Turkey bids farewellto a great racer Nov 5, 2008
The horse in question is Ribella, the nine-year-old bay mare, whose extremely successful flat racing career has made her both the most popular and the most profitable horse in Turkish history. Jubilees, or farewell matches, are generally held for retiring sports stars. (Asia Times Online)
Continental Divide Oct 21, 2008
Late last month, by seeking a last-minute injunction, he almost succeeded in shutting down a conference on the mass killings of Armenians in 1915, one of the most brutal episodes in Turkish history, and one which has never been officially acknowledged by a Turkish government. The conference went ahead following the personal intervention of the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and sparked protests widely interpreted in Western media as evidence of Turkey's un-European behavior. (Time.com)
On Trial: the Shadowy Network at the Heart of Turkey Oct 21, 2008
Critics say their unwillingness suggests that some aspects of recent Turkish history are still off-limits. "This case gives Turkey a chance to make clear that it will hold security forces accountable for abuse," says Benjamin Ward, associate Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. (Time.com)
Turkey's governing party avoids ban Jul 31, 2008
The court case was the culmination of an epic battle between the country's secular establishment a powerful coterie of judges and generals that has deposed elected governments four times in Turkish history and Erdogan, a broadly popular politician whose supporters say that his past as a political Islamist is firmly behind him. And while the ruling was widely viewed as a victory for Erdogan, and in turn for Turkish democracy, the court reined the party in, imposing a strong but not fatal sanction... (International Herald Tribune)
Day of decision for Turkey over future of secular state Jul 29, 2008
Since its election in 2002, it has repeatedly insisted that it has turned its back on its conservative Islamic roots, and it has been one of the most liberal, pro-European parties in Turkish history. The European Union and more mutely the United States have criticised the indictment, which could end with the closure of the party and five-year political bans on 71 of its members including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul. (Independent)
History Lesson Jul 21, 2008
By the time my wife, son Aaron and I visited here last month - a stop on a nine-day visit of western Turkey - we'd filled in some gaps in Turkish history ... A 7,500-year-old wall painting depicting cavemen stabbing a deer greets visitors as a chronological unfolding of Turkish history begins. (Durango Herald)
A glimpse of Trabzon in Turkey's eastern Black Sea region Jul 6, 2008
The influential and charismatic leader held a special place in hearts of the people of Trabzon as he visited the city three times and inspired local people to have a high regard for Turkish history and understand the value of the mother tongue in praying. This may explain the presence of a statue of Ataturk in Ataturk Alani (Ataturk Square) in the heart of the city, which we visited while enjoying the sights of the city's nightlife and drinking strong Turkish coffee outside of our scheduled... (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Features)
In Turkey, majority confronts old guard over head scarves Jan 30, 2008
Now, for the first time in Turkish history, that underclass, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is challenging the old order and at least for now, is getting away with it. Turkey is like a restless expatriate, who spent most of the last century in the West, trying to escape its previous six centuries as the capital of the Muslim east, and the challenge to the old guard over an item like the head scarf is, in many ways, Turkey returning to itself. (International Herald Tribune)
Turkey Busts Alleged Murder Network Jan 29, 2008
The arrests are a milestone for Turkey: Kucuk is the first general officer in recent Turkish history to be brought in by police for questioning, newspapers said. But the audacity and sheer scope of the allegations raises the unsettling question of whether the individuals arrested might just be the tip of the iceberg. (Time.com)
Turkey struggles to define itself Jan 25, 2008
"Of course we need to have Ataturk statues, but there are other people in Turkish history and they deserve statues, too," he said. 1. (International Herald Tribune)
Letter from Turkey Jan 16, 2008
Perhaps more to the point, 2007 was one of the more turbulent years in Turkish history, with secular Turks standing off against the rising power of a pious class of politicians, and people may have been reaching back to what was familiar. A political crisis over the selection of a president paralyzed the government and prompted an early election. (International Herald Tribune)
The celebrity outsider Nov 20, 2007
Orhan Pamuk has been a literary insider for a dozen years now, ever since his fifth novel, Yeni Hayat (The New Life), became the fastest-selling novel in Turkish history ... 1994: Yeni Heyat, a difficult, poetic novel, is published in Turkey and surprisingly becomes the fastest-selling book in Turkish history. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Newsweek: Turkey risking Western ties for a reason Oct 31, 2007
