9 research outputs found

    A Divided Government, an Ideological Parliament, and an Insecure Leader: Turkey's Indecision about Joining the Iraq War

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    Cataloged from PDF version of article.Objectives On March 1, 2003, the Turkish parliament rejected a government motion that would involve Turkey in the Iraq war and allow U.S. forces to use Turkish territory in an offensive against Iraq. This decision has been considered as a significant departure from traditional Western-oriented Turkish foreign policy. We investigate the reasons behind this rather unexpected foreign policy decision. Method To systematically examine the decision-making process and the outcome, we utilize the decision-units framework. We present primary and secondary evidence from government and media sources and utilize interviews conducted with some of the high-level decisionmakers that were involved in decision making at the time. This article combines traditional methodological tools, such as elite interviews and process tracing, with novel approaches in foreign policy analysis studies. Results The nature of the decision-unit, decision-making rules, the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the AKP (Adalet and Kalkinma PartisiJustice and Development Party) leadership, and the absence of a strong and decisive leader shaped the outcome. Conclusion The Turkish parliament's decision on its role in the Iraq war is an interesting and informative case for foreign policy studies. It challenges the conventional wisdom on parliamentary influence in foreign policy making in parliamentary regimes. Under certain circumstanceseven when a single-party enjoys parliamentary majorityparliaments can be major players in foreign policy decision making

    A rare cause of congenital portosystemic shunt: type 2 Abernethy malformation

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    The Abernethy malformation is characterised by congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts and is divided into two groups according to the type of anastomosis. In type 1, all portal venous blood is discharged into the inferior vena cava and there is no intrahepatic portal vein. In type 2, the portal vein is partially discharged to the inferior vena cava via side-by-side anastomoses. Imaging has an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of this malformation. Magnetic resonance imaging should be preferred to demonstrate both vessel anatomy and associated anomalies. The aim of this study was to present a 17-year-old male patient and to discuss the imaging findings of Abernethy malformation

    Variable radiological lung nodule evaluation leads to divergent management recommendations

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    Radiological evaluation of incidentally detected lung nodules on computed tomography (CT) influences management. We assessed international radiological variation in 1) pulmonary nodule characterisation; 2) hypothetical guideline-derived management; and 3) radiologists' management recommendations. 107 radiologists from 25 countries evaluated 69 CT-detected nodules, recording: 1) first-choice composition (solid, part-solid or ground-glass, with percentage confidence); 2) morphological features; 3) dimensions; 4) recommended management; and 5) decision-influencing factors. We modelled hypothetical management decisions on the 2005 and updated 2017 Fleischner Society, and both liberal and parsimonious interpretations of the British Thoracic Society 2015 guidelines. Overall agreement for first-choice nodule composition was good (Fleiss' κ=0.65), but poorest for partsolid nodules (weighted κ 0.62, interquartile range 0.50-0.71). Morphological variables, including spiculation (κ=0.35), showed poor-to-moderate agreement (κ=0.23-0.53). Variation in diameter was greatest at key thresholds (5 mm and 6 mm). Agreement for radiologists' recommendations was poor (κ=0.30); 21% disagreed with the majority. Although agreement within the four guideline-modelled management strategies was good (κ=0.63-0.73), 5-10% of radiologists would disagree with majority decisions if they applied guidelines strictly. Agreement was lowest for part-solid nodules, while significant measurement variation exists at important size thresholds. These variations resulted in generally good agreement for guideline-modelled management, but poor agreement for radiologists' actual recommendations
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