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Begum Zorlu

@begumzorlu.bsky.social
943 followers 155 following 369 posts

Interested in contentious politics, gender and the dynamics of solidarity. Based at the Department of International Politics at City, St. George's University of London.

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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"The UAE remains reliant on advanced US air defences including pricey Patriots and THAAD systems. Since the war began, the UAE spent upwards of $8 billion on US weapons." www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...
al-monitor.com
Middle East war a boon for UAE defence giant with global ambitions
In the heart of the Abu Dhabi desert, workers toil inside warehouses assembling drones and missiles for the UAE's Edge group, riding high on a wave of new demand for its weapons battle-tested by the M...
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
"A person close to the Trump administration accused Machado of “creating a civil war in [the] opposition” because of early talks she held with other opposition leaders to set up a structure to work with the U.S. on a transition." www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
politico.com
How Trump took control of Venezuela’s democratic transition
The U.S. has sidelined opposition leader María Corina Machado and bet on a “serious” but little-known regime critic as it tries to restore democracy in Venezuela.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
youtube.com/watch?v=JQQG... informative profile and the dynamics of coalition politics in Israel
youtube.com
Gadi Eisenkot, the challenger to Benjamin Netanyahu | The Global Story
YouTube video by BBC News
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Informative read on Nicaragua theworld.org/stories/2026...
theworld.org
From liberator to dictator: Nicaragua’s Ortega says no more elections - The World from PRX
Sunday marked 47 years since the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) toppled Nicaragua’s dictatorship. To mark the occasion, the former leader of that guerrilla movement and now president of t...
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Political Studies Association @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
*NEW PSA BLOG* What are the prospects of #Turkey's opposition choosing exit over a captured party? New blog by @begumzorlu.bsky.social and @cananozbey.bsky.social ➡️ 5 minute read buff.ly/iIvfPfw @psaturkish.bsky.social #Politics #InternationalRelations #PIR #PolSci #TurkishPolitics
buff.ly
A New CHP? The Prospects of Turkey’s Opposition Choosing Exit over a Captured Party - Political Studies Association
AUTHORS Dr Begum Zorlu, ESRC Research Fellow at City, University of London Canan Ozbey Gul, Laboratory for the Study and Research of Economics, Policies and Social Systems Since 2016, Turkey has…
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
My Son Was Killed by ICE. I Want Accountability. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/18/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | My Son Was Killed by ICE. I Want Accountability.
I deserve accountability and transparency, and so does the public.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
The 10-day Athens to Venice cruise was blocked from Turkey after authorities published a statement online saying the cruise was chartered “by groups known for behaviours that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values”. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
LGBTQ+ cruise ship refused entry to Egypt days after Turkey turned it away
Scarlet Lady’s 2,000 passengers told of change as one of those onboard says they will ‘sparkle and spend elsewhere’
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The battle over the Bell hotel www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
The battle over the Bell hotel: how a year of asylum protests tore apart a pretty, prosperous Essex town
Last summer, a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by an asylum seeker in Epping and this small community was engulfed in protest. Can it recover?
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
open.spotify.com/episode/5t6O...
open.spotify.com
Açık Gazete: Tuğçe Oklay'la Halkların İklim Zirvesi hazırlıkları üzerine
Açık Gazete · Episode
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Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
...and publishing a diverse range of topics in politics and IR. You can read more about the news here: buff.ly/ZgvWpnr @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @sagepub.com #polsci #polisky
buff.ly
The University of York Team to Edit Political Studies for a Second Term - Political Studies Association
The Political Studies Association (PSA) is delighted to announce that the existing team from the University of York will edit its flagship journal Political Studies for a second three-year term from…
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
english.elpais.com/culture/2026...
english.elpais.com
Antonio Scurati on his monumental saga about Mussolini: ‘The last page of fascism is the worst of all’
The fifth and final volume of ‘M’ concludes 3,000 pages on the life of the Italian dictator and questions his ideological legacy at a time when the movement is making a comeback
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Ben Jennings on Keir Starmer’s defence investment plan
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Tracking the Rising Death Toll From U.S. Boat Strikes www.nytimes.com/video/world/...
nytimes.com
Video: Tracking the Rising Death Toll From U.S. Boat Strikes
The New York Times has been investigating the number of boat strikes and the death toll in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific carried out by the Trump administration. Eric Schmitt, a national security ...
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Arife Kose @arifekose.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
As the regime shut down Bilgi University, a little bit context about Turkey's universities. Private universities are more common in Turkey than they're in Europe. State universities have lost their critical power primarily in 2016-17 when the regime dismissed thousands of+ bianet.org/haber/istanb...
bianet.org
İstanbul Bilgi University shut down by presidential decree
The institution was one of Turkey's first private universities.
