A system of sea taxis will be instituted in Istanbul, a great relief to those of us stuck for hours in traffic and crammed into overcrowded buses with someone’s elbow in your eye. But the sea taxi prices are high, making it a facility for the wealthy and for emergencies. What about more ferries, […]
President Gul and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Photo from Today’s Zaman)
The neoconservative Michael Rubin has been weighing in on Turkey in the US media, arguing that the case before the Constitutional Court for closing the ruling AK Party is justified. I find his writings on this topic rather polemic and selective in […]
From Saban Kardas’s column:
Turkish Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan made a controversial proposal concerning the closure case against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). In what he calls a “third way,” Toptan calls on the parties in the dispute to bridge their uncompromising positions by exploring “gray areas” that may provide a way out of […]
In a 17-page document entitled “46th Meeting of the EC-Turkey Association Council: Position of the European Union,” the EU takes a critical position on the judiciary, Cyprus, the Kurdish question, freedom of expression, military-civilian relations, religious freedom (for religious minorities), Iraq and the reform process. Although pointing out the limited progress achieved in political reforms […]
Photo from Zaman
Results of the United Nations Development Program 2008 “Youth in Turkey” Report:
From an interview with one of the authors:
Only about 4 percent [of Turkish youth participate in civil society activities], and most of these are university students. Despite the perception of young people in Turkey as dynamic, middle-class students, the reality is quite different. Only […]
From a column by Sahin Alpay:
The political crisis created by the chief prosecutor’s appeal to the Constitutional Court to ban the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) is surely an indication of the unconsolidated character of the democratic regime in Turkey, despite a history of at least 60 years. The crisis has also provided an […]
81.9 percent of the nation would object to a coup d’état, a poll conducted late last year by Infacto Research Workshop on behalf of Bogazici University and the Open Society Institute shows. 81.9 percent said they opposed military coups and oppressive regimes, while 12.3 percent said they would support a coup; 5.8 percent were […]
The Constitutional Court rapporteur has recommended the rejection of an appeal by two Turkish opposition parties to annul a constitutional amendment pushed through by the ruling AK Party that would give headscarf-wearing women the right to attend university. The rapporteur’s report is not binding on the court’s decision, but his conclusion that the amendment was […]
The smoking ban starts tomorrow in public buildings, schools, workplaces, shopping centers, theaters, cinemas, public transport, and taxis, A smoking ban in coffeehouses, eateries, bars, etc., begins on July 19, 2009. There will be a fine of 50 YTL for anyone smoking in a prohibited area, 20 YTL for throwing a cigarette packet or […]