JULY 10-18, 2018
THO COMMEMORATES THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE JULY 15 COUP ATTEMPT
Two years after the July 15 coup attempt, THO recognizes that the passage of time does not lessen the immediacy of the events of July 15, 2016, nor does it relegate the coup attempt to the annals of history. Turkey and its people continue to live the impact of the coup every day. We condemn the heinous coup attempt, mourn the loss of innocent lives, and recognize the people of Turkey for their valiant efforts both then and now in support of their country’s democracy.
THO commemorated the anniversary of the coup attempt with two public events in Washington D.C. On Monday, July 16 , THO co-organized with BAU International University an event titled “The Second Anniversary of the July 15 Coup Attempt.” The program included a speech by Turkish Ambassador to the U.S. Serdar Kilic , in which he urged Americans to understand how the Gulen movement affects them. Following the ambassador’s speech, Gen. (Ret.) Salih Zeki Colak (former Commander of the Turkish Land Forces) gave a personal account of the hostage situation he experienced on the night of the coup attempt. The event concluded with a discussion between panelists Amb. Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. (Chairman Emeritus of the Stimson Center) and Paolo von Schirach (President of the Global Policy Institute). A full summary of the event will be available soon on our website.

In addition, THO partnered with GPI to host a panel titled “July 15 Coup Attempt: Two Years Later” with Dr. Abraham Wagner, Mark Hall , and Mary Addi , who are experts on the Gulen movement’s activities in the U.S. We would like to thank our sponsors, Turkish Airlines , Turkcell , and Al Baraka Turk , for their support of this event.
New Exclusive Insights on the coup attempt
In addition to events, THO also conducted Exclusive Insights on topics relating to the coup attempt.

  • Exclusive Insight with Dr. Abraham Wagner, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University on assessing the Gulen threat.

  • Exclusive Insight with Mark Hall, the producer of the documentary “KILLING ED” on Gulen charter school system effect on American society.

  • Exclusive Insight with professional educator Mary Addi on her personal experiences in the Gulen charter school system.
THO'S 2018 SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM BEGINS THIS WEEK!
From July 19 to August 13, we will carry out our first Summer Research Program in Turkey . The theme for this inaugural year is “Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Turkey: Challenges, Opportunities, and Approaches.”

This Thursday eight young American researchers will begin to meet with government agencies, private sector representatives, and civil society organizations in Washington, D.C., Istanbul, Ankara, and Gaziantep to carry out individual research projects exploring the refugee and displacement crisis.

Follow our updates on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram using #THOSummerResearch!

You can now read more about our eight researchers on our blog , Meddah .
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
WHAT WE'RE READING
Check out THO President Ali Cinar's comments in the following Newsweek piece, " Two years after overcoming attempted coup, Turkey plagued by widespread arrests and purges of civil servants " (by Daniel Moritz-Ra bson):

  • “The infiltration of Turkish state institutions, including the police, judiciary and military, by members of this organization has been well documented,” Ali Cinar, the president of the Turkish Heritage Organization, a nonprofit that studies U.S.-Turkey relations, wrote in an email to Newsweek. “It is important to note that the post-coup-attempt state of emergency has necessitated extraordinary actions in order to ensure the stability and security of Turkey.”
– REFUGEE HOSTS Project, University College London
– Kim Wilson and Roxanne Krystalli, Institute for Human Security
– Deger Saygin, Max Hoffman , and Philipp Godron, Center for American Progress
– Semih Idiz , Al-Monitor
– Jonathan Gorvett, Eric S. Margolis, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

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