Selim Koru
@selimkoru.bsky.social
Scholar of political ideas, Nietzsche, Turkey.
Affiliations:
@NottsPolitics, @TEPAV
Tweets in English & Turkish.
Words: @nytimes, @WarOnTheRocks, etc.
Substack: https://kulturkampftr.substack.com/
Affiliations:
@NottsPolitics, @TEPAV
Tweets in English & Turkish.
Words: @nytimes, @WarOnTheRocks, etc.
Substack: https://kulturkampftr.substack.com/
Reposted by Selim Koru
All of this gets vastly worse politically if you remember all that holds Turkey's tfr at these levels is a vastly higher birthrate in Kurdish south east
Funny bcs i remember all Euro hysteria of being replaced by Turks
Funny bcs i remember all Euro hysteria of being replaced by Turks
November 27, 2025 at 3:01 PM
All of this gets vastly worse politically if you remember all that holds Turkey's tfr at these levels is a vastly higher birthrate in Kurdish south east
Funny bcs i remember all Euro hysteria of being replaced by Turks
Funny bcs i remember all Euro hysteria of being replaced by Turks
Reposted by Selim Koru
Great piece, as usual
November 27, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Great piece, as usual
Reposted by Selim Koru
I wrote about writing about Turkey
What we talk about when we talk about Turkey
How English-language commentary shifted from 'Is Erdoğan democratic?' to 'Is Erdoğan necessary?'
kulturkampftr.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:54 PM
I wrote about writing about Turkey
Reposted by Selim Koru
I wrote about demographics
The Demographic Argument Erdoğan Won't Make
On demographic decline, Muslim Zion, and the dangers of policy by stealth
kulturkampftr.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:19 PM
I wrote about demographics
Reposted by Selim Koru
MPR News photojournalist Kerem Yücel was hit by less-lethal munition during the operation in St. Paul today. Other photojournalists were hit as well.
More on what unfolded at the chaotic scene: www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
More on what unfolded at the chaotic scene: www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
November 25, 2025 at 11:29 PM
MPR News photojournalist Kerem Yücel was hit by less-lethal munition during the operation in St. Paul today. Other photojournalists were hit as well.
More on what unfolded at the chaotic scene: www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
More on what unfolded at the chaotic scene: www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
I wrote about demographics
The Demographic Argument Erdoğan Won't Make
On demographic decline, Muslim Zion, and the dangers of policy by stealth
kulturkampftr.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:19 PM
I wrote about demographics
I wrote about writing about Turkey
What we talk about when we talk about Turkey
How English-language commentary shifted from 'Is Erdoğan democratic?' to 'Is Erdoğan necessary?'
kulturkampftr.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:54 PM
I wrote about writing about Turkey
Reposted by Selim Koru
New interview! @selimkoru.bsky.social discusses Erdoğan's New Turkey, the far-right influences and goals of him and his party in the domestic and foreign policy domains, and #illiberalism.
@ieres-gwu.bsky.social
@ieres-gwu.bsky.social
Selim Koru on Erdoğan Turkey, its Domestic and Foreign Policy Orientations, and Illiberalism illiberalism.org |
Selim Koru discusses Erdoğan's New Turkey, the far-right influences and goals of him and his party in the domestic and foreign policy domains, and illiberalism.
www.illiberalism.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:56 PM
New interview! @selimkoru.bsky.social discusses Erdoğan's New Turkey, the far-right influences and goals of him and his party in the domestic and foreign policy domains, and #illiberalism.
@ieres-gwu.bsky.social
@ieres-gwu.bsky.social
Reposted by Selim Koru
This week in the newsletter, I speak to @selimkoru.bsky.social to make sense of Turkey's foreign policy. It's complicated! And interesting
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
Making Sense of Turkish Foreign Policy
#100: With Selim Koru
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:29 PM
This week in the newsletter, I speak to @selimkoru.bsky.social to make sense of Turkey's foreign policy. It's complicated! And interesting
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
Can't wrap my head around that one
TİP MP says a total of 4836 workers have died at work, in Turkey, during the current labour minister's tenure.
That's almost 5000 since May 2023 elections. That's a massacre
That's almost 5000 since May 2023 elections. That's a massacre
◼️ Sera Kadıgil’den Bakan Vedat Işıkhan’a: "Bu ülkede sadece 9 ayda 1.300 kişi öldü. Her gün 6 işçi ölüyor. Ölümlerin haber değeri bile kalmadı. 3 yılda 4 bin 836 insan siz Bakanken öldü. Bunun tamamından siz ve sizi atayan Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan sorumlusunuz."
kisadalga.net/haber/gundem...
kisadalga.net/haber/gundem...
