Kilink and Bedmen

From “When Tarzan and Superman Came To Istanbul”, by Emrah Guler
… It is hard to imagine cinema without Tarzan, James Bond and American superheroes as epitomized by Superman. However, it is time for audiences to get ready for something new: Turkish action films. Superheroes and comic book adaptations have graced Turkish cinema for about three […]

Turkey’s Best Blog 2008: Cafe Fernando

I came across this wonderful food blog set in Turkey. Good, fresh writing, mouth-watering photographs, inside information about dishes and restaurants you’ve been wondering about. Check out Cafe Fernando!  (click here)

Radikal, May 5, 2008: Cartoon by Piyale Madra http://www.piyalemadra.com/
“There are so many books in their home… books up to the ceilings….even the corridors are full up with books.”
“I know. There’s one of those in our housing development too.”

The Ataturk Solstice

Article by Mustafa Akyol (for full article, click here):
The people of Damal, a district of the eastern city of Ardahan, couldn’t have imagined that their modest and destitute town would attract droves of visitors and become the focus of the Turkish media. But that is exactly what happened in the past few years with the […]

Soccer Mania

After three amazing comebacks to reach the semifinals, Turkey is wild with rejoicing and hope. Two consecutive wins would make Turkey the Euro 2008 champion. But first the Turks have to clear the German hurdle in the semifinals in Basel, Switzerland, this evening and then take care of the other […]

Women’s Rights Obscured by Headscarf Issue

 Photo from Zaman 
Mehmet Yilmaz’s column in Hurriyet:
I saw a very interesting picture published in one of Turkey’s pro-Islamic newspapers on Thursday.  To protest the Constitutional Court ruling*, a group of male students at Yuzuncu Yil University in Van marched wearing white headscarves.
 I was touched by their show of concern for their female friends to find a solution to the issue. After seeing […]

The Imam And The Teacher

From Mustafa Akyol’s column:
[Serif Mardin] argued that, in the past decades, the official ideology of the Republic (i.e., Kemalism) has been overshadowed by the teachings of Islam. Using the “imam” and the “teacher” as symbols for religious morality and secular ethics respectively, he flatly proclaimed: “The imam has won over the teacher.” …
The reason why […]

“Trust Us!”: Army and Religion Lead Disengaged Turkish Youth

Summary of Ibrahim Kalin’s column, based on three recent reports:
According to the 2007 census, about 60 percent of the total population of Turkey is under the age of 30. So just what is this young and extremely dynamic population doing?
About 40 percent of Turkey’s youth seems to be doing “nothing”. They don’t work, they […]

The Vocational Socialization of Police and Security Personnel in Turkey

A new TESEV publication analyzes the training and ethical standards of Turkey’s police and security services. Of particular interest is the definition of “deep state” on page 27 and institutional paranoia on p. 38. For the report, click here.

Turkey Is Not a Peaceful Place

Turkey recently ranked 115 out of 140 countries on the Global Peace Index (GPI), which measures the relative peacefulness of nations and regions around the globe. Turkey’s overall peace score was below that of Libya, Cuba, Syria, Jamaica, and Iran.
The GPI forms part of the Institute for Economics and Peace. The report is written in […]