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This article employs interviews and primary and secondary sources to examine the discrimination, securitization, and instrumentalization faced by four main Christian denominations throughout Turkish history: the Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and Protestant communities. We shed light on how some religious minority groups have been utilized and represented within the framework of Turkish diplomacy and the pursuit of neo-Ottomanism. We contend that the blanket term 'Christian' is less applicable in Turkey's context, where religion becomes intricately intertwined with ethnicity. Thus, it becomes imperative to investigate each non-Muslim community independently, considering their unique trajectories, historical traumas, internal divisions, and relationships with the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authoritarian leaders try to create an environment conducive to the maintenance of their own ontological security. In this study, we advance a theory of tripartite securitization marked by critical junctures that shed light on how authoritarian actors establish a sense of security for themselves when they govern. Using elite interviews with actors from Turkey's different political parties, we argue that the three major steps towards authoritarianism in Turkey involved restructuring core institutions and 'cleansing' them of the perceived hostile elements; doubling down on securitising existing internal and external 'enemy' identities; and securitising rivals that cannot be co-opted in the political process. This tripartite securitization starts with what we call 'desecuritisation of the self' in cases where the party in power itself was once the target of securitising acts. We trace how tripartite securitisation has unfolded in Turkey under the AK Party government, and we identify three critical junctures associated with this securitisation process: The Ergenekon and Balyoz Trials, the KCK Trials and the 2016 Failed Coup Attempt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is a burgeoning literature on religion and peace, it has been challenging to address the role of religion(s) and religious actors in the public sphere with care, sensitivity, and intellectual rigor at the same time. This essay argues that Daniel Philpott is one of the few scholars who has overcome this challenge. The essay reviews his contributions to the religion and politics literature through three lenses: (1) Religious Epistemologies of Peace, (2) Religion, Empathy, and Communication, and (3) Recognition of the Diversity of Voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious Pluralism, Globalization and World Politics Edited by Thomans Banchof Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008, 348 pp., ISBN 9780795323412. As the link between religion and international affairs has come under [...]

Alevis of Turkey and Alawites of Syria have different origins, traditions and political experience. After the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, Turkish government took a clear stand by supporting the Sunni rebels fighting the Syrian state forces. This enthusiastic support for the Sunni segments was accompanied with condemnations against Syrian Alawites and discrimination against the Alawite refugees. The civil war in Syria and the Turkish government's response to it brought Alevis of Turkey and Alawites of Syria closer and created a solidarity based on close religious beliefs. Alevi community in Turkey provided assistance to the Alawite refugees from Syria and Alevi leaders started to create a narrative focusing on identity similarities between and common threats against the Alevis and Alawite communities. Using interviews and public statements, this article shows how the securitization of identities and discrimination can result in new units of advocacy and belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]