What's in a name? Turkey (the nation) now wants to be known as "Türkiye," pronounced Tur-key-YAY
CBSAPR 3 2022
It's time to correct this mix-up of linguistic history. It's possible that European colonizers mistook New World turkeys for fowl imported through the Ottoman Empire, and residents of Türkiye have had to tolerate this unflattering association ever since. This is a dignified re-branding to properly reflect Türkiye as a country and a people on the world stage.
This is a move from Erdoğan to whip up nationalist fervor as he launches his re-election bid. The Turkish lira is plummeting in value, there is a simmering economic crisis, and Erdoğan has embarrassing failures with COVID and foreign policy. This is a political move to distract from the recent turmoil in Ankara.