1) At the Moshe Dayan Center, Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak discusses the recent elections in Turkey.
“In retrospect, the 2023 elections will be remembered as the most challenging general elections for Erdoğan’s political survival. The deteriorating economy, the de-valuation of the Turkish Lira vis-à-vis the US Dollar, the high cost of living, and the mishandling of the February 6 earthquake disaster – that claimed more than 50 thousand lives – all significantly risked Erdoğan’s chances of winning.
Thus, in order not to waste a single vote, Erdoğan had no choice but to work on growing his Cİ alliance. This act of survival paved the way for the Cİ to include controversial radical Islamist parties such as the Turkish Hizbullah terrorist organization’s legal wing the Free Cause Party (HÜDAPAR – an acronym also for the “Party of God” – Hizbullah) and the “Renewed Welfare Party” (YRP) of Fatih Erbakan.”
2) At WINEP, Dr Khairy Omar looks at the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s internal crises.
“In recent years, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has dealt with numerous crises as a political group, especially in the face of significant pressure from the Egyptian government. Yet the organization has faced increasing internal challenges as well, amplifying the group’s struggles as it continues to position itself as an opposition political group. It is worth examining the internal decisions that have pushed this once powerful political force to the margins of Egyptian political life. In this respect, identifying shifts in the group’s ideology and organizational structure can provide an indication of its ability to integrate politically or socially.”
3) At the INSS, Raz Zimmt explains ‘The Pensioners’ Protests and the Crisis of the Pension Funds in Iran’.
“Recent weeks have seen the resumption of near-daily protests throughout Iran by pensioners protesting the ongoing erosion of their pensions and their growing economic distress. At the same time, senior Iranian figures have warned of the severe crisis affecting pension funds. The distress of the pensioners has become one of the main social and economic issues on the Iranian agenda in recent years. The main causes of the pension fund crisis are the aging population, the low legal retirement age, the decision by many workers to take early retirement due to the erosion of their salaries in the face of rampant inflation, the government’s difficulties in meeting its commitments to the pension funds, and poor management by the funds themselves.”
4) At the Long War Journal, Joe Truzman reports on Palestinian Islamic Jihad summer camps.
“While Palestinian militant organizations often tout the camps as a place to promote religious and recreational activities for children and teens, they are primarily used to indoctrinate jihadist ideology, including the armed struggle against Israel. Also, the camps are a promotional tool for Palestinian youth to join armed militant organizations, some of whom are classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.”
