Society, Politics, and Economy in Modern Turkey: Sociology of Turkey - Maintained by Tugrul Keskin
We are at a point in our work when we can no longer ignore empires and the imperial context in our studies. (p. 5)
― Edward W. Said, Culture and Imperialism

Friday, July 25, 2014

The stumbling emergence of social democracy in Turkey

By William ARMSTRONG

william.armstrong@hdn.com.tr

Hurriyet Daily News - Friday,July 25 2014

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is never happier than when he is slamming the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) as solely responsible for all the authoritarian ills of Turkey’s modern history. The point is hammered so effectively and relentlessly that it has become an uncontestable truth for many Turks, but like most tub-thumping political rhetoric from the bully pulpit it’s a gross oversimplification. In fact, the CHP has spent far more time out of power than in it throughout republican history, and the its traditional principles have had a far less tenacious hold on the Turkish state than many want to believe. Indeed, those principles have been robustly contested within the party itself.
This detailed study by Turkish academic Yunus Emre focuses on the emergence of the CHP’s social democratic wing in the 1950s and 1960s, examining the peculiar trajectory of a center-left outside of social democracy’s “native” Western Europe. To frame this emergence, Emre spends a long time sketching the party’s origins in the early years of the republic, when it was in charge as a single party government for 27 years. In many senses, this early CHP defined itself against the left: The existence of classes and class interests was flatly rejected by the Kemalist nation-builders, who emphasized the principle of a single corporatist nation undifferentiated by class struggle or division and suppressed the organized labor movement. The establishment of a national economy and a national bourgeoisie was prioritized; no class-based organizations were allowed until 1947 and socialism and socialist organizations were illegal until the 1960s (long after the single-party era had ended).

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Sunday, July 20, 2014

OECD Economic Surveys: Turkey 2014

OECD - 10 July 2014

OECD's 2014 Economic Survey of Turkey examines recent economic developments, policies and prospects. The special chapter looks at structural change in the business sector.

READ THE REPORT ONLINE.....

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT......

Thursday, July 17, 2014

To Keep the Middle East Together, Don’t Let Iraq Split up

Ibrahim Kalin

Daily Sabah - June 20, 2014

The advance of ISIS and the miserable failure of the Maliki government to protect Iraqi citizens against it brought back the old discussions of splitting up of Iraq.

Given the rising tensions between Sunnis and Shias and the Kurdish aspiration for independence, some argue for a swift and pain-free division of the country. This, they claim, will create three states out of Iraq but keep the rest of the Middle East together.

Is this really the case? Or will the splitting up of Iraq be just the beginning of a reign of communal violence, terror, internecine wars and the socio-political disintegration of the entire Middle East?

Borders may change. There is nothing sacred about the current borders of the nation-state called Iraq. The question is how they change and under what circumstances. Dividing Iraq along ethnic and sectarian lines will be a disaster for all ethnic and sectarian relations in the region.

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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Obituary for Andrew Mango (1926-2014)

ÖZDEM SANBERK

Hurriyet Daily News - July/08/2014

When a new ambassador arrives in a great city, it is always a slightly daunting experience. He or she has to slip into the scene as a central figure, even though most of the faces that he sees are new. For Turkish ambassadors arriving in London, however, there was always one face who they knew and who could be relied on to offer shrewd and authoritative opinions and advice to help them find their way. In Turkey and in Britain, Andrew Mango was for many years one of the staunchest friends of our country. What’s more, he knew far more about Turkey, its people and its history than many Turkish ambassadors, myself included. He had followed its news closely for decades at the BBC and afterward. His range of acquaintances stretched from the 1940s to the 21st century and he had a superb memory. He was also an exceptionally widely-read scholar. He could speak not just modern Turkish, but also the language of the late Ottoman Empire. He had completed a doctorate many years before on Persian poetry and his vocabulary was so wide that many Turkish professors of Ottoman language and literature marveled at it. He could talk about 19th century Ottoman history in detail and followed the range of books coming out on Turkey each year, writing a long review article covering them all for the Middle Eastern Studies journal.

