TRT World Research Centre

Wondering what's really shaping Türkiye this week? In each week, Türkiye in Focus brings you the key developments, expert perspectives, and context from Türkiye. Join our free weekly newsletter to learn more about the latest developments in Türkiye: turkiyeinfocus.substack.com

The real question is not simply whether borders are “open” or “closed”. It is whether people can be registered, protected, accommodated, and governed without turning mobility into a deeper instability risk. Read more: researchcentre.trtworld.com/publications/p…

This is where border politics can become self-defeating. Restrictive measures may reduce formal access, but they can also push people into unofficial routes, informal work, insecure housing, and weaker protection. As informality grows, both human security and state manageability suffer.

Sudan’s displacement spillover is not simply a border crisis. It is a capacity crisis. When neighbouring states tighten crossings without expanding registration, shelter, services, legal pathways, and local support, containment does not always create order. It can produce informality.

That is why the response cannot stop at “more aid”. Sudan needs predictable access, protected supply pipelines, diversified routes, functioning services, and a survival package linking food, nutrition, health, and wash.

For households, the decision to move is rarely immediate. It comes when prices become impossible, services disappear, aid becomes uncertain, and coping strategies run out. At that point, displacement is no longer a side effect of war. It becomes a survival strategy. Read more: researchcentre.trtworld.com/publications/p…

Sudan’s hunger war is not only about food. It is about the collapse of the systems that allow people to survive — and remain — in place. When aid routes, markets, clinics, and basic services break down at once, hunger becomes a driver of displacement.

However, these interpretations may exaggerate the magnitude of the change. Instead of indicating a fundamental transformation in Hungary’s foreign policy orientation, the electoral outcome appears to have been shaped primarily by domestic factors, particularly economic concerns influencing voter behaviour. Although some foreign policy adjustments under Magyar are likely, it would be inaccurate to expect a significant or immediate shift in Budapest’s external stance. Read more: researchcentre.trtworld.com/publications/p…

Hungary’s recent elections have attracted significant international attention, particularly within political circles, due to their potentially wide-ranging implications. The decisive defeat of Viktor Orbán after sixteen years in power, coupled with Péter Magyar’s attainment of a parliamentary supermajority, has been positively received by Brussels elites. Numerous commentators have characterised the outcome as Hungary’s “return to Europe,” especially given the persistent tensions between Brussels and Budapest.

Our latest weekly newsletter offers a comprehensive analysis of these shifting geopolitical and domestic dynamics. Essential reading for researchers and those tracking regional dynamics. Read the full analysis: researchcentre.trtworld.com/publications/t…

Weekly Briefing: - Societal Well-being: Following the school attacks, Türkiye’s policy focus shifts towards mental health support and strengthening internet safety protocols for the youth. - Regional Diplomacy: The Kirkuk appointment underscores Ankara’s improving relations with Iraqi actors and its support for a pluralistic governance model. - Institutional Accountability: The re-examination of sensitive cases reflects an effort to address administrative irregularities and reinforce public trust in the judiciary.

The recent school tragedies in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş have sparked an urgent national debate in Türkiye regarding educational safety and the psychological well-being of the youth. These incidents underscore the critical need for enhanced internet safety measures and more robust institutional communication to identify at-risk individuals. Addressing the root causes of such crises requires a multidimensional approach focusing on mental health support and digital exposure.

This is not a pivot, it is a hedge. Gulf states are not trading Washington for Beijing, they are engineering strategic autonomy through diversification. The future is not bipolar alignment, but calibrated multipolarity.

Security remains the hard limit. The U.S. still supplies 54% of arms imports and maintains ~50,000 troops across the region. China’s footprint, by contrast, is minimal and deliberately non-interventionist. Read the full analysis: bit.ly/4cE5CdM

The Iran war shattered two pillars of Gulf stability: the illusion of economic invulnerability and the reliability of U.S. security guarantees. After 40 days of strikes, strategic reassessment is no longer optional, it is structural.