Tag: Turkey

R&D from Prepd: Erdogan’s Consolidation of Power in Turkey

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On August 4, 2016

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

This R&D provides resources on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s consolidation of power in Turkey after a failed coup several weeks ago.  Erdogan has blamed cleric Fethullah Gullen for masterminding the coup and has arrested or sacked military commanders, journalists, academics, and bureaucrats that do not have loyalty to his government.  Western nations are wary of Erdogan’s actions, warning him not to trample Turkey’s democratic system.

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Turkey’s War With the PKK

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On June 8, 2016

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

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For the last thirty-two years Turkey has been in conflict with Kurdish separatists.  These separatists, of which the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is most prominent, desire to create an autonomous Kurdish republic, arguing that Turkey represses Kurdish culture.  In fact, the Kurds are the world’s largest ethnic group that lacks a state, with peoples scattered across Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria.  Since 1984, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 20,000 soldiers and civilians and although some Turkish governments have attempted to solve the conflict, either to create more domestic stability or win favor with the European Union (EU), the conflict has resumed due to disputes over Turkey’s handling of the Islamic State and the Turkish government’s crackdown on Kurdish activists.  Human Rights Watch has criticized both sides for violating the rights of civilians and combatants, and ending the conflict is in the Turkish government’s best interest for the sake of its international reputation and economy.

This topic brief will provide some important vocabulary on the Turkish-PKK conflict, sources of tensions that exist between the two sides, and the implications of the conflict for Turkey domestically and internationally.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Note:  With the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament taking place next week, this will be the last topic brief for the 2015-2016 season.  Thank you for subscribing to Extemp Central’s premium content for this school year.

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R&D: Turkey’s War With the PKK

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On June 8, 2016

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on Turkey’s war with the PKK.

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R&D from Prepd: Turkey’s Campaign Against the PKK

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On December 29, 2015

In R&D

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

This R&D provides resources on Turkey’s campaign against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).  The PKK was formed in the late 1970s and been in intermittent conflict with the Turkish government for more than three decades.  The PKK is seeking an independent Kurdish state, something that Turkish policymakers fear as it could detach the southeastern part the country (which neighbors territory occupied by Kurds in Iraq).  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently renewed Turkey’s aggressive fight against the PKK, deeming the group as a terrorist organization, and fighting has occurred since August when two Turkish policemen were killed by the group.

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R&D: Turkey & ISIS

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On September 17, 2014

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Today’s R&D covers Turkey’s involvement in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  Turkey’s government announced last week that it will not allow the United States to use its air base at Incirlik to attack ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq.  Analysts believe that Turkey’s position is directed by a desire to protect forty-nine of its nationals that are hostages of the group as well.  Intelligence sources estimate that up to 1,000 Turks have joined ISIS’s military campaigns in Syria and Iraq.

 

 

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R&D from Prepd: Turkish Politics

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On January 16, 2014

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

This R&D provides resources on Turkey’s political situation.  Currently, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is bracing from a corruption scandal and is also taking on the Gulen Movement, a social and religious Islamic movement that is said to have a growing influence in Turkish politics.

 

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Topic Brief: Turkey Banning the AK Party

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On April 8, 2008

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

Overview

Seeking EU membership, Turkey has been trying to keep its politics on the up and up for quite a few years now.  As things start to smooth out on Cyprus and human rights abuses against the Kurds seem less common, it seemed that Turkey had achieved a level of stability that would hurry it ascension to the EU.  However, that momentum seems to be quashed as the high court is considering outlawing the AK party – the current ruling party of the nation.  Turkey has multiple provisions that are intended to ensure that the government remains secular, and has banned parties with Islamist leanings before;, however, this would represent the first time that the president, PM and majority of parliament would all be a part of the banned party.  As such, the potential ruling of the court will not only immediately threaten the stability of Turkey, but also may hamper the long-term ambitions of the nation’s leaders.

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