In 2025, the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought was awarded to Seyla Benhabib, a philosopher whose life’s work confronts one of the most pressing questions of our time: what social, political, and moral conditions are necessary for human beings to recognize one another as equals. 

At the panel Heinrich Böll Stiftung Istanbul Office organized on 24 November at the Orient-Institut Istanbul, the speakers were Syrian women. While they acknowledged concerns about women’s rights in a country undergoing transition, they also delivered a clear message: “We are not just victims, but political agents.”

Agroecology in Turkey is more than a set of farming techniques; it is a battleground of ideas. Competing narratives are shaping who controls food systems, how communities thrive, and what the countryside will look like tomorrow.

This analysis looks at the regional dynamics before and after the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran and analyzes the opportunities and challenges the War has presented for Türkiye. It argues that the weakening of Iran leaves Türkiye and Israel as the main rivals in the region’s strategic balance. Syria risks being the major theater where this rivalry could escalate.

According to Tunçay Koç, an experienced lawyer with years of expertise in environmental cases, forest and water resources—critical assets for the future—are being depleted at an accelerated pace due to privatization policies. 

Yasemin and Cemal, two small business owners residing in Çıralı, are witnesses to the rapid and uncontrolled transformation of this small town. They believe the area needs more trees, not more roads and hotels, and they question the concept of industrial tourism.

As the de-facto privatisation of the Turkish coastline continues, its accessibility becomes more and more a class issue, excluding local people with smaller incomes or other marginalised groups.

One the one hand, the touristic sector is expected to supply the struggling Turkish economy with a reliable stream of income. On the other hand, the environmentally conscious public and activists are more and more aware and vocal about the immense negative impacts. 

Europe stands at a crossroads. Should it build its trade relations on fundamental values such as human rights, environmental sustainability, and labor rights—or align them with geopolitical interests? In our recent panel held in Berlin, we discussed the role of supply chains in German-Turkish relations.

While the fall of the Syrian regime on 8 December 2024 has significantly changed the political landscape, conditions in Syria are insufficient and unsafe for large-scale returns. From this perspective, Turkey’s “go-and-see” visit policy allows Syrians under temporary protection to assess the situation first-hand before deciding whether to return.