Once I stated that Turkish State have lost Kurds after the closure of DTP. Kurdish opening etc progressed slowly but there had been gains. 30 years ago, you could not utter the word “Kurdish” publicly in this country. Now there is a state TV channel in Kurdish. I don’t claim these are enough but such a thorny issue cannot be solved easily. And Kurdish national consciousness has been gaining ground, more and more public spaces for Kurdishness appeared in the last year. However, organized Kurdish response to politics is to step up terroristic activities. Unfortunately not only the guerilla movement but its political dimension, many leaders of BDP explicitly support terrorist activities. Latest wave of attacks are unbearable. It is highly possible that the Turkish State may start an anti-terror campaign in unprecedented scales with an unforeseen popular support…
Turkey and Kurds
Attempts to take Turkey back to pre-AKP political scene: PKK increase attacks, Top courts intervene in favor of Ergenekon, American neocons scream for battle
Top Statesmen visit the ambushed site … and a few ask why the all powerful Turkish army cannot defend its own soldiers… And the government doesn’t have any other support than its own constituencies. Hard times to be an AKP official. Middle Eastern sympathies cannot become a concrete support in near future, AKP has to … Read more
Orhan Kemal Cengiz on EU funding NGOs in Turkey/ new issue of Political