Turkish voters get the message

April 3, 2014 Mohammed Abbasi

Turkish local elections on March 30, as was expected by knowledgeable objective observers, resulted in sweeping victories for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul and many areas of the country. The AKP held the Ankara mayoralty and even had a surprise win in Antalya. The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) saw its provincial hold weaken from 29 to 22, while the AKP increased itsnationwide vote percentage by nearly seven percentage points, to 46%, over the 2009 local elections. What do the results mean?The essential lesson that Turkish elites and international observers must take from these results, and with alacrity, … Continue reading Turkish voters get the message

The return of Al-Qaeda

April 1, 2014April 1, 2014 Mohammed Abbasi

Back in 2011 many thought Al-Qaeda was finished. Battered by America’s ferocious response to 9/11 and relentlessly targeted by drones, the organisation was gasping for breath. The death of Bin Laden, it seemed, delivered the final blow.And yet today Al-Qaeda is resurgent.The relative weakness of the Al-Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan is deceptive. The organisation’s strength now lies at the periphery. Today the Al-Nusra front controls huge tracts of Syrian territory. And there are signs that the jihadis there have learnt an important lesson: if they want the consent of the people, it’s best not to murder too many … Continue reading The return of Al-Qaeda

Levels of outrage

March 4, 2014 Mohammed Abbasi

Owen Bennett-Jones I was asked the other day why the people of Pakistan were not more outraged by the beheading of the 23 Frontier Constabulary men in Mohmand. Good question. The person asking had her own explanation. The people of Pakistan, she argued, despair of American imperialism and the violent conduct Pakistan’s own army. Through bitter experience they have come to see that the methods used by the US and the Pakistani military will never produce long-term solutions. The deaths of … Continue reading Levels of outrage