COLUMNISTS
August 22, 2015, Saturday
-
Boko Haram lurks in the shadow of Turkey’s Islamists
With relentless attacks and police raids on schools affiliated with the Gülen movement, the nation's best-performing schools, Turkey's political Islamist rulers have done nothing but bolster their image for state-sponsored, Boko Haram-style, hostile and disturbing posturing against science, critical thinking and independent analysis. On Thursday, accompanied by an army of inspectors from eight government bodies, including the Health Ministry, the Educat -
Why was I mistaken about political Islamism?
For the radical wing of political Islamism, a democratic regime based on the decisions of the people is blasphemy. It should be ruled out because it was an invention of the Western world. Some subscribers to Islamist movements have always viewed democracy in this way. Some political Islamists, on the other hand, have embraced democracy and base it on the principle of consultation that is in the Quran. They rely on the ideology of transforming society through the sta -
AKP and the early (?) election
Last week, I wrote in this column that “under pressure from leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has decided to bring the country to an early election.” Well, as of today, I am not so sure! What Erdoğan wants is to hold on to power as long as possible and not allow the opposition to be part of the government. Just after the June 7 election, he decided to bring the country to an early election, demonstrating that when the -
Protected against my wife
Sometimes it is not the big events in the world that cause excitement or anger. I know Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan got what he wanted, early elections. I realize things are really getting out of hand in the Southeast, and I am an almost daily witness to the refugee drama playing out on the Turkish west coast. Still, last week it was a personal experience that got me thinking and writing. It was when I tried to sell my car. In order to do so in Turkey, yo -
The economy stuttering
Turkey has again entered an electoral process. Given the context of violence and the fact that this is the last chance for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to bring Turkey to a presidential system as greatly desired by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of the republic, the electoral campaign will this time be much harsher than previous ones. At the same time, we are witnessing the deterioration of economic conditions. The current main challenge i -
Who is responsible for the escalating terrorism?
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is conducting attacks almost every day, killing soldiers. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) is trying to hold the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) responsible for this to save itself. It has done so over the last 12 years. It is basically arguing that the AKP did all the good deeds and that someone else is responsible for what went wrong. And now they are looking for someone to blame for the terrorism. After the b -
Decision time for Turkey
A power vacuum is one of the worst things that can happen in a country. Unfortunately, Turkey is giving the impression since the June 7 general election of being a country with a power vacuum. Nobody is able to tell what may happen next and while political uncertainty is growing, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is intensifying its actions. It looks like the organization wants to achieve whatever it can before the winter -- in other words, before the start of the snowy season. -
Different ways to escape
These days, Turks and Syrians and Iraqis are all finding different ways to escape the horrors occurring in the region. The Bodrum peninsula has become one place of escape. The first time I heard the word “bodrum,” I figured out what it meant by the context in which it was used. My neighbor, speaking simply and slowly, used the word “mobilya” (furniture) in the sentence, and nodded in the direction down by the stairs. I guessed it me -
Turkey gets out of control
As violence, in particular in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated, conflict-ridden southeast regions has surged, the power vacuum in Ankara has the potential to worsen the security situation as a whole in the country. Osman Baydemir, a deputy from the main pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), was describing to the Vatan daily on Aug. 19 the current fighting between security forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as the dirtiest-ever conflict. This -
A human rights call for peace
On Wednesday, in collaboration with the Human Rights Joint Platform (İHOP), several national human rights groups, including the Turkish branch of the Helsinki Citizens' Association (HYD), the Human Rights Agenda Association (IHGD), the Human Rights Association (İHD), the Human Rights Research Association (IHAD) and the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), issued a joint declaration, urging parties back to the negotiating table and calling for a farewell to arms in search of a -
Turkey’s future
In regions of Turkey with a high Kurdish and Zaza population, increasing arenas of conflict look set to determine who will ultimately be in power. Despite an overwhelming expectation of early elections, we must consider the real possibility that a minority government might be formed. In the meantime, the continuing conflict in Syria is having a significant effect on Turkey's political and social systems. Since the 2011 general election, Turkey's political an
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered