Image: Turkish and U.S. soldiers conduct a joint patrol outside Manbij, 1 November 2018. Public domain.
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Aykan Erdemir covers Turkey, Syria, and the Kurds. Erdogan’s invasion of northern Syria was a great move to consolidate his power: it divided the fragile opposition bloc, but also silenced the opposition, especially the media and social media; this was due not only to the rally-round-the-flag of a cross-border operation, but to the brutality of his round-ups. In the domestic sphere, Erdogan is stronger than ever.
For Putin, this has been quite a week: he’s had so many wins. Syrian proxy forces minimize Erdogan’s casualties; they used to be called The Free Syrian Army, now The Syrian National Army – funded and backed by Erdogan, composed of jihadists and soft Islamists. Much documentation of torture, and execution of non-combattants.
Dr. Aykan Erdemir, senior Fellow at FDD, is a former member of the Turkish Parliament (2011 to 2015) who served in the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, EU Harmonization Committee, and the Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee on the IT Sector and the Internet. As an outspoken defender of pluralism, minority rights, and religious freedoms in the Middle East, Aykan has been at the forefront of the struggle against religious persecution, hate crimes, and hate speech in Turkey. He is a founding member of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief, and a drafter of and signatory to the Oslo Charter for Freedom of Religion or Belief (2014), as well as a signatory legislator to the London Declaration on Combatting Antisemitism.