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Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Share widely:
scholarsatrisk.org
Call for Applications: 2026-27 Scholars at Risk (SAR) Academic Freedom Fellowships | Scholars at Risk
Scholars at Risk (SAR) is pleased to invite early-career researchers to apply for remote research fellowships focusing on academic freedom and related higher education values.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Background on what has been going on. Earlier on Saturday Turkish police had detained 13 people under an investigation into the 2023 congress. They face charges ⁠of "violating the law on political parties", "accepting bribes", and "laundering assets derived from crime" apple.news/Al6bP16FrTfa...
apple.news
Ousted Turkish opposition leader calls for party congress in 40 days — Reuters
The ousted leader of Turkey's main opposition party called ‌on Saturday for a new party congress to be held as soon as possible - in some 40 days - after a court ruling this week unseated its leadersh...
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
“Drone warfare means that today the defence has the upper hand over the attack, giving the advantage to dug-in Ukrainian troops over Russian advances at prohibitive cost.” apple.news/ARsFZkvEPSXy...
apple.news
Putin has destroyed Russia and lost the war — The i Paper
With all the evidence that the Russian President is a military nincompoop, why is he portrayed as a mortal threat to the West?
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Patriot interceptor missiles can take up to 36 months and $4 million to build. So far in the Iran war, the U.S. military has fired more than 1,200 of them. Some were used to shoot down $35,000 Shahed drones, which Iran can churn out at a rate of at least 200 a month. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/u...
nytimes.com
Iran War Exposes Shortcomings in U.S. Military Industrial Base
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Political Studies Association @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
@psaturkish.bsky.social 👀👆
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Bilge Yesil @bilgeyesil.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
New interview with Global (Dis)Order Research Center at City St Georges 👇 Sasikumar Sundaram, @begumzorlu.bsky.social and I talked about how Turkey, Russia, China, India, Brazil "contest Western hegemony and stake a claim to leadership in an emerging multipolar order" youtu.be/HmMxlQ6sRG8?...
youtu.be
Talking Back to the West: Turkey, Counter-Hegemony, and the Global Communication Order
YouTube video by Global Disorder Research Centre
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
"Israel’s defense spending of more than 140 billion Israeli shekels ($47 billion) appears to be no match for drones that can reportedly be purchased online for as little as $300 each." www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...
al-monitor.com
Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front
While Israeli and Lebanese delegations are set to meet in Washington for the third time, the Israeli military faces a growing threat from Hezbollah’s cheap yet highly lethal drones.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
In Conversation with Photis Lysandrou: Global Disorder, Dollar Dominance and the Euro Challenge www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Sn...
youtube.com
In Conversation with Photis Lysandrou: Global Disorder, Dollar Dominance and the Euro Challenge
YouTube video by Global Disorder Research Centre
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
open.spotify.com/episode/0rby...
open.spotify.com
An Infowars insider on the warped world of Alex Jones
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
youtube.com/watch?v=QdcO...
youtube.com
Turkey’s growing presence in Somalia with Nebahat Tanrıverdi Yaşar
YouTube video by Turkey recap
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
The world is threatened by a “suicidal” model of capitalism that is leading to war, fascism and the potential extinction of humanity, Colombia’s president has said www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Suicidal’ model of capitalism leading to war and fascism, climate summit told
Colombia president Gustavo Petro tells 57-country talks on a green energy transition that fossil fuel interests could destroy humanity
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Was a great film. www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ap...
theguardian.com
The Blue Trail review – hypnotic tale of older-people rebellion in the Amazon in chilling dystopian fable
A cross between road movie and sci-fi, this is a subversive and bittersweet story about a 77-year-old who refuses to be shipped off to a ‘colony’
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...
al-monitor.com
Turkey’s Baykar tests K2 swarm kamikaze drones for first time: What to know
Baykar tested its K2 and new loitering drones, featuring AI-driven swarm capabilities and the ability to operate under GPS jamming.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
9 million people in the UK could be stripped of their British citizenship. People of colour are twelve times as likely to be at risk as their white peers. reprieve.org/uk/2025/12/1...
reprieve.org
Stripped: The Citizenship Divide
This report released by the Runnymede Trust and Reprieve shows that up to nine million people are vulnerable to having their British citizenship stripped, three million more than previously estimated....
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
“Iran’s strategy is not about dominance but entanglement. It doesn’t need battlefield superiority if it can draw its adversaries into a conflict that is too costly to resolve and too complex to conclude.” theconversation.com/middle-east-...
theconversation.com
Middle East conflict looks increasingly like a war nobody can win
But the longer it continues the more damage it does to the whole world.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
open.spotify.com/episode/2SXy...
open.spotify.com
The security report the UK government doesn’t want you to see
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Loss for words again. Soldier Used Classified Information to Bet on Maduro’s Ouster, U.S. Says www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/n...
nytimes.com
Soldier Used Classified Information to Bet on Maduro’s Ouster, U.S. Says
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Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Why has the populist radical right failed in Scotland? @davidevampa.bsky.social, Alan Convery & @frasmcm.bsky.social examine how symbiotic polarization between SNP and Conservatives blocked PRRPs, until recently. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/huOyMQI @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polsky #PartyPolitics
buff.ly
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
In central Tehran, a poster with the words: ‘The Strait of Hormuz remains closed’ spells out Iran’s uncompromising position. EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh. From: theconversation.com/who-is-calli...