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Saturday, July 12, 2014

A New Report: What happened in the Gezi Park Protests? (Turkish)

Analysis of Gezi Park From the Participants' Perspectives

Mensur Akgün, Burak Cop, Yunus Emre, Çağla Gül Yesevi

Global Political Trends Center, Kultur University
May 2014

CONTENTS
Introduction (Giris)
Reasons for Participation (Eylemlere Katılma Nedenleri)
Understanding the Gezi Park Protests (Gezi Ruhunu Anlama)
Instead of Conclusion (Sonuç Yerine)
Recommended Readings (Okuma Öneriler) 
Methodology (Metodoloji)
Chronology (Kronoloji)

Download the report......

Turkey Navigates Iraq in the New Middle East

Saban Kardas

The German Marshal Fund of the United States - July 11, 2014

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) gains have put the impending political crisis in Iraq on international agenda. Turkey has also found itself at the center of this rapidly unfolding story, once again highlighting its critical position in the region. In line with its search for deeper engagement and multi-dimensionality, two main pillars of its foreign policy, Turkey has so far eschewed a containment policy and sustained its proactive involvement in the region. Despite some isolationist calls for disengagement following the advance of ISIS, Turkey will most likely maintain a selective engagement policy.

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University of Graz is now announcing a Post-Doc and also a paid PhD position on Turkey

With its 3,800 employees and 30,000 students, the University of Graz provides an exciting and varied work environment. Due to our research and teaching competence we are a central institution for Styria's position as centre of research and education.
The Centre for Southeast European Studies is seeking a
University Assistant with PhD
(equivalent to Post-Doc)

(40 hours a week; fixed-term employment for the period of 5 years; position to be filled as of September 1st 2014)

Job specification
• Independent research
• Contribution to collaborative, third-party research (application, project management and realisation)
• Teaching and teaching support
• Student supervision

Professional qualifications
• PhD in the humanities or social sciences
• Master education in history, cultural studies, anthropology, comparative politics or international relations
• Excellent area studies knowledge of Turkey
• Experience in comparative scholarly research (willingness to work with qualitative methods is required, a background in quantitative methodologies is welcome)
• Excellent command of Turkish and English, preferably also knowledge of an additional southeast European language
• A good record in academic publishing
• Expert skills of MS-Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), experience with visualisation methods used in the qualitative social sciences (gephi, word clouds)
• Good teaching record
• Please provide a two-page proposal for a potential research project

Personal profile
• Innovative thinking and commitment to independent academic work
• Openness towards new research questions and methods
• Excellent communications- and management skills
• Outstanding social skills and teamwork abilities

Classification
Salary scheme of the Universitäten-KV (University Collective Agreement): B1
Minimum salary

The minimum salary as stated in the collective agreement and according to the classification scheme is EUR 3483.30 gross/month. This minimum salary may be higher due to previous employment periods eligible for inclusion and other earnings and remunerations.

We offer you a job with a lot of responsibility and variety. You can expect a challenging work environment, flexible work hours and possibilities for further education and personal development. Take advantage of the chance to enter into a challenging work environment with team spirit and excellence.

Application Deadline: July 30th 2014Reference Number: MB/116/99 ex 2013/14

The University of Graz strives to increase the proportion of women in particular in management and faculty positions and therefore encourages qualified women to apply.
If you are interested, please submit your application documents within the stated deadline. Make sure to indicate the reference number on your application and please send your CV with photo, certificates and proposal to: bewerbung@uni-graz.at
Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Personalressort Universitätsplatz 3,
8010 Graz

For further information, please contact Dr. Kerem Öktem, kerem.oktem@sant.ox.ac.uk

https://online.uni-graz.at/kfu_online/wbMitteilungsblaetter.display?pNr=1417114

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Disavowing Kurdish independence, Turkey prepares for Kurdish energy future

By MICHA’EL TANCHUM

The Jerusalem Post - 07/08/2014

Turkey seems to have officially disavowed any support for the independence of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, despite AK Party deputy chairman Hüseyin Çelik’s June 28 comments to The Financial Times to the contrary. However, the KRG’s recent export of oil to Turkey’s Mediterranean oil port of Ceyhan, which after transshipment arrived in Israel’s Ashkelon port, highlighted the economic benefit to Turkey of a Kurdish political entity in Iraq with sufficient autonomy to market its energy independent of the constraints of the Iraqi central government in Baghdad.
Indeed, Ankara’s far-sighted effort to become a leading energy transportation hub includes a new oil refinery on Turkey’s Aegean coast and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline that respectively can accommodate oil and natural gas from the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq.
The new $5.6 billion STAR oil refinery is being built at the Petkim Petrochecmical Complex about 50 km north of the Turkish coastal city of Izmir. Petkim is the largest petrochemicals manufacturer in Turkey and currently accounts for approximately 30 percent of Turkey’s market share for refined petroleum products.