November 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Can't wrap my head around that one
Nobody cares about just being mayor.
From Istanbul to New York: How Erdoğan Defeated His 'Mamdani'
Nobody cares if you're mayor in the first city
kulturkampftr.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Nobody cares about just being mayor.
Fun podcast this week: @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social and I talked to @hannahluci.bsky.social about Istanbul!
We talked about waterfront privatization, cafes, and how the city has changed in the last two decades.
We talked about waterfront privatization, cafes, and how the city has changed in the last two decades.
Talking Istanbul with Hannah Lucinda Smith
And politics in the 2000s and 2010s
kulturkampftr.substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Fun podcast this week: @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social and I talked to @hannahluci.bsky.social about Istanbul!
We talked about waterfront privatization, cafes, and how the city has changed in the last two decades.
We talked about waterfront privatization, cafes, and how the city has changed in the last two decades.
Reposted by Selim Koru
Had a really fun time talking about Istanbul (in Istanbul) with @hannahluci.bsky.social and @selimkoru.bsky.social
kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/talking-is...
kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/talking-is...
Talking Istanbul with Hannah Lucinda Smith
And politics in the 2000s and 2010s
kulturkampftr.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Had a really fun time talking about Istanbul (in Istanbul) with @hannahluci.bsky.social and @selimkoru.bsky.social
kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/talking-is...
kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/talking-is...
This is good
“[Arab states] are now less concerned about confronting Iran—and less convinced that the road to Washington leads through Tel Aviv… nobody in the Middle East wants Israeli leadership, and all states now increasingly fear its unchecked might.”
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/israel-cant-...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/israel-cant-...
Israel can't bomb its way to hegemony
My new article for Foreign Affairs (no paywall) argues that Israel's belief that its unchecked air campaign bombing Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran with impunity can be the path to regional hegemony is...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io
November 2, 2025 at 6:16 AM
This is good
The post everyone's been waiting for: why did I name my blog Kültürkampf?
Is Culture War Real?
In Turkey and the broader West
kulturkampftr.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 11:18 AM
The post everyone's been waiting for: why did I name my blog Kültürkampf?
how dare you @humeyrapamuk.bsky.social
Rare moment of journalist solidarity as major news outlets, including WaPo, NYT, CNN, Newsmax, The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Reuters and the Guardian, along with the trade publications Task & Purpose and Breaking Defense, all reject new Pentagon reporting rules (no word from Fox yet)
News outlets broadly reject Pentagon rules before signing deadline
The Washington Post and other major news outlets have refused to sign the Defense Department’s restrictive new media policy, citing First Amendment concerns.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 13, 2025 at 10:24 PM
how dare you @humeyrapamuk.bsky.social
Reposted by Selim Koru
Visiting in 2023, I was shocked that expensive restaurants in Beirut & the Shouf were still full. The friend who took me to one figured the wealth was all remittances & currency speculation. To him, the rich will coast until the bottom finally drops out for them too, when those left will also leave.
“Two countries are living on top of each other, one buffered by generators, drivers and imported everything, the other left to negotiate survival in the margins. What’s most unsettling isn’t how shocking it feels, but how routine it is. Just like we speed through intersections without looking.”
Opinion | The Chaos of Driving in Lebanon Tells a Story of a Country Unraveled
www.nytimes.com
October 5, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Visiting in 2023, I was shocked that expensive restaurants in Beirut & the Shouf were still full. The friend who took me to one figured the wealth was all remittances & currency speculation. To him, the rich will coast until the bottom finally drops out for them too, when those left will also leave.
Reposted by Selim Koru
🎙️ Author @selimkoru.bsky.social joins @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social to discuss his book 'New Turkey and the Far Right' — a deep dive into #nationalism, #authoritarianism, and political transformation in Erdoğan’s #Turkey.
🔗 Listen here: newbooksnetwork.com/new-turkey-a...
#Turkiye #Politics #Erdogan
🔗 Listen here: newbooksnetwork.com/new-turkey-a...
#Turkiye #Politics #Erdogan
Selim Koru, "New Turkey and the Far Right: How Reactionary Nationalism Remade a Country" (I. B. Tauris, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
September 29, 2025 at 1:39 PM
🎙️ Author @selimkoru.bsky.social joins @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social to discuss his book 'New Turkey and the Far Right' — a deep dive into #nationalism, #authoritarianism, and political transformation in Erdoğan’s #Turkey.
🔗 Listen here: newbooksnetwork.com/new-turkey-a...
#Turkiye #Politics #Erdogan
🔗 Listen here: newbooksnetwork.com/new-turkey-a...