And while dozens of Turkish soldiers have died in Kurdish rebel ambushes, the U.S. Congress has been spending its time considering a resolution that would label the massacres of Ottoman Armenians a "genocide," one of the most controversial episodes in modern Turkish history. "Turkey will not move away from the West by its choice," says Ahmet Davutoglu, chief foreign-policy adviser to Turkey's prime minister. (MSNBC -- International)
PRESS DIGEST - Turkey - Oct 22 Oct 22, 2007
- Referendum with the lowest turnout in Turkish history. Sixty-nine percent say "yes" to constitutional changes allowing public to elect president. (Reuters)
Traumatic issues trouble Turkey's sense of its identity Oct 13, 2007
The answer is hidden deep inside the Turkish psyche, and to a large extent, printed on the pages of Turkish history books. But with the changes to promote democracy in Turkey in recent years, opinions are slowly changing. (International Herald Tribune)
YouTube Hit Lauds Journalist's Killer Sep 25, 2007
The killings of Armenians constitutes a shadowy part of Turkish history that predates the modern republic. Up to 1. (CBS News -- World)
Fisk: The Forgotten Holocaust Aug 30, 2007
A university lecturer in modern Turkish history, he is one of the most dynamic Armenian genocide researchers inside the remains of Armenia, which is all that was left after the Turkish slaughter; it suffered a further 70 years of terror as part of the Soviet Union. "Yes, you can have these pictures, he says. "We are still discovering more. (Zmag.org)
Turkey unveiledAuthor Elif Shafak says women are focus of identity debate Aug 29, 2007
The year 2007 has been one of the most turbulent years in recent Turkish history. Turkey's pop music reveals its close identification with the West. (BBC News -- Europe)
Turkish official with Islamic ties wins presidency Aug 29, 2007
But Gul's party, Justice and Development, refused to back down, and his success on Tuesday was a rare occasion in Turkish history in which a party prevailed against the military. There was no immediate statement from the military, which has ousted four elected governments since 1960. (International Herald Tribune)
Changing fortunesSecond time lucky for Turkish presidential hopeful Abdullah Gul? Aug 20, 2007
If so, the Presidential Palace would host a First Lady who wears the Islamic headscarf for the first time in Turkish history. Military warnings. (BBC News -- Europe)
Controversial Turkish foreign minister Gul relaunches presidential bid Aug 20, 2007
"This is a new period in Turkish history, definitely," says Huseyin Bagci at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, adding that the military has been "shocked" by the outcome. The president is also commander in chief of the armed forces. (Christian Science Monitor)
Turkish group uses wit as weapon for change Jul 23, 2007
For most of Turkish history, there was little room for society to question the official model of a Turkish citizen - a Muslim with no ethnic identity or strong political opinion. The education system reinforced that prototype. (International Herald Tribune)
TURKEY'S ISLAMIST CROSSROADS Jul 9, 2007
Four years of economic boom, the longest in Turkish history, and a set of popular reforms have prevented the AKP's opponents from pushing the party on the defensive about its record. Nevertheless, even some of those who express sympathy for the AKP admit that they can't be sure that the party doesn't have a hidden agenda. (New York Post -- Opinions)
A silent revolution in Turkey Jun 26, 2007
A B McConnel is finishing a history master of arts program at Sabanci University in Istanbul, with a focus on Republican Turkish history and Turkish-US relations. He has lived in Istanbul since 1999. (Asia Times Online)
FATHER JONATHAN May 22, 2007
Having interviewed both common people on the street and power brokers in both the political and religious worlds, it is clear that the precarious status of religious liberty today in Turkey cannot be understood without an in-depth understanding of Turkish history, both ancient and modern, as well as the competing political forces currently at work within the country. Here s some good news: Despite the recent violence against Christians, I think Turkey as a nation, and Christian Turks in... (Fox News -- Views)
Cleric threatens holy war in standoff May 21, 2007
Yesterday's rally drew a smaller crowd than the previous protests, but it was symbolic because of Samsun's importance in recent Turkish history. The city was where the country's secular founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, launched the war of independence. (Boston Globe)
Getting Turkey right May 3, 2007
By contrast, the AK Party has led one of the most impressive pro-democracy drives in Turkish history and has brought the country into accession negotiations with the European Union. The Turkish economy has grown on an average of 7 percent over the last five years, and has attracted close to $50 billion in foreign direct investment in three years. (International Herald Tribune)
Court ruling triggers early election May 3, 2007
