Atlas Think Club

06/21/2026

Great Ambition, Great Disappointment

Turkey's O***m: Football Great Ambition, Great Disappointment Football is an integral part of daily life in many societies around the world. In Turkey, however, this passion takes on an altogether different dimension — particularly at the international level. As the heir to a collapsed empire, Turks experience football as a visible expression of a deep historical inferiority complex vis-à-vis the West....

Turkey’s O***m: Football Great Ambition, Great Disappointment Football is an integral part of daily life in many societies around the world. In Turkey, however, this passion takes on an altogether different dimension — particularly at the international level. As the heir to a collapsed empire, T...

06/16/2026

The Waning Crescent? The Transformation, Not the End, of Political Islam

Faisal Devji’s Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam offers a useful starting point for understanding the current crisis of political Islam. Devji’s central argument is that political Islam should be treated not simply as a timeless expression of religion in politics, but as one of the great ideological projects of the modern age. Like Communism, Baathism, Pan-Arabism, or anti-colonial nationalism, political Islam emerged from a particular historical moment....

Faisal Devji’s Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam offers a useful starting point for understanding the current crisis of political Islam. Devji’s central argument is that political Islam should be treated not simply as a timeless expression of religion in politics, but as one of ...

05/27/2026

What Does Central Europe’s Post-Orban Russia Policy Look Like?

A version of this blog appeared on Carnegie Endowment On May 9, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss energy cooperation and the war in Ukraine. The meeting highlights a broader trend in Central and Eastern Europe: Even after Viktor Orban’s fall from power in Hungary, several regional leaders continue to engage with Russia in search of economic and political advantages....

A version of this blog appeared on Carnegie Endowment On May 9, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss energy cooperation and the war in Ukraine. The meeting highlights a broader trend in Central and Eastern Europe: Even after Viktor Orban’s fal...

05/25/2026

The First Phase of Erdogan’s Plan to Neutralize the Main Opposition Is Complete

Turkey’s path to the dictatorship The first phase of Erdoğan’s plan to neutralize the main opposition party — carried out in cooperation with former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu — has been completed. The crisis escalated when figures close to Kılıçdaroğlu, along with individuals linked to organized crime, made their way to CHP headquarters. It intensified further after Kılıçdaroğlu submitted a petition to the Ankara Police Department demanding that the building be handed over to him....

Turkey’s path to the dictatorship The first phase of Erdoğan’s plan to neutralize the main opposition party — carried out in cooperation with former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu — has been completed. The crisis escalated when figures close to Kılıçdaroğlu, along with individuals li...

05/22/2026

The ‘Absolute Nullity’ Coup Against CHP

By moving to effectively install a court-appointed administration over CHP, Erdoğan's regime has taken a step that pushes Turkey closer to a Russian-style one-man rule, away from the competitive authoritarian system it had been. As the economy deteriorates and CHP gains ground, Erdoğan aims with this move to split CHP, inflame Alevi-Sunni tensions within the party, and — ahead of an increasingly likely early election — cement his power against a divided and weakened opposition....

By moving to effectively install a court-appointed administration over CHP, Erdoğan’s regime has taken a step that pushes Turkey closer to a Russian-style one-man rule, away from the competitive authoritarian system it had been. As the economy deteriorates and CHP gains ground, Erdoğan aims with...

05/19/2026

Can Europe defend itself with Turkish help?

For all the efforts of European leaders to paper over frictions with Donald Trump, there has been no shortage of transatlantic drama over the past couple of weeks. At the start of May, the Pentagon announced that the US would be pulling out 5,000 troops from Germany. The news came after Trump lashed out at Germany’s Prime Minister Friedrich Merz for “doing a terrible job” on issues such as immigration and energy. ...

05/11/2026

The Implications of Withdrawing US Troops from Abroad

As of early 2026, the U.S. had almost 170,000 active-duty troops stationed abroad in approximately 750 military bases located in some 178 different countries. Germany has long been one of the countries with the largest number of U.S. troops, more than 36,000 at last count. Currently, Japan with more than 54,000 houses the most, followed by South Korea with 23,000, Italy with 12,000, and the United Kingdom (U.K.) with 10,000....

As of early 2026, the U.S. had almost 170,000 active-duty troops stationed abroad in approximately 750 military bases located in some 178 different countries. Germany has long been one of the countries with the largest number of U.S. troops, more than 36,000 at last count. Currently, Japan with more...

05/04/2026

Islam in Four Dimensions: Horizon, Identity, Lifeworld, and Discourse

The role of Islam in social and political life is often reduced to single-dimensional explanations—either as a doctrine, a set of rituals, or a political ideology (Islamism). Such simplifications obscure the richness, diversity, and internal complexity of Islamic life. A more useful way to understand Islam, especially for students of religion, sociology, anthropology, and political science, is to treat it not as a fixed essence but as a multilayered phenomenon operating at different conceptual levels, with different functions that meet society's needs....

The role of Islam in social and political life is often reduced to single-dimensional explanations—either as a doctrine, a set of rituals, or a political ideology (Islamism). Such simplifications obscure the richness, diversity, and internal complexity of Islamic life. A more useful way to underst...

05/04/2026

The End Of April – “Process Frozen, Economy Cracking: Turkey at a Crossroads”

Weekly Turkey Report: The End Of April – “Process Frozen, Economy Cracking: Turkey at a Crossroads” Executive Summary: PKK commander Murat Karayılan issued a lengthy statement highlighting the absence of legal steps on key issues including Öcalan's situation, democratisation and disarmament. Key points: The absence of meetings with Öcalan is "not normal." The process is currently "frozen." The government has taken no legal practical steps....

Weekly Turkey Report: The End Of April – “Process Frozen, Economy Cracking: Turkey at a Crossroads” Executive Summary: PKK commander Murat Karayılan issued a lengthy statement highlighting the absence of legal steps on key issues including Öcalan’s situation, democratisation and disarmamen...

04/27/2026

NATO in Question

Is NATO on the way out? The Trump administration seems to think so but is not shedding a tear all the same. A leaked Pentagon email argues for punishing US’ European allies for not supporting the war against Iran. UK, long the poster child of Atlanticism, is in the crosshairs too. The memo toys with the idea of the US changing position on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. ...

Is NATO on the way out? The Trump administration seems to think so but is not shedding a tear all the same. A leaked Pentagon email argues for punishing US’ European allies for not supporting the war against Iran. UK, long the poster child of Atlanticism, is in the crosshairs too. The memo toys [....