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The article discusses the use of Islamic religious ideas by Turkish politicians in relation to military operations against the militant group Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Topics include the relation between nationalism and religion in the rhetoric of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the relation of religion to Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), and a military campaign by Turkey against Kurdish militias in Syria.

The article reports on political developments within Turkey. Some observers wonder if Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, is so disgusted by the efforts of some European Union (EU) countries such as France and Austria to erect new hurdles to Turkey's membership that he is giving up on Europe. Disillusion with the EU may also explain his government's flirtation with Iran, Syria and Hamas. Turkey faces a threat to its tourism industry as separatist rebels have vowed to target tourist areas.

The article considers what the French and Dutch rejections of the European Union (EU) constitution may imply for Turkey's hopes of joining. The constitution makes no reference to Turkey's membership. In France, voters have been promised the chance to stop Turkey from joining in a separate referendum on further enlargement, when the time comes. Last December's decision by EU leaders to promise Turkey the start of membership talks on October 3rd was a political one that can be changed only by consensus of all 25 EU members. Some optimists even venture to suggest that the defeat of the constitution could pave the way for a looser EU, into which it would be easier for Turkey to fit. Yet the reality is more worrisome for Turkey. There are, indeed, disturbing signs that the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, may be pandering to a recent upsurge in nationalism that is being fanned both by anti-Turkish sentiment in Europe and by the country's hawkish generals, whose power may be eroded by EU reforms.

The article looks at relations between Turkey and Cyprus as of April 23, 2005. After leading the Turkish Cypriots for over three decades, Rauf Denktash, the mulish president of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, is at last stepping down in favour of his determinedly pro-European rival, Mehmet Ali Talat. Mr Talat easily won the presidential election on April 17th, on a platform of reuniting the divided island and joining the European Union. The departure of Mr Denktash is being hailed by pro-peace Turks and Greeks as a step towards ending Cyprus's 30-year-old division. But can Mr Talat, an engineer who once made a living from repairing fridges, make a difference? Despite welcoming noises from Ankara, Brussels and Nicosia, few observers think he will do so quickly. With a spasm of nationalist violence erupting across Anatolia (aimed in some cases against Kurds), and with polls showing falling support among Turks for EU membership, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's words have raised new questions about his commitment to joining the EU. The government agreed last year to formalise relations with all ten of the EU's new members, including Cyprus, as a condition for its own entry talks to begin on October 3rd. An intra-EU legal wrangle has delayed implementation of the deal, preventing the long-promised easing of trade and air-travel restrictions on the Turkish Cypriots, and adding to frustration among Turkey's leaders.

Reports on the social, political and economic conditions in Turkey as of mid-2000, and the influence of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on the country. Ataturk's actions after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire; Constitutional dedication to the nationalism of Ataturk; Need for change in Turkey.

The article discusses politics and government in Turkey. The suggestion by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that two statues in the city of Kars created as a monument to reconciliation between Turks and Armenians be destroyed is examined. Although Erdogan said he objected to the statues on aesthetic grounds, the possibility that he was appealing to nationalist sentiments prior to elections to be held in June, 2011 is considered.

The article reports on the activities of the an underground nationalist terror organization in Turkey dedicated to overthrowing the government of the Islamist Justice and Development Party. In July 2008 a significant number of members of the group were charged with crimes including murder and other acts of political violence.

The article focuses on Turkey and the European Union (EU). When EU leaders agreed in December 2004 to open membership talks with Turkey, the country's future looked better than it had for decades. Three months on, the reformist zeal of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the mildly Islamist prime minister, seems to have diminished--and there are troubling signs of anti-westernism in some Turkish quarters. EU diplomats are now saying that Turkey must get moving if entry talks are to start, as promised, in October. Before the talks can begin, Turkey must formalise relations with all ten countries that joined the EU last May--including the Greek-Cypriot government, which is not recognised in Ankara. A sense of drift in Ankara has deepened with the defection of eight government deputies, including the liberal culture minister, Erkan Mumcu. The prime minister may be trying to assuage hardliners who resent his failure to make the changes they seek most. Or, more worryingly, Erdogan may be influenced by a resurgence of Turkish nationalism, which has surfaced in various ways. In the past few days, however, there have been some signs of the government shaking off its inertia.