I spent part of yesterday afternoon looking for Easter stollen — or really anything to commemorate Easter. After all, I’m living on the upper Bosphorus on the European side, neighborhoods that used to have big Christian populations and are still studded with Greek Orthodox churches. In the 1980s, there was a Greek Orthodox (Rum) bakery […]
Photo from Today’s Zaman
Prime Minister Erdogan’s call for women to have three children makes absolutely no sense in a country with 18% youth unemployment. On Friday UNDP Turkey released its 2008 National Human Development report entitled “Youth in Turkey”. The report reveals that around 40 percent of Turkish youths are jobless and do not […]
More arrests have taken place in the Ergenekon case of a criminal gang charged with assassinations of public figures and plotting to overthrow the elected government. The criminal network is suspected to have links in the Turkish military and bureaucracy. This time, the dragnet pulled in two senior officials of a Turkish political party, a […]
A couple of weeks ago, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) complained in parliament that the Turkish military had withdrawn its troops from Iraq the day after the US had urged it to do so, implying that the decision had been made at the behest of the Americans. The army reacted angrily, stating that the decision […]
Excerpts from Andrew Finkel’s excellent column:
There was a time, of course, not all that long ago, when Turkey was running near triple-digit inflation and governed by squabbling coalitions and yet rather than engage in a process of deep and consensual social reform, preferred to edge backward step by step over the edge. … It was […]
I had dinner last night with a Turkish-American friend who had watched Barack Obama’s speech about race. She said it reminded her of the Turkish situation. The Black Turks need to understand that when the White Turks say they’re afraid, that they need to be taken seriously, that there’s something behind that fear. They […]
It is much easier to close a political party in Turkey than in other European countries. Once the decision is made, there is no appeal. Click here for news article comparing Turkey’s procedure with that of specific European countries.
Photo from Milliyet
Late last night, when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned home from a visit to Canakkale, he was met by a large number of neighbors and citizens, expressing support. He gave an impromptu speech in which he mentioned that upon his return he had been met at the airport by thousands of Istanbulis […]
A new review of The Abyssinian Proof has appeared on the I Love A Mystery website. Click here for the full review.
From Aaron Stander’s review: THE ABYSSINIAN PROOF is a rich and remarkable historical mystery…. Kamil is a most engaging protagonist — aristocratic and educated, sensitive and artistic, yet able to kick down doors and […]
In response to the indictment presented to the Constitutional Court to close the AKP for having become a center of anti-secular activity, the AKP has begun fast-track efforts to pass constitutional changes that make it harder for judicial organs to shut down political parties. Click here for the article. The article also gives the […]