A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Suruç and the Turkish Political Stalemate

The Suruç bombing in Turkey, which killed 31 has exacerbated the uncertainties about the country's political future, since there is still no coalition in sight and the possibility of new elections remains an option. The opposition to the AKP is already blaming that party's alleged tolerant attitudes toward the Islamic State for the Suruç bombing, and clashes between police and pro-Kurdish demonstrators in Istanbul after Suruç are a reminder that the fighting between Kurdish factions in Iraq and Syria against ISIS can have repercussions inside Turkey. With no clear coalition in sight weeks after the June 7, the Turkish government's freedom of action is also limited. Turkey's rather ambivalent attitude toward the Islamic State may be coming home to roost.

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