Tũrkish Pulse

by Martin Aslan From a formal point of view, Türkiye is a democratic country. But in reality it is gradually moving away from its democratic principles and adopting an authoritarian rationale. The new referendum that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is calling for puts Türkiye on this path. A democracy can give rise to an authoritarian regime Democracy is a political system in which power is held and controlled by the people. Democracy is usually representative. The majority of votes cast in elections gives power to representatives. Major decisions can be put to the people through a referendum. This was the case on 16 April 2017 in Türkiye to validate the new constitution of 1982. The constitution is the founding text of the functioning of the State. This functioning, while it is in conformity with the constitution, can however lead to an authoritarian organisation by presenting the population with a fait accompli. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's strategy, since he came to power, has put Türkiye in thi...

by Martin Aslan Mafia clans involved in numerous traffics Turkiye has a unique position, being located between Asia and Europe. It is in fact on a logistic corridor, on which legal but also illegal commercial transit occurs. What used to be smuggling before the 1970s has evolved into the arms trade, drug trafficking and human trafficking. Implemented on the basis of a tribal, clan or even family organization, such a system can be considered mafia-like. These groups originate from Turkish, Kurdish, Greek, and Armenian communities, but they still act based on the principle of mutual respect. In the 1980s, mafia activities took on another dimension. Indeed, given the nature and character of the trafficking, one can be certain that the administration is corrupt and political personalities are involved. Heterogeneous mafia groups The origins of Turkish mafia groups are disparate. There are Kurdish clans sometimes close to the PKK and Turkish clans, some of which are close to the Grey Wolves...