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
www.ftm.eu/articles/eur...
ftm.eu
Europe’s flower industry keeps a colonial system blooming
The booming European flower sector is worth billions, but the developing nations that provided the genetic material behind many of its blooms have received next to nothing in return. An investigation ...
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
“The harm that lasts the longest often doesn’t make the news cycle. Estimates of those who died from chemical-weapons-related causes in the years after the Iran-Iraq War (cancers, respiratory failure, slow collapse of lungs) run into the tens of thousands." bsky.app/profile/begu...
apple.news
All Modern Warfare Is Chemical Warfare — New York Magazine
What we witnessed on Saturday in Tehran may be the largest release of petrochemical toxins over a civilian population since the Iran-Iraq War.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
All they will find is sand www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Eyal Weizman · All they will find is sand: Gaza’s Yellow Line
Most of the Gaza Strip – cities, refugee camps, schools, universities, mosques, the health infrastructure, agriculture...
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Paul T. Levin @paultlevin.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz reignites plans for alternative transportation routes, many of which include Turkey’s, whose geography “condemns the country to geopolitical significance,” as one diplomat eloquently puts it. (🎁 article.)
giftarticle.ft.com
Turkey promotes ‘Middle Corridor’ as Strait of Hormuz alternative
Officials plan to reopen frontier with Armenia to unlock a Trump-backed trade route between Europe and Asia
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
"“Every bomb releases poison into the air. The difference is whether we choose to consider the toll.” From Narges Bajoghli nymag.com/intelligence...
apple.news
All Modern Warfare Is Chemical Warfare — New York Magazine
What we witnessed on Saturday in Tehran may be the largest release of petrochemical toxins over a civilian population since the Iran-Iraq War.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
open.spotify.com/episode/6Dpn...
open.spotify.com
‘Tinder for Nazis’ and the woman who hacked it
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
The civil trial was the first time in history any court has examined claims of war crimes by Australian forces. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Ben Roberts-Smith: Australian soldier charged over alleged war crimes
Ben Roberts-Smith, who denies all wrongdoing, previously lost a landmark defamation case over the alleged murders.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Old but one of the best discussions on the topic. open.spotify.com/episode/5tmm...
open.spotify.com
Understanding Insurgency: Popular Support for the PKK in Turkey
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simonkaack.bsky.social @simonkaack.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
#Chile’s far-right shift under #Kast isn’t an outlier. In our new @ideopop.bsky.social @iirprague.bsky.social policy paper with @lesliewehner.bsky.social, we analyse how #LatinAmerica’s rightward turn reshapes global politics and what it means for #Europe. Read here: www.iir.cz/en/the-rise-...
iir.cz
The Rise of Far-Right Leadership in Chile and Latin America: Regional and Global Effects | Institute of International Relations Prague - Expertise to impact
The rise of far-right leadership in Chile raises important questions about the future of its foreign policy and regional dynamics in Latin America. These developments are further explored by Simon Kaa...
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
The stories of those who have been exposed to this abhorrent form of discrimination. open.spotify.com/episode/5xjW...
open.spotify.com
Spotify – Web Player
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
A system on a knife edge. open.spotify.com/episode/0YFc...
open.spotify.com
George Monbiot on our fragile food system
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/one-thr...
timeshighereducation.com
One in three women leave academia after having children
‘Motherhood penalty’ sees female academics who have children less likely to secure a tenured position than their male counterparts, finds LSE study
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
open.spotify.com/episode/6qxF...
open.spotify.com
The Turkishness Contract
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Informative. Rod Dreher Thinks the Enlightenment Was a Mistake - The Atlantic apple.news/nowPlaying/A...
apple.news
Listen to: Rod Dreher Thinks the Enlightenment Was a Mistake — The Atlantic
The influential author derides secularism and the modern world. Conservatives—including the vice president—are joining him on a march back to the Middle Ages.
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
From a couple of years ago: deep political polarisation, often framed in terms of pro- versus anti-Chavismo, continues to structure social and political identities, limiting the potential for broad-based coalition-building. podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Civil Society and a Democratic Transition in Venezuela
Podcast Episode · The Venezuela Briefing · 17 March 2021 · 41min
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Sudanese and Afghan students with offers to study in UK say government’s ‘emergency brake’ is discriminatory. It is. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Six students challenge Home Office visa ban on four countries
Sudanese and Afghan students with offers to study in UK say government’s ‘emergency brake’ is discriminatory
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Begum Zorlu @begumzorlu.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Listening is more important than ever. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPld...
youtube.com
Speeding Up the “Kill Chain”: Pentagon Bombs Thousands of Targets in Iran Using Palantir AI
YouTube video by Democracy Now!
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