20 Years After Mölln and Solingen – Hate Crimes and their Impact on German-Turkish Relations Today
IPC-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative convened a panel discussion titled “ 20 Years After Mölln and Solingen – Hate Crimes and their Impact on German-Turkish Relations Today” with Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow Cem Özdemir and IPC Director Fuat Keyman on February 7, 2013 at IPC.
The Earth is Sounding the Alarm: Why Doesn't Anyone Listen? Strategies to Raise Awareness of Climate Change in Turkey
IPC-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative convened a meeting with 2012/13 Mercator-IPC Fellow Ömer Madra. Ömer Madra, chair of the workshop, gave a keynote speech titled “The Earth is Sounding the Alarm: Why Doesn’t Anyone Listen? Strategies to Raise Awareness of Climate Change in Turkey” on , January 29, 2013 at IPC.
Croatian and Turkish EU-Accession in Perspective
Istanbul Policy Center (IPC), the European Stability Initiative, and ERSTE Stiftung organized a film screening Twilight of Heroes – Croatia, Europe and the International Tribunal and subsequent panel discussion entitled "Croatian and Turkish EU-Accession in Perspective" on December 13, 2012.
The Trump Presidency and the Rise of Populism in the Global Context
İstanbul Politikalar Merkezi convened a panel titled "The Trump Presidency and the Rise of Populism in the Global Context" on December 6, 2012.
Contemporary Turkish Studies at a Glance – Topics, Institutions and Future Perspectives
IPC, Istanbul Bilgi University EU Institute, Network Turkey, Netherlands Institute for Higher Education,The Institute of Turkish Studies at Georgetown University, British Institute at Ankara and French Institute for Anatolian Studies co-organized “Contemporary Turkish Studies at a Glance – Topics, Institutions and Future Perspectives” at Istanbul Bilgi University on October 13-14, 2012. share icon share facebook icon twitter icon
Welcoming Event for the 2012/13 Mercator – IPC Fellows
On September 25, 2012 the welcoming event for the first Mercator-IPC Fellows took place in Istanbul. The event opened with the warm welcoming remarks of Nihat Berker, President of Sabanci University, Bernhard Lorentz, President of Stifung Mercator, and Fuat Keyman, IPC Director. Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow Cem Özdemir, Co-Chairman of the German green party “Alliance 90/The Greens”, gave a keynote speech entitled “Europe at the Crossroads: Why Turkey Matters”. Subsequently, the 2012/13 Mercator – IPC Fellows were introduced through short video clips. The ensuing panel discussion, entitled “A Silver Lining: German – Turkish Cooperation in Turbulent Times,” offered an intellectually stimulating debate between Kemal Dervis, Member of the IPC Executive Board and Vice President of the Brookings Institution, Ömer Madra, Mercator – IPC Senior Fellow and Co-Founder of Acik Radyo, Secil Pacaci Elitok, Mercator – IPC Fellow, and Ambassador Klaus Scharioth (ret.), Dean of the Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs and Member of the IPC’s International Advisory Council. The discussion was chaired by Ayse Kadioglu, Senior Scholar at IPC and Professor at Sabanci University.
Student Study Trips between IPC-Darmstadt Technical University on Regional Governance
Through the coordination of IPC Executive Board Member Korel Göymen, IPC hosted a group of post-graduate students from Darmstadt University, Germany on 9-13 September 2012. Together with their lecturer Prof. Hubert Heinelt , students attended seminars and had a chance to see historical places in Istanbul. Korel Göymen, Alpay Filiztekin, Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), and Burcu Özüpek Gülek, Istanbul Development Agency made presentations and led discussion around the theme of “Regional Development in Turkey.” Under the coordination of Korel Göymen, since 2008, study trips are organized among German and Turkish students for the bilateral cooperation program between Darmstadt and Sabancı Universities, each year on a different topic. Within this framework, a group of students from Sabancı University will be going to Darmstadt for a three day study trip on the topic “Regional Policy – Germany and Turkey in Comparison” in October 2012.
Hrant Dink Memorial Workshop: New Forms of Social Protest
IPC in collaboration with Hrant Dink Foundation hosted the “Hrant Dink Memorial Workshop: New Forms of Social Protest” at Cezayir Meeting Hall, on May 25-26, 2012. Senior Scholar Ayşe Kadıoğlu took the lead in co-organizing the event.
Varieties of Capitalism in Emerging Countries
On June 9-10, 2012 IPC co-organized with Sabancı University the workshop “Varieties of Capitalism in Emerging Countries” at its Karaköy Headquarters. Executive Board Member Kemal Derviş delivered the keynote speech in the event organized by Sabancı University Associate Professor Işık Özel.
The 8th Sakıp Sabancı Lecture
On May 2, 2012, Istanbul Policy Center and the Brookings Institution co-organized the Eighth Annual Sakıp Sabancı Lecture, which featured a keynote speech by Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Adviser to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and co-chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Advisory Board. Entitled “The West and Turkey: Their Role in Shaping Wider Global Architecture,” Brzezinski’s lecture delved into the recent developments in the region vis-à-vis the Arab Spring and its implications for Turkey and its Transatlantic relations. The Sabancı University students joined in the conference from Istanbul via video link. Moderated by Meltem Müftüler-Baç, IPC Senior Scholar and Sabancı University Professor, the thought-provoking questions by the students kindled a lively debate among participants in Washington and Istanbul.
Free Speech in Turkey and the World with Timothy Garton Ash
IPC hosted a rare event that provided a closer look into the “Free Speech in Turkey and the World.” The renowned academic and public intellectual Timothy Garton Ash, who is also a professor at the University of Oxford and a regular contributor to the Guardian and the New York Review of Books, delivered the keynote speech. Ash elaborated on the impediments to the freedom of speech in Turkey and around the globe, and he shared his insight on removing those obstacles. IPC Senior Scholar Ayşe Kadıoğlu, who put together this timely event, chaired the expert panel, which featured Hasan Cemal (Milliyet), Yasemin İnceoğlu (Galatasaray University), and Halil Berktay (Sabancı University), and Kerem Öktem (Oxford University). The panel focused not only on the actual limits to free speech in Turkey, but also included a theoretical debate on the possible limits to free speech. The “Turkey Free Speech Debate” also introduced a new Oxford-based website on this issue. The website can be accessed at freespeechdebate.com.
2nd Aspen Bosphorus Dialogue: Double transition: Economics and politics across Europe and the Mediterranean
IPC in conjunction with the Aspen Institute Italia hosted the second Aspen Bosphorus Dialogue entitled “Double transition: Economics and politics across Europe and the Mediterranean” on March 2-4, 2012 in Istanbul. The participants of the conference discussed the overarching issues resulting from the relationship between the various actors in, as well as the transformation taking place throughout the region. The discussion over the future of the Eurozone highlighted the varying perspectives on how to address fiscal and budgetary issues, regulation of the banking system and disparities in competitiveness. It was observed that the current crisis has led the EU to become more introverted, while the role of Turkey is growing in importance. At this junction, the participants stressed the crucial need for new and pragmatic forms of cooperation between Brussels and Ankara on key issues such as energy, immigration, and security. In regard to the upheavals throughout the region, it was expressed that evolving states, rather than finding role models, such as Turkey, to emulate, countries of the region need to develop sensible solutions based on their own specific social and economic circumstances. In attendance were Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkish Economy Minister Ali Babacan, Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.