September 1, 2015
See Edward Van Herik's article, featured in Georgia State University Magazine, regarding his experience during the Turkey Study Abroad.
August 13, 2015
See Edward Van Herik's article, featured in Muftah.org, regarding his research that developed out of our study abroad.
August 10, 2015
See Ameer Muhammad's article, featured in Muftah.org, regarding his research that developed out of our study abroad.
July 31, 2015
See Gulcan Saglam's article, featured in Muftah.org, regarding her research that developed out of our study abroad.
July 4, 2015
See Nusaiba Mubarak and Monique Tibbs' article, featured in Muftah.org, regarding their research that developed out of our study abroad experience.
July 2, 2015
See Eric Joseph Van Holm's article, featured in Muftah.org, regarding his research that developed out of our study abroad.
June 4, 2015
The air in Turkey is charged with music blasting from political vans as they drive through the streets in anticipation of the 2015 elections that will be held this June. The streets are littered with flags representing the spectrum of Turkish political parties running for seats, and newspapers are filled with stories on supposed corruptive tactics of various political parties.
The Syrian Crisis an...
May 29, 2015
For the past ten years, one of the central features in Turkey’s foreign policy is the “zero problems with neighbors” approach. The no problems with neighbors policy was established for the purpose of promoting stability and providing an environment for a more prosperous Turkey. In the past, Ankara stood on the side lines when it came to its neighbor’s domestic affairs and instead, focused on nurtu...
May 26, 2015
As a part of a new liberalization policy, Turkey is introducing think tanks: independent groups that study and make assessments on various aspects of Turkish society and state policies. The think tanks we visited come from different ideologies and look at the crisis from different points of view, offering fresh perspectives on how best to handle the Syrian refugee crisis.
ORSAM, the Center for Mid...
POLITICS OF MUSLIM CIVIL SOCIETY
LIVE BLOG FROM TURKEY
Dr. Volkan Topalli discusses the regional and geopolitical importance of Turkey, especially in relation to the Syrian refugee crisis, as well as the opportunities available for GSU students in cultivating partnerships with Turkish universities and liaisons.
Sonia Kikeri interviews Ambassador Ford about the geopolitical situation in Syria and its neighbors, specifically in relation to the United States' efforts to form a cohesive policy in regards to the Syrian boarder, militia groups, and the Assad regime.
Sonia Kikeri interviews Dr. Recep Sentürk, the Director of the Alliance of Civilizations Institute hosted at Fatih Sultan Mehmet University in Istanbul, Turkey. His thesis on an open civilization society provokes questions and dialogue of how to address the management and promotion of diversity and coexistence in today's world.
Turkey and the Syrian Crisis
Situated at the literal and figural crossroads of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, Turkey has emerged as one of the world’s most important geo-political actors. Its role has become even more indispensable in light of the Syrian crisis and the failed Arab spring. This student-generated website provides information and analysis about civil society solutions to the Syrian crisis in Turkey through the following lenses:
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Turkish Geopolitics: Turkey has led the way in absorbing Syrian refugee inflows and has spent an estimated $5.5 billion on humanitarian aid. This policy has been as admirable as it has been controversial and is seen as largely unsustainable. Explore this site to hear from practitioners, experts, and scholars on the role of Turkish leadership in the ever changing dynamics of the region.
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Muslim Civil Society: Faith based organizations that operate in Turkish secular and civil society contexts have been a powerful force in Turkey’s domestic and international political landscape. Making up a diverse spectrum of religious orientations and organizational structures, they have been the country’s first responders to the Syrian refugee crisis. This site offers primary source information on these often overlooked groups.
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Syrian Refugee Crisis: Declared as “the worst humanitarian crisis of our era” by the head of UNHCR, the Syrian humanitarian fallout far exceeds the capacity of development of relief agencies to provide help to the limitless suffering faced by the victims of war. Syrian civil society organizations are filling the vacuum through their work inside Syria and throughout the diaspora. Explore this site to learn more about the breadth and depth of some of these Syrian civil society groups.
Ameer Muhammad and Sonia Kikeri interviews composer Malek Jandali regarding the Syrian refugee crisis, specifically in relation to Syrian activists in diaspora, the lack of attention paid to the Syrian children displaced by the war, and the social and transcendent power of art and music.