Burcu Özçelik is a teaching associate in Conflict, Peacebuilding and the Politics of the Middle East at Cambridge University’s Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS). Burcu’s research engages with the contemporary politics of the Middle East, with particular reference to transnational Kurdish politics, Syria, Iraq and Turkey’s national and foreign policy. Thematic interests involve human rights discourse, self-determination claims, and the politics of recognition and identity. She is currently working on her book Kurds Across Borders: Turkey, Syria and Iraq. She has a PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Cambridge.
Recent efforts to rehabilitate al-Assad will set a damaging precedent for accountability, just as the international community has expressed the need to hold Russia to account for similar human rights violations in Ukraine.
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party successfully convinced a cross-section of voters that it was the only party able to maintain domestic security.
Turkey’s general elections show the HDP successfully broadened its voter base, but it is unclear how this will affect negotiations to form a parliamentary coalition.
Although real progress is being made on Kurdish peace in Turkey, the PKK is not likely to disarm anytime soon.
