William Armstrong

I enjoyed this conversation with Kenan Orhan about his novel "The Renovation", which I also enjoyed. We discuss the book's themes of migration, family heritage, memory, nostalgia and Turkey's accelerating political descent. 👇👇

New episode 📚📚 Kenan Orhan on his Booker Prize longlisted “The Renovation” (Penguin) The novel tells the story of a Turkish woman in Italy, who discovers one day that her bathroom has been re-modelled as a cell in Istanbul’s notorious Silivri Prison. 🎧👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/10/27/k...

Detailed FT report on rise in deadly strikes on commercial ships in Black Sea by both Ukraine and Russia. Turkish crew members have been killed and volume of shipping through Bosphorus has sharply declined, but Ankara has been very cautious in responding so far. www.ft.com/content/8c87...

From the archive 📚📚 Ralph Hubbell on translating the great Turkish fiction writer Oğuz Atay's 1975 short story collection “Waiting for the Fear” (@nyrb-imprints.bsky.social) 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2024/12/03/r...

"Nefise Kahraman on bringing overlooked Turkish classics to new readers" via @turkeybooktalk.bsky.social.

Huge blow to Turkish opposition medias: Turkish police raids Halk TV -channel, prosecutors appoint government trustee to run pro-opposition channel. Only a handful of medias left to criticize the government. (Why do I still get shocked, although expected?!) -- Reuters www.reuters.com/business/med...

I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Nefise Kahraman on the short stories of late Turkish author and diplomat Memduh Sevket Esendal (1883-1952) We also discuss trends in publishing, reading habits and the task of bringing lesser known Ottoman and Turkish literary gems to English readers. 👇👇

New episode 📚📚 Nefise Kahraman on bringing lesser known Ottoman and Turkish literary gems to English readers. The conversation also discusses Translation Attached's (@tra-attached.bsky.social) new volume of Memduh Sevket Esendal's short stories. 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/10/13/n...

I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Nefise Kahraman on the short stories of late Turkish author and diplomat Memduh Sevket Esendal (1883-1952) We also discuss trends in publishing, reading habits and the task of bringing lesser known Ottoman and Turkish literary gems to English readers. 👇👇

Soon it will be commonly understood that opposition politicians winning elections spend their next years in jail - it will be seen as a faintly absurd stunt to even try, like heroic investigative journalism

For the first time in a century, every great power is autocratic or heading that way. In a post-unipolar world, strongmen shop for patrons and make deals while democrats increasingly are on the defensive. @senemaydndzgit.bsky.social, @berkesen.bsky.social, and Sebnem Gumuscu muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Enjoyed this rich conversation with Dimitar Bechev on his new book. It weighs up whether Turkey can be viewed alongside China and Russia as a direct competitor/threat to the EU. Listen below 🎧👇

Turkey has ordered X to block the account of the Freedom of Expression Foundation, which documents what sites have been censored

Enjoyed this rich conversation with Dimitar Bechev on his new book. It weighs up whether Turkey can be viewed alongside China and Russia as a direct competitor/threat to the EU. Listen below 🎧👇

New episode 💯💯 Dimitar Bechev (@dimitarbechev.bsky.social) on “The Scramble for Europe: Russia, China, and Turkey Challenging Regional Order” (Oxford University Press) 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/09/29/d...

How Turkey’s vague obscenity law is becoming a tool to criminalize LGBTI+ visibility 🗞️ İrfan Kovankaya bianet.org/haber/how-tu...

I really enjoyed speaking with William Armstrong from Turkey Book Talk about Turkey and the Liberal International Order. Many thanks for such a thoughtful and engaging conversation!

Latest episode 📢📢 Marc Sinan Winrow (@marcsinanwinrow.bsky.social) on his book “Turkey and the Liberal International Order: Hegemony, Contestation and the Politics of Articulation Since 1919” (Edinburgh University Press) 👇🎧 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/09/15/m...