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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan’s Non-Apologies to the Armenians and Kurds

Fatma Müge Göçek

E-International Relations - Jul 7 2014

On 23 April 2014, one day before the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a message through the Internet, delivering his condolences to the grandchildren of the victims of the Armenian genocide. He stated that great pain was experienced during World War I, that understanding and sharing this pain was a duty of humanity, and that what was experienced in 1915 had to be investigated. [1] Was this an apology? If it was, it was certainly different in tone from his prior 23 November 2011 apology to the Kurds for the massacres they suffered. [2] In the latter context, he referred to the debate he had with the opposition leader Kılıçdaroğlu over the Dersim massacres while delivering a speech to the city leaders of his party; he disclosed four official documents to demonstrate the opposition party’s culpability, and then concluded by stating that he apologized on behalf of the Turkish state since the opposition leader whose party was responsible failed to do so. This article briefly reviews the apology literature, articulates what a successful apology ought to contain, and then discusses the Armenian and Kurdish cases to argue that neither of the statements comprised an apology.

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Monday, July 7, 2014

Post-Islamism in Turkey Panels at the Fourth World Congress for Middle East Studies” (WOCMES), METU, Ankara, Turkey August 18-22, 2014

Fourth World Congress for Middle East Studies” (WOCMES), METU, Ankara, Turkey August 18-22, 2014.

http://www.wocmes2014.org/?p=general_information

ORGANIZED BY ISABEL DAVID AND TUGRUL KESKIN

PANEL-1
POST-ISLAMISM IN TURKEY: A THEORETICAL APPROACH
Co-sponsored by Sociology of Islam Journal 
Moderator Tugrul Keskin 
1.Intellectual debate on Post-Islamism - Associate Professor Michelangelo Guida - Istanbul 29 Mayis University
2.“Respeaking the Ottoman Words, Reliving the Ottoman World: The Cultural Significance of Turkey’s Imperial Past and Its Political Significance for Turkish Islamism(s)” Professor Kemal Silay – Indiana University, Bloomington
3.Vakif as Intent and Practice: Charity and Poor Relief in Contemporary Turkey  - Assistant Professor Damla Isik - Regis University
4.Muslimism and Sites of Hybridity: Re-theorizing Contemporary Islam in Turkey - PhD. Neslihan Cevik – University of Virginia

PANEL-2
GULEN MOVEMENT AND POST-ISLAMISM
Co-sponsored by Center for Turkish Studies at Portland State University, Turkish and Ottoman Studies at Indiana University and Turkish Review
Moderator Kemal Silay 
1.Post-Islamism or Veering Toward Political Modernity? Ideology and Islam in the Gülen Movement - Post-Doctoral Research Fellow  - Fabio Vicini - 29 Mayıs University 
2.Becoming Muhacir, becoming Şakirde: A Case of Female University Students from Central Asia in the Gülen Movement in Turkey - MA Candidate - Marhabo Saparova - Sabanci University
3.Post-Islamist practices between Turkey and Tanzania: A perspective on teachers and businessmen inspired by Fethullah Gülen - Kristina Dohrn - Freie Universität
4. Emergent Actors, Emerging Narratives: Competing Representations of Islam and Turkey in North America - Oguz Alyanak PhD Student - Washington University in St. Louis Washington University St. Louis  

PANEL-3
JDP, POST-ISLAMISM AND NEOLIBERALISM
Co-sponsored by Critical Sociology
Moderator Isabel David   
1.AKP’s Shifts between Islamism and post-Islamism: What can the “December 17 Process” Tell Us? - Assistant Professor Beken Saatcioglu - MEF University
2.Beyond Takkiye vs. Liberalism?: Turkey’s “Post-Islamist” Foreign Policy - Assistant Professor  Nora Fisher Onar - Bahcesehir University
3.A Customized Neo-Liberalism with a Moral Call: An Assessment of the Growing JDP Connections in Turkish Businesses  - Reader, Gül Berna ÖZCAN University of London and Umut Gunduz Istanbul Technical University
4.Distilling the Problems of Post-Islamism through the case of Turkey’s AKP (or AKP through a glass darkly) PhD Bilge Azgin - University of Manchester

