Syrian security forces opened fire with live ammunition on a crowd of 5,000 in the northern Syrian town of al-Raqqah. The crowd had gathered to celebrate the Kurdish festival of Nowruz. Three … Continue reading →

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Analysis: Turkey’s shift toward Iran, Syria is no short-term Blip

Posted on March 23, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 19/02/2009 Last weekend, a conference held under the title “Gaza the victory” took place at hotel near Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. The conference brought 200 Sunni clerics and activists together with senior, Damascus-based Hamas officials. Closed meetings held after … Continue reading →

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Fire from the Mountain

Posted on March 15, 2011 by jonathanspyer

23/10/2010 In the badlands between the borders of Iraq, Turkey and Iran, a small band of Kurdish separatists continue to wage their war. Our PKK contact and driver arrived at the appointed time outside the hotel in Erbil. We had … Continue reading →

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