The Turkish Prime Minister announced last night that he would seek legislative elections as early as next month after the country s top court annulled a parliamentary vote to elect the next president. As the country s crisis deepened, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also proposed a reform package, including presidential elections by popular vote, that could change the face of Turkish politics. (Yahoo News -- Turkey)
Erdogan Seeks Turks' Support, May Call Early Elections in Fight with Army May 1, 2007
Gul would be the first president with an Islamist past, and his wife, Hayrunisa, would be the only first lady in modern Turkish history to wear an Islamic-style headscarf, which is banned in universities and other public buildings. Analysts and Erdogan's rivals in parliament say early elections would avert further tensions with the army and more damage to Turkey's economy, which last year attracted a record $19. (Bloomberg -- Europe)
Boghos Nubar Pasha and the Armenian Claims Apr 25, 2007
According to Turkish history, Armenians have never been majority in eastern Anatolia. However, it is hard to understand how Armenians misinterpret their history and comes up with such contradictory claims. (Journal of Turkish Weekly)
Share your prediction Mar 23, 2007
There is also a serious need to address questions of religious freedom for Christians and to face up to the burden of Turkish history as a former occupying power in much of Eastern Europe and the related question of the Ottoman state s responsibility for the Armenian massacres. What would the Turks do if Armenia joined the EU before them. (International Herald Tribune)
Turkey's nationalist hotbed Mar 2, 2007
Football is the only thing that keeps them from falling," he says. In depressed city suburbs like Pelitli, there does seem little else to dream of. The accused gunman and his alleged chief accomplice both come from this neglected neighbourhood, where small children play in puddles and older boys chase a ball down the street. But even Pelitli has a football team and both the main accused played for it. The team, Pelitlispor, initially carried messages of support for its ex-teammates on its... (BBC News -- Europe)
Histories of two families collide in 'Istanbul' Feb 27, 2007
Too bad she lives with them: her mother Zeliha, the sexy, brassy owner of a tattoo parlor; her aunt Banu, a psychic who mixes belief in folk magic with Islamic piety; her aunt Cevriye, a humorless teacher of Turkish history who's a walking fountain of nationalist propaganda; her grandmother, G ls m , who's perpetually furious at Zeliha's failure to be anything approaching a good Muslim; her great-grandmother, Petite-Ma , who's succumbing to Alzheimer's; and lastly her aunt Feride, who's. well,... (Boston Globe -- Living)
Christoff: Armenian Genocide Feb 23, 2007
Days after Dink's death, hundreds of thousands gathered in Istanbul to denounce the murder in one of the biggest demonstrations in contemporary Turkish history. "The Armenian diaspora should follow closely the current developments in Turkey and build ties with the democracy movement," says Akam. (Zmag.org)
SONER CAGAPTAY: Armenian genocide folly Feb 22, 2007
By passing the resolution, the Congress would be passing judgment on Turkish history, which the Turks would see as the ultimate insult. This is bad news at a time when America's favorability rating in Turkish opinion polls is already at an all-time low of 7 percent. (Washington Times)
Istanbul attack masterminds get life Feb 17, 2007
The November bombings were the worst militant attacks in Turkish history, in which suicide bombers rammed bomb-laden trucks into the synagogues on 15 November, 2003, and the British consulate and the British bank HSBC on 20 November. AFP. (iAfrica.com)
A death in Istanbul Jan 29, 2007
The assassination of editor Hrant Dink set off the largest peaceful demonstration in modern Turkish history. Can last week's symbolic events lead to reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia. (Boston Globe)
* Journalist's funeral draws huge crowd Jan 25, 2007
Comments on that tumultuous period of Turkish history have landed several of the country's most famous thinkers in court. Police were questioning seven suspects, including a teenager, Ogun Samast, who authorities said has confessed to shooting Dink, and Yasin Hayal, a nationalist militant convicted in a 2004 bomb attack at a McDonald's restaurant. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Film tackles 'genocide' controversy Jan 22, 2007
The killing of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist who publicised the killing of hundreds of thousands of Armenians at the turn of the 20th century, is likely to turn a spotlight on a dark period of Turkish history. Many Armenians say the killings, perpetrated in the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire between 1915-17, were deliberate acts of genocide. (Aljazeera.Net)
A journalist's dangerous mission Jan 20, 2007
Turkey's violent ultra nationalist fringe, long supported by elements in the police and military, aims not only to kill journalists but also to stop the progress of Turkish history. No government has tried seriously to crush it. (Boston Globe)