A New Book: Whose City Is That? Culture, Design, Spectacle and Capital in Istanbul

Editor(s): Dilek Özhan Koçak, Orhan Kemal Koçak

Cambridge Scholars Publishing - August 2014

Whose City is That? shows that Istanbul is produced not only by strong and systematic efforts, corporate influences and/or marketing activities, but also by individual contributions and coincidences. As such, the primary purpose of this book is to find the answer of to whom Istanbul does belong, presenting the reader with the richness of human experience and the practice of everyday life. The chapters in this book are therefore focused on the physical and economic dimensions, as well as the imaginary, fictional and hyper-real dimensions, expressing the concern of bringing the real and imaginary borders of the city together. The book provides an understanding that for each inhabitant there is another city, another Istanbul. Each person living in the city creates or lives in another city which is made of their own personal and particular experiences. In addition, the Istanbul the authors understand and describe turns into something different moment by moment, which cannot be defined or identified because of its very nature as a megacity. However, its flow is not aimless and non-directional, and each sign is not causeless or dateless. In this context, in order to make the possibilities of the city visible, the contributors to this volume ask: “Istanbul, whose city is it?” The title of the book enables different academics to ask the same question using different methodologies and subjects. The question “Whose City is That?” and the necessity of studying Istanbul using multidisciplinary perspectives brought many researchers from different fields together, because the city is larger than one approach and the constraints of one “unique” field. Gathering researchers and academics from various disciplines, such as communication studies, cultural studies, cinema/media studies, literature, the fine arts, city and regional planning, political science, social and economic geography, anthropology, and architecture enables each to think about the city alone and together, so as to create new forms of thought and discourse about Istanbul.

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Friday, July 4, 2014

Kitap Elestirisi: Gazetecinin Olumu, Elcin Poyrazlar - Ithaki Yayinlari, Istanbul 2014



Bu kitabin elestirisi Tugrul Keskin tarafindan yapilmistir.

Post Modern Siyaset Sehrinde Dogruyu Aramak

20’inci yuzyilin ikinci yarisinin siyasi tarihine iyisi veya kotusu ile hic kuskusuz damgasini vuran Amerika Birlesik Devletlerinin baskentinde gazeteci olmak, eger DC’ye torpille atanmiyorsaniz, gercekten egitim, tecrube, enerji, bilgi birikimi, analiz yetenegi, ve iyi bir netvork gerektirir. Cunku Washington’da yasayanlarin tanimladigi gibi DC, sosyal, siyasi ve ekonomik aglar ile orulmus post modern bir sehirdir. Bu karmasik ve guclu aglar zincirinin, hayatin her alanini kapsadigi bir sehirde yasam gazeteciler icin bir hayli zordur. Iste bu baglamda DC’de uzun yillar gazetecilik yapmis olan Cumhuriyet gazetesinin Washington temsilcisi Elcin Poyrazlar’in yazdigi polisiye kurgu roman, Gazetecinin Olumu’nu okurken DC’yi bilenler ile bilmeyenler arasindaki farkin ayirdina vardim desem herhalde yalan olmaz. Hayatimin belli bir donemini gecirdigim bu sehirde edindigim tecrube ve bilgi, her ne kadar kurgu da olsa, Elcin Poyrazlar’in romaninda anlatmaya calistigi mekanlar, kisiler ve olaylar ile hafizami tazeledi.

Washington’da Turk-Amerikan iliskilerinin dalgali oldugu bir donemde bulunurken gece yarisi kendisine gelen bir telefonla hayati degisen bir Turk gazetecisi olan Selin Uygar’in, siyaset ve Washington’da ki aglar zincirindeki kisa bir kesitini anlatan bu romani daha iyi anlayabilmek icin Washington’u da iyi bilmeniz gerekiyor. Cunku kurgu kisiler, mekanlar ve olaylar sizin sadece roman okumak ile ilgili olan zevkinizi tatmin edebilir, fakat Washington’u taniyorsaniz bu kitaptan daha zevk alabilirsiniz. Washington’u tanimak sadece iki haftalik ziyaret ile ilgili degildir; insanlari, iliskileri, ve mekanlari da kendi semtiniz gibi bilmenizi gerektirir. Poyrazlar’in bunu her ne kadar hatalar da olsa Gazetecinin Olumu’nde basardigini dusunuyorum.

