April 21, 2025
Following President Erdoğan’s first use of it in early January after the arrest of Mr. Rıza Akpolat, the Mayor of the Beşiktaş district of İstanbul, “radish” has become the top word of the Turkish political lexicon. Once he used the word, Mr. Özgür Özel, the leader of the main opposition party CHP, reacted by calling it “a declaration of war”. Thus, while the world remains engaged in a tariff war, we are fighting an internal “radish war”.
According to Verywell Health, radishes are root vegetables from the mustard family and have numerous health benefits. They help prevent or fight disease due to their unique mix of essential nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin B, calcium, and potassium.[i]
Turkish people have traditionally recognized the health benefits of radish (“turp” in Turkish). The expression “like a turp” means “fit as a fiddle”.
Today, however, the word has an entirely different meaning. For President Erdoğan and his AKP, the word “radish” means troubling news waiting to be pulled out of the bag to target the main opposition. For the CHP, it means the same, the target being the AKP. For many, the word now only means another unpleasant political surprise and further domestic conflict.
Since then, President Erdoğan has used the word several times, saying that there are more radishes in the bag and that the biggest one is yet to be taken out. Mr. İmamoğlu, the mayor of İstanbul, waved a big white radish in an act of defiance at a rally, before his arrest. And Mr. Özel, referring to a likely Erdoğan-Trump deal, said that the biggest “turp” in the bag is Trump. It is not exactly poetic rhyme, but extremely close to an alphabetical one. Thus, the radish war continues with no ceasefire on the horizon.
Today, Türkiye faces a troubling accumulation of domestic, foreign, and security policy challenges. There are many worrying and unanswered questions.
Firstly, the AKP government is now engaged in what is called a “process” for a terrorism-free Türkiye. A DEM group has met with the PKK leader, some political parties, and most recently with President Erdoğan. Such meetings are likely to continue. They now say the process might yield results by the end of June. The public knows nothing about the contents of the process, and many wonder how some CHP mayors and municipal officials could be accused of supporting terrorist groups and replaced by trustees when the government is negotiating with the PKK.
Secondly, there is the question of the YPG in Syria, an issue linked to the PKK problem.
Thirdly, there is the question of relations with Israel and the urgency of avoiding a direct conflict in Syria.
Fourthly, there is news that many Gazans “voluntarily” opting to leave the Strip would be settled in northern Syria across from the easy-to-cross Turkish border. Türkiye is now home to millions and millions of Syrian and other refugees, and another wave of Gazans easily crossing over worries our people.
These questions are interrelated and so would be the answers, as we shall see after an Erdoğan-Trump meeting. When that happens, I hope that what emerges from the bag will not be another radish but Aladdin with his magic lamp. He would rub the lamp, a genie would appear and ask the people of Türkiye what they desired. They would say, “Democracy, forever”. He would oblige. And then, celebrations would start. In the evening, fireworks would illuminate our skies…
What is the foregoing? A foreign policy article? No. Is it a short walk in the world of fantasy? Perhaps.
I agree, the title could have been “Ali in Wonderland”. But as the saying goes, “Out of difficulties grow miracles.”
Diplomatic Opinion - Ali Tuygan 