Turkish police detained dozens of pro-LGBT protesters tonight in central Ankara. At least 200 people were taken into custody in recent days across Turkey, where a new wave of state pressure is targeting LGBT civil society groups, activists and the media that cover them.

BBC Monitoring's Global Jigsaw episode from a couple of years ago on Turkey's anti-LGBTQ crackdown. Traces links between sentiment in Turkey and right-wing culture warriors in the West. Dozens of activists recently detained, groups shuttered as crackdown escalates. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjI1...

In Turkey, opposition mayors, journalists, students and even comedians are increasingly finding themselves in court. My new doc investigates the crackdown, looks at how Turkey’s justice system evolved under Erdogan, & explores what space is left for free speech: www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...

Splendid episode with Benjamin Fortna on his new book on Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. He talks about the challenge of trying to fit so much history into just over 200 pages, appealing to a popular readership, and recurring themes that emerge over centuries. 👇👇

Latest episode 📚📚 Benjamin Fortna on change and continuity in Ottoman and Turkish history. The conversation is based on his new book "The Shortest History of Turkey: From the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic” (Old Street Publishing) Listen below 👇🎧 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/09/01/b...

Splendid episode with Benjamin Fortna on his new book on Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. He talks about the challenge of trying to fit so much history into just over 200 pages, appealing to a popular readership, and recurring themes that emerge over centuries. 👇👇

New episode ✨✨ Işılay Gürsu on the Turkish public's view of the country’s archaeological heritage, treasure hunts at historic sites, and efforts to repatriate ancient artefacts. Listen below 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/08/18/i...

Turkey's Justice Ministry has launched an AI project to automatically match suspects to the correct terrorist group.

🎙️ Below, you can listen to the episode featuring my book on the environmental history of Ottoman Izmir. Thanks to @turkeybooktalk.bsky.social for this conversation

New episode 📚📚 Onur İnal (@onurinal.bsky.social) on the rise of late Ottoman İzmir. The conversation discusses his book “Gateway to the Mediterranean: An Environmental History of Late Ottoman Izmir” (Cambridge University Press) 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/08/04/o...

In addition to the obvious political implications, I wrote for @bloomberg.com last year about how these ongoing arrests and detentions are affecting issues critical to the city's future: bloomberg.com/news/feature...

A plurality of Istanbul's district mayors are now in prison, along with the city's metropolitan mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been behind bars since last March. Image source: fatihaltayli.com.tr/yazarlar/fat...

Enjoyed the @turkeybooktalk.bsky.social conversation on Turkish foreign policy and how it interacts with domestic politics. 👇

Enjoyed this conversation with @sinemadar.bsky.social on how Turkey's foreign policy trajectory is helping to reinforce Erdogan's domestic political crackdown. 🎧👇

Thanks for the kind invitation, @williamarmstrong.bsky.social.

Fresh new episode 🎧🎧 Sinem Adar (@sinemadar.bsky.social) returns to the podcast. The conversation takes stock of Turkey’s geopolitical clout and its domestic political crackdown after the recent NATO summit in Ankara. 👇👇 turkeybooktalk.com/2026/07/21/s...

Enjoyed this conversation with @sinemadar.bsky.social on how Turkey's foreign policy trajectory is helping to reinforce Erdogan's domestic political crackdown. 🎧👇

The ousted CHP leader Özgür Özel has now publicly announced his farewell to CHP and intention to form a new opposition party -- a long-awaited move by his supporters (BBC Türkçe) www.bbc.com/turkce/artic...

Since 2016, Turkish public sector jobs grew from 3.56 to 5.37M. Using these stats, @liselhintz.bsky.social and @hakkitas.bsky.social write: "Power consolidation is achieved" by restructuring jobs so that "a larger share of the population holds a direct material stake in the survival" of the regime.

Interesting poll from @istanpol.bsky.social finds broad general support for Turkey's Nato membership. Research conducted 22-29 June, ahead of the recent Nato summit in Ankara. istanpol.org/post-nato-ya...