Romandaki Ulke gazetesinin Washington temsilcisi genc bir bayan olan Selin’in, yasamini bir kenara birakirken isini yani gazeteciligi bir yasam felsefesi olarak benimsemesini ve kendi celiskilerini anlatirken, basindan gecen olaylari polisiye kurgu bicimde yaziya dokmustur. Zaten bu celiskiyi, Elcin Poyrazlar, Gonul hanim ile Selin arasinda gecen konusmada da yansitmisa benziyor: “Haber, haber, haber. Hepiniz aynisiniz diye veryansin etti kadin, asktan, evlilikten, aileden once hep haber gelir degil mi?” (74). Bu roman, her ne kadar bazi abartmalar olsa da, Washington’da ki bir gazetecinin hayatindan kesittir. Bu kesit bize bulundugu sehirde ki diger gazeteciler, diplomatlar, casuslar ve normal insanlar ile iliskilerini yansitir. Bu iliskilerin bir kismi diplomatlar orneginde oldugu gibi cok yapmacik, az bir kismi ise, Selin’in Maryland’ta ki Gizli Bahce Oteli ve sahipleri gibi samimi guncel insanlari ve olaylari icerir. Zaten hayatin kendiside bu ince cizgiyi korumak degilmidir.

Romandaki olaylar zinciri, Selin’in aldigi isimsiz bir telefonda Vedat Oldu uyarisi ile baslar. Olen Vedat Yildirim, Washington’da uzun yillar gazetecilik yapan Yeni Donem gazetesinin Washington temsilcisidir. Onemli bir haberin pesindeyken kafasina kursun sikilarak oldurulmus ve cesedi Potomac nehrinin kiyisina atilmistir. Hem gazetecilik hem de insani bir duygu ile hareket eden Selin ise olayi cozmek icin ugras verirken kendisini Washington’un karanlik dehlizleri ve iliskiler agi icinde bulur. Bu hem tehlikeli hem de eglenceli bir surecide beraberinde getirir, her ne kadar Selin bunu tehlikeli de bulsa, her gercek gazeteci gibi haberin pesinden gitme durtusu onu cesitli olaylarin icine surukler. Kirli iliskiler agi icinde bazi Turk diplomatlarin samimiyetsiz davranislari, gazetecileri bilgi almada kullanmak istemeleri, tehdit etmeleri, veya bazi amerikalilarin onlari Turkiye’ye mesaj vermede kullanmalari, Washington’daki gazetecileri ince bir ipte oynayan cambaza benzetir. Bu acidan eger Washington’a torpille belli iliskiler agina takdim edilmek icin gelmediyseniz, isiniz bir hayli zordur. Cunku Selin gibi kendi iliskilerinizi kendiniz yaratmaniz gerekebilir, bagimsiz olmaniz demek, aslinda Washington’da yanliz olmaniz demektir. Yanlizligin ise bir bedeli vardir, bu bedel sizin haber kaynaklarinizin sinirlanmasi olarak sizi kisitlayabilir. O yuzden kendi haber kaynaklarinizi kendiniz yaratirken Selin gibi, tecrubeli Amerikali kaynaklar bulmaniz gerekir. Selin’in akil hocasi Matt Davis herhalde buna en iyi ornektir. Washington’u bilen eski kurt bir gazetecinin hem iliskileri gucludur hemde tecrubesi ile sizin yarariniza olabilecek tavsiyelerde bulunarak sizin onunuzu acabilir.      