#Turkiye #Politics #Erdogan
Reposted by Selim Koru
"New Turkey and the Far Right: How Reactionary Nationalism Remade a Country" with @selimkoru.bsky.social and @reubensilverman.bsky.social. [2/5]
Selim Koru, "New Turkey and the Far Right: How Reactionary Nationalism Remade a Country" (I. B. Tauris, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
September 28, 2025 at 7:39 AM
"New Turkey and the Far Right: How Reactionary Nationalism Remade a Country" with @selimkoru.bsky.social and @reubensilverman.bsky.social. [2/5]
Reposted by Selim Koru
Benny Gantz conveniently confirming what critics of Israel have long argued - the problem isn't just Netanyahu
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
Opinion | What the World Gets Wrong About Israel
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Benny Gantz conveniently confirming what critics of Israel have long argued - the problem isn't just Netanyahu
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
I talked about my book on far-right Turkish politics with @reubensilverman.bsky.social! newbooksnetwork.com/new-turkey-a...
Selim Koru, "New Turkey and the Far Right: How Reactionary Nationalism Remade a Country" (I. B. Tauris, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
September 24, 2025 at 1:36 PM
I talked about my book on far-right Turkish politics with @reubensilverman.bsky.social! newbooksnetwork.com/new-turkey-a...
Reposted by Selim Koru
That tracks for me.
I thought it was either (a) wishful thinking of the Eurasianist sort or (b) a clumsy attempt to show that Turkey has "options" in advance of the Erdoğan/Trump meeting.
Possibly both.
I thought it was either (a) wishful thinking of the Eurasianist sort or (b) a clumsy attempt to show that Turkey has "options" in advance of the Erdoğan/Trump meeting.
Possibly both.
An interesting paper by Barçın Yinanç, which analyses Bahçeli's call for a Turkey-China-Russia alliance from the perspective of Turkish-Chinese relations. She concludes that this proposal is not credible given Ankara's lack of engagement with Beijing.
t24.com.tr/yazarlar/bar...
t24.com.tr/yazarlar/bar...
Çin’de otel odamın kapısına polis dayanınca "TRÇ" diyeymişim
Geçen hafta davetli olarak gittiğim Çin’de, üçüncü günümde tam yatmaya hazırlanırken polis kapıma dayandı. Daha MHP lideri Devlet Bahçeli Türkiye-Rusya-Çin ittifakını önermemişti. Yoksa “Durun biz dos...
t24.com.tr
September 23, 2025 at 10:49 AM
That tracks for me.
I thought it was either (a) wishful thinking of the Eurasianist sort or (b) a clumsy attempt to show that Turkey has "options" in advance of the Erdoğan/Trump meeting.
Possibly both.
I thought it was either (a) wishful thinking of the Eurasianist sort or (b) a clumsy attempt to show that Turkey has "options" in advance of the Erdoğan/Trump meeting.
Possibly both.
Reposted by Selim Koru
September 20, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Selim Koru
Interesting citation of "Ottoman constitutionalism" fitting into Turkey's modern republican tradition. But I do wonder if behind it lies some legacy of what Anthony Kaldellis called "The Byzantine republic".
If regicide is the foundation of republicanism, Turkey's republic should be solid.
The Roots of Turkish Republicanism
A new book argues that Turkey’s republican culture goes deeper than we thought
kulturkampftr.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Interesting citation of "Ottoman constitutionalism" fitting into Turkey's modern republican tradition. But I do wonder if behind it lies some legacy of what Anthony Kaldellis called "The Byzantine republic".
Reposted by Selim Koru
My latest from @foreignpolicy.com
"Just recently, Turkey stood out for its repeated assaults on international norms. Now, those norms have been shattered by a host of bigger and more aggressive actors, and Turkey looks almost calm in comparison.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/17/t...
"Just recently, Turkey stood out for its repeated assaults on international norms. Now, those norms have been shattered by a host of bigger and more aggressive actors, and Turkey looks almost calm in comparison.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/17/t...
Erdogan’s Irredentism Just Can’t Keep Up
As international norms crumble, Turkey’s revisionist policies appear less provocative in comparison.
foreignpolicy.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:40 PM
My latest from @foreignpolicy.com
"Just recently, Turkey stood out for its repeated assaults on international norms. Now, those norms have been shattered by a host of bigger and more aggressive actors, and Turkey looks almost calm in comparison.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/17/t...
"Just recently, Turkey stood out for its repeated assaults on international norms. Now, those norms have been shattered by a host of bigger and more aggressive actors, and Turkey looks almost calm in comparison.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/17/t...