COLUMNISTS
September 20, 2015, Sunday
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Hell for journalists
On Monday, for the first time in my life, I appeared in court as a "suspect." Apparently, my "crime" was to insult a public servant; namely, interim Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, via the Internet. Despite an almost two-year smear campaign against journalists from our media group, including me, I have proudly and patiently not even been responding to harassing messages and I was careful about the tone I used in my social media message -
Civilian dictatorship
A month ago, one of the executives of the Star daily, a pro-government media outlet, was attacked. The pro-government circles asked this question while supporters of the political administration raided the Hürriyet daily and pro-government columnists threatened Hürriyet columnists: Why did you not condemn the attack against Star? This is not a joke; and if you encounter some facts that seem to be a joke, this means that you are dealing with some tricks of -
Russia won’t give up on Assad
As I wrote in my last column, over the past few weeks Russia has begun to boost its military presence in Syria. Not only does Moscow intend to be more visible, including playing a larger role in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) by increasing its support for its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia is also working to put itself center stage in efforts to broker a political solution for the Syrian crisis. The Kremlin's g -
Stalin’s chicken
You know the story about Stalin's chicken? The story talks about how the Soviet leader relied on a brutal mentality to repress his people so that he could sustain his rule. Stalin once asked his bureaucrats this question: “What is the best way and method to govern the people most strongly?” Everybody said something. Some referred to justice, some to exile and some to imprisonment. Stalin then called his maids and told them to bring a chicken. They brought the chicken r -
Problems are former choices
Social problems are a badly managed reality. If not solved early, they take a heavy toll on society and become intractable. That is what happened with the “Kurdish Problem” of Turkey. It exacted nearly 40,000 lives, caused hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary expenses and resulted in relative underdevelopment, leading to the emotional division of the nation that shows signs of reflecting on the geography. The incumbent Justice and Dev -
Turkey darkening its future with fossil fuel incentives
We have been speaking out against how much damage is being done to the Turkish economy and its ecology by providing incentives for fossil fuels for years. Although some developed and developing countries do not care about the destruction caused by fossil fuels, the latest figures indicate the gravity of the situation. A report titled “The Cost of Subsidizing Fossil Fuel Production In Turkey: Why Turkey Should Implement the G20 Commitment To Phase Out Fossil Fu -
Fortress Europe?
The term Fortress Europe -- although in use for much longer, including a military connotation during World War II -- became a real hot pick during the 1980s when what was then the European Economic Communities (EEC) began to create its internal market. Critics argued this would lead to a super-state, which albeit offering better living and trade conditions for those inside would unfairly fence off other nations' businesses and peoples. Yet overall, positive resu -
Stand with interfaith dialogue against Islamophobia
While New York is getting ready to host a big interfaith event on Sept. 25 with Pope Francis, who will share the stage with leaders of many faith traditions while in the city, last Wednesday, America was stunned by a disturbing news report of Islamophobia in which a 14-year-old Muslim boy was arrested because he brought a homemade clock to school. I woke up to #IStandWithAhmed being the number one trending topic on Twitter on Wednesday. Since the hashtag included a -
TOBB’s march against terror
Fourteen civil society groups, trade and labor unions and guild organizations representing different segments of society made a general call and asked people to participate in a joint march against terrorism on Sept. 17 at Ankara Sıhhiye Square. TOBB Chair Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, who made the joint call, said: “We call our people and civil society to condemn terrorism and express support for our brotherhood. We say no to terrorism and yes to brotherhood. We urg -
A dovish hawk and Turkey
Don't be misguided by the title. I am not going to tell an Aesopian fable. This column is all about the bare and solid world of economics. With a nine-to-one vote, the collective mind of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) said the time had not yet come for a long-awaited interest rate hike, citing certain domestic economic and financial troubles, as well the recent jitters in the global economy and markets. Was the FOMC statement dovis -
Who is afraid of the free media?
I listened again to the speech Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered to a crowd before he entered Pınarhisar Prison, where he would be imprisoned for four months and 10 days after being charged for expressing his views. Erdoğan had been a victim of the anti-democratic practices of the post-modern Feb. 28 coup, and the most striking message he conveyed was: "Work hard to become good judges and prosecutors." Apparently, this was the wording he chose to protest
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