Selin’in belitttigi gibi “Washington gizli veya acik herkesin ayni firinda ekmek yedigi kucuk bir koydu. O firinin tek urunu ise politikaydi.” (18) Iste bu yuzden her ne kadar Turk elcileri, Turk gazetecilere elciligin onlarin bir evi oldugunu soylesede bu hic bir zaman dogru degildir. Elciligin gazeteciler ile olan iliskileri her zaman karisik olmustur, zaten Selin bunu romanda, Vedat Yildirim’in Turk elciliginde basin atasesi Faruk ve Kultur atesesi Mehmet ile olan karmasik iliskilerinde butun acikligi ile gosterir (22). Diplomatlarin tehditkar tavirlari ile gazetecileri rahatsiz etmeleri gayet dogal olarak gozukebilir, cunku diplomat icin gazeteci bir dost degil, bir bilgi kaynagidir, ne kadar cok bilgi alirsa o kadar guzel kariyer yapabilir. Bilgiyi alirken, yanlis yonlendirme de yapan bu eski burokratlara en iyi ornek herhalde Henri Barkey’in yakin dostu eski Washington elcisi Namik Tan olsa gerektir. Tan Washington’da ki Turk gazetecileri yanlis bilgilendirme ve yonlendirmede ki ustaligi ve bunu amirlerine buyuk bir zevk ile anlatmasi bazi diplomatlarin psikolojisini anlamada bize yardimci olabilir. Cunku diplomatlarin amaci yukselmek elci olmaktir, gazetecinin ise haber yapmak ve isini devam ettirmek. Washington bu baglamda aslinda herkesin ekmegini pisirdigi firinidir. Bazilari vatan icin veya haber icin mucadele ederken bazilari da Elcin Poyrazlar’in romaninda betimledigi dusuk karakterli kariyer oyuncularidir.     
 
Selin sadece diplomatlardan degil, gazetecilerin cikara dayali kirli ve karmasik iliskiler aginida romaninda anlatir, belki de bunun en guzel ornegi Express gazetesinin temsilcisi Resat Kurtman’dir (26).  Romanda carpici baska bir ayrinti ise Selin’in Amerikalilara daha fazla guvenmesidir. Selin’in, Tyler Gordon taniminda (28) zaten bu acik bir sekilde belirtilirken bunun dogruluk payina katilmamak elde degildir.

Selin’in kendisine “Vedat Oldu” haberini telefonda bildirdigini zannetigimiz John Dike ile tanismasi, Washington’un taninmis semtleri ve mekanlarinda bulusmasi, bulusurken Dike’in O’na aslinda Vedat’a onerdigi haberi yapmasi icin yardim etmek istemesi bize DC’nin casusluk agi ornegini sergilerken, bu ilginc oldugu kadar tehlikeli, bir o kadar da eglenceli bir dunyaya bizi goturur. Iste bu asamada Selin’in Amerikali gazeteci dostu Davis ile bulustugu Kramer kafeye gitmesi, Dike ile Kongre Kutuphanesinde bulusmasi, Capital Hill’de oturmasi, Logan Circle’da yurumesi ve Georgetown’in yuzyila yaklasan evlerinden bahsederken sehrin aslinda bir yasayan olarak tasvirini yapmasi bizi sadece bir romana veya siyasi olaylar zincirine baglamaz, ayrica bu sehiri tanimamiza da yardimci olur.             

Vedat Yildirim’in cinayetini cozerken, Selin Uygar’in Ulke gazetesi icin yaptigi ABD Ile Anlasmali Kavga haberi aslinda Poyrazlar’in bizi sadece romana degil de yasanan siyasete de odaklanmamiz gerektigini vurguluyor gibi (77). Cunku Turk-Amerikan iliskileri son 12 yilda sanki farki bir boyuta girmis gibi gozukuyor. Romanin ilerleyen yerlerinde gazeteci Ali’nin MIT ajani olarak ozel bir gorevle Washington’a gelmesi aslinda kitabin casusluk, siyaset ve polisiye bir kurgu olmasini cok guzel ozetliyor denilebilir (90). 

Poyrazlar’in romaninda anlatmaya calistigi sanki bizi gercek olaylar zincirine goturmek istercesine kisa mesajlar verirken, Selin Uygar’in Ulke gazetesi (106) veya Matt Davis ile birlikte New York Times (106) icin yaptigi Turk-Amerikan iliskilerine dair haberler okurda acaba bunlar dogru olabilir mi sorusunu akla getiriyor. Acaba romanda bahsedien Turkiye Basbakani Cevat Koc ile ABD Baskan yardimcisi Dick Redford arasinda gecen konusma ve Turkiye’de konuslandirilmak istenen ABD ozel kuvvetlerinden bir ekibin ve Dick Redford’un Blackhawk adli silah sirketi ile olan iliskileri (162) bize aslinda DC’nin karanlik ve bir o kadar da heyecanli dunyasina goturuyor.     

DC gibi Post Modern bir siyaset sehrinde dogru yoktur; siyasi, ekonomik ve sosyal cikarlar uzerine kurulmus iliskiler agi mevcuttur, bu agda devlet, millet, vatan gibi kavramlar genelde Marks’in Kapital’in de bahsettigi piyasa ekonomisinde ki alinip satilan urunler olarak algilanir, bu baglamda bizim toplumumuzun anladigi dunya ya ters bir yapi oldugundan, bizim etik ve ahlaki kavramlarimiz ile tanimlanamaz. O’nu anlayabilmek icin, o surecin icine girmeniz gerekir; girdiginizde ise bambaska bir dunya ile karsilasirsiniz, sizi celbeder, cunku bu surec guc, para, hirs kavramlari uzerine kurulmus kapitalist yozlasmanin insandaki en ust noktasini teskil eder. Bu baglamda Elcin Poyrazlar’in belirttigi gibi, DC’de “bilgi cok tehlikeli bir silahtir, dogru kullanmazsaniz size oldurur” (36). Washington’dan hasbelkader gecmis bazi Turk gazetecilerin yaptigi abartmali kitaplarin aksine, bir Turk gazetecinin boyle bir calisma yapmasinin onemli oldugunu dusunuyorum.  Her ne kadar Elcin Poyrazlar, bu ilk romaninda Tom Clancy’nin amator bir versiyonu gibi gorunsede, bu polisiye kurgu romani, siyaset ile ilgilenen ve Washington’u anlamak isteyen herkese tavsiye ederim.            

[1] Tugrul Keskin Portland Devlet Universitesinde Uluslararasi Iliskiler, Sosyoloji ve Afrika Arastirmalari konularinda ders vermekte olup, ayni universitesinin Ortadogu Arastirmalari lisans programi direktorudur.  

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Ekümenopolis: Ucu Olmayan Şehir | 2012 (English Subtitle)


Ottoman Nostalgia: A Proactive Turkey in the Middle East?

Joshua Walker

War on the Rocks - July 1, 2014

Istanbul, Turkey –  Nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire has been on the rise as of late. The Ottoman Sultan’s seal can be found on T-shirts, advertisements, and jewelry everywhere in its old imperial capital of Istanbul. More alarmingly, the jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are now proclaiming a new Islamic caliphate in former Ottoman provinces.  The shadows of history over the Middle East bring back images of 1916, when the current lines of the Middle East were drawn by the British and French empires in the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement. Four years later, the Treaty of Sevres was intended as the fait accompli, dismantling as it did what remained of the Ottoman Empire.  The effects of these nearly hundred-year old events are being felt and bitterly remembered in Turkey today. Yet it’s not just the ancient past, but more recent history that should trouble Ankara. With the fall of Mosul and the kidnapping of the Turkish Consul General and over 80 Turkish citizens, the painful shadows of Al-Qaeda’s attacks in Istanbul a decade ago hover over Ankara once again. In the 1920s, Mosul was claimed by the new Turkish Republic and was the subject of one of the League of Nation’s first major arbitrations, thereby assuring itself a special significance in Turkish historical memory.

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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Expats stranded in Turkey due to residence permit delays

By Samantha North 

The Telegraph - 01 Jul 2014

Expats in Turkey have experienced difficulties travelling abroad since the introduction of new residency permit regulations in April, with long delays in paperwork being processed.  The Istanbul foreigners’ department website has advised that expats waiting to apply for or to receive their residency permits (known as ikamet in Turkish) may be stopped at the airport if they attempt to leave or re-enter Turkey.  According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 40,000 British people currently live in Turkey. Foreigners wishing to apply for an ikamet have to book an appointment to visit the local police. But there are long delays for available appointments. The Istanbul police department website shows no available slots until October 2014.

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Econ 101 Is Bunk to Turkey's Erdogan in Debate on Interest Rates Role

By Onur Ant

Bloomberg - Jun 30, 2014

Your economics textbook got it all wrong. At least that’s what Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says.  The Turkish leader, 60, is emerging as a global pioneer of putting an untested theory of economics into action. While central bankers around the world, including Turkey’s, have made interest rate decisions based on the textbook assumption that higher rates will work to slow inflation, Erdogan and his administration argue the opposite.  “High interest rates are not the result of a high inflation rate, they’re its cause,” Yasin Aktay, head of the foreign relations committee of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, said by phone from Ankara on June 7. “The premier is talking about the relationship between the two based on scientific facts,” he said, without explaining how Erdogan reached that conclusion.

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