EGF Turkey File, 16 September — 30 September 2012

Insights into Turkish Domestic and international Politics

16 September — 30 September 2012

by John VanPool, EGF Turkey and Black Sea Regional Analyst

Key Points:

• Prime Minister Erdogan leads the AKP party Congress, appearing to position himself for a presidential run in 2014.
• Syria's civil war is causing violence to flare between the PKK and Turkish security forces (TSK). The porous nature of the Syrian-Turkish border is causing further domestic tensions, as the country's population remains ambivalent about intervention.
• The Sledgehammer coup case concludes with a conviction and the TSK in its barracks.
• Turkey's domestic energy needs hit citizens' wallets as the government cuts subsidies and attempts to increase imports from Iraqi Kurdistan.
• Turkey's economic success is built on risky factors according to some investors, despite its 8 percent growth.