Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 3h

One of the big stories underway in Turkey is the process by which the ruling party is pulling in opposition leaders at both the municipal level and, more importantly, in parliament

It has both symbolic importance and direct political implications, moving TR towards a consolidated autocracy

dokuz8HABER @dokuz8haber.bsky.social · 3h

🔴 7 belediye başkanı AKP'ye katıldı: Rozetlerini Erdoğan taktı
www.dokuz8haber.net/7-belediye-b...

7 belediye başkanı AKP'ye katıldı: Rozetlerini Erdoğan taktı

Ardahan, Gümüşhane, Muş, Bingöl ve Giresun'dan 7 belediye başkanı AKP'ye katıldı. Erdoğan, Milletvekilleri Buluşması programında partiye katılan belediye başkanlarına rozetlerini taktı.

www.dokuz8haber.net

1 7 14

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 12m

Useful article on elections in Northern Cyprus and the question of Cyprus' future.

"[The island appears destined to remain divided, while the north is pulled deeper into Ankara’s geopolitical agenda."

foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/08/e...

Turkish Cypriots Go to the Polls. Will It Matter?

What a potentially unfair election in a definitely unrecognized country means for the Middle East and Europe.

foreignpolicy.com

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 1h

Tomorrow, on Fox:

"Panic in Portland over Furry Menace"

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2h

#WarRavagedPortland

8

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Jonathan Spicer @jonathanspicer.bsky.social · 2h

Turkey's gas shift threatens Russia and Iran's last big European market www.reuters.com/business/ene...

www.reuters.com

1 1

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Sam Heller | سام هيلر @abujamajem.com · 2h

In valedictory @financialtimes.com interview, outgoing UN envoy Pedersen very critical on state of Syrian transition and Shara's management of process: www.ft.com/content/0af9...

Syria on ‘knife-edge’ in wake of sectarian clashes, warns UN envoy

Slow place of reform adds to pressure on Ahmed al-Sharaa’s fragile new government

www.ft.com

3 3

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 3h

One of the big stories underway in Turkey is the process by which the ruling party is pulling in opposition leaders at both the municipal level and, more importantly, in parliament

It has both symbolic importance and direct political implications, moving TR towards a consolidated autocracy

dokuz8HABER @dokuz8haber.bsky.social · 3h

🔴 7 belediye başkanı AKP'ye katıldı: Rozetlerini Erdoğan taktı
www.dokuz8haber.net/7-belediye-b...

7 belediye başkanı AKP'ye katıldı: Rozetlerini Erdoğan taktı

Ardahan, Gümüşhane, Muş, Bingöl ve Giresun'dan 7 belediye başkanı AKP'ye katıldı. Erdoğan, Milletvekilleri Buluşması programında partiye katılan belediye başkanlarına rozetlerini taktı.

www.dokuz8haber.net

1 7 14

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Turkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 7h

Does the tail wag the dog? Also, who's the dog?

@zaurshiriyev.bsky.social outlined Baku-Ankara ties – and much more – as Azerbaijan and Armenia work towards a peace deal.

Also covered: transit corridors, regional implications and the Organization of Turkic States.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxNK...

3 1

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 3h

Really enjoyed reading Bilge Yabanci's book on civil society & autocratisation.

The book starts with these words: "Real dialogue isn’t about talking to people who believe the same things as you.’
from Zygmunt Bauman.

edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-civil-s...

Civil Society and Autocratisation

edinburghuniversitypress.com

1 1 3

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Clément Plaisant @cplaisant.bsky.social · 4h

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said state lender Halkbank’s legal case in the US is due to be resolved following recent talks with President Donald Trump, prompting bank shares to rise"
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

1

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Yavuz Baydar @yavuzbaydar.bsky.social · 6h

Selim Temurci ve İsa Mesih Şahin. Üçüncü isim henüz bilinmiyor.
Sözcü’nün aktardığı söylenti doğru ise, Cumhur İttifakı -- cumhurbaşkanı için iki kez sınırını kaldıracak -- anayasa değişikliği için gerekli olan 400 MV sayısına (DEM de dahil) hemen hemen ulaşmış durumda.

Editör Masası @editormasasi.bsky.social · 6h

İddia: CHP listesinden seçilip partilerinden istifa eden 3 milletvekili daha AKP'ye katılıyor. (Sözcü)

1

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 15h

Turkey and Israel are talking themselves into a conflict that is mostly avoidable and mostly not in either's interest.

I am thankful that the Trump Administration (yes, I am really saying this) has so far seemed willing and able to tamp down on these tensions.

Clément Plaisant @cplaisant.bsky.social · 16h

"Turkey is the armed and powerful version of Qatar," a senior Israeli security source told Al-Monitor. "Whereas Qatar is boosting its influence through money, 🇹🇷 is now expanding its clout throughout the Middle East through its military power, as well as through the creativity of Erdogan and Fidan"

Al-Monitor @al-monitor.bsky.social · 23h

NEW: Israel adapts, Turkey rises, Iran ruined: How 2 years of Gaza war reshaped Middle East
www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

1 4

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Clément Plaisant @cplaisant.bsky.social · 15h

Kurdish leaders have expressed anger following the Turkish government's refusal to release Selahattin Demirtaş. However, this does not mark the end of the peace process, as the Kurds are not in a position to halt such an initiative. On the other hand, it clearly shows that the solution process +

1 2 5

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Yücel Yanıkdağ @yanikdag.bsky.social · 16h

I wrote what became the first chapter of this great volume. It comes out in November.

Dr Aimée Fox @draefox.bsky.social · 20h

We are thrilled with the collection & are incredibly grateful to our contributors for their fantastic chapters, including @sdanisimova.bsky.social @vandawilcox.bsky.social @lmhalewood.bsky.social @yanikdag.bsky.social & more!

Check out the contents & praise 👇
kansaspress.ku.edu/978070064056....

Framing the First World War

This innovative approach to the history of World War I looks at ways in which military actors saw and perceived war, and how that exerted a significant influ...

kansaspress.ku.edu

1 6

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 16h

I see Turkey is now at phase three of the Kübler-Ross stages of grief.

Jonathan Spicer @jonathanspicer.bsky.social · 17h

Turkey floated $100 million Halkbank settlement idea at White House last month, sources say - www.reuters.com/world/turkey...

www.reuters.com

2

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Dana El Kurd @danaelkurd.bsky.social · 17h

Grieving for all the lives taken. I dont know what we look like as a society when this is over

5 63 350

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

06jank.bsky.social @06jank.bsky.social · 18h

1 2 19

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 18h

“How does one mourn and commemorate an atrocity against your people in the midst of an atrocity done to another people in your name?”

I feel this very keenly today.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 1d

The Zionist consensus among US Jews has collapsed. Something new is emerging | Shaul Magid

Two years after the 7 October massacre and the onset of Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, American Jewry has been profoundly transformed

www.theguardian.com

2 11 71

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 18h

"We find ourselves at a moment where the compatibility of “liberalism” and “Zionism” feels increasingly untenable... The permanent occupation, to say nothing of the destruction of Gaza, has undermined any plausible claim to Israel as a “liberal” country." www.theguardian.com/world/commen...

The Zionist consensus among US Jews has collapsed. Something new is emerging | Shaul Magid

Two years after the 7 October massacre and the onset of Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, American Jewry has been profoundly transformed

www.theguardian.com

1 9 31

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 20h

11.🧵While the world’s attention is focused on Gaza, extremist Israeli settlers are, with their government’s complicity, violently annexing the West Bank. Nicolas Cortes tells the story of four villages in the South Hebron Hills for @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/reportage/wh...

While the World Watches Gaza, the West Bank Burns

Since Oct. 7, Jewish settlers have been waging a bloody, unchecked war of displacement, beatings and killings against defenseless Palestinian villagers

newlinesmag.com

1 1 1

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 20h

7.🧵Since Oct. 7, 2023, hundreds of Israeli citizens — Jews as well as Palestinians — have been fired, threatened or harassed in an official campaign to throttle antiwar dissent, writes @lisang.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social.

newlinesmag.com/spotlight/is...

Israel’s Freedom of Expression Falls Victim to the War in Gaza

Since Oct. 7, hundreds of citizens — most Palestinian but many Jewish as well — have been fired, threatened or harassed in an official campaign to throttle antiwar dissent

newlinesmag.com

1 2

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 20h

But they are certainly trotted out often enough...

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 20h

I'm not sure what the basis is for this sort of article.

What's the evidence that, long term, Turkey sees itself as a partner to the United States in Africa?

This strikes me as Turkish marketing, and nothing more.

Clément Plaisant @cplaisant.bsky.social · 20h

"Another area where US officials should follow Trump’s lead and explore cooperating with Turkey is Africa [...] With China and Russia jockeying to fill the resulting void, Turkey is a potential alternative for the United States to support"
nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-...

Can Turkey Help the US in Africa?

Turkey maintains an outsized footprint in Africa, and, in certain respects, its interests align with those of the United States.

nationalinterest.org

3 3

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Clément Plaisant @cplaisant.bsky.social · 21h

"One Qatari source confirmed that Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Air Force commander General Ziya Cemal Kadioglu were in Doha on Tuesday to discuss the potential procurement of the jets"
www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-...

Turkey eyes second-hand Eurofighter jets from Qatar

Sources say Ankara close to securing a deal as Turkey’s defence minister visits Doha

www.middleeasteye.net

1 1 1

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 1d

George Carlin, eat your heart out.

The federal government's list of words to be scrubbed is more than seven, and it is growing fast.

pen.org/banned-words...

Federal Government's Growing Banned Words List Is Chilling Act of Censorship

Banned words list 2025: The federal government is banning a growing number of words to comply with executive orders from President Trump.

pen.org

6 43 51

Reposted by Howard Eissenstat

Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.bsky.social · 1d

And here we go. I never wrote this article, and yet it is cited here.

www.liberalbriefs.com/geopolitics/...

And of course, it sounds so plausible, I seriously checked whether I had forgotten it, or the footnote was slightly wrong.

#AIisnotresearch

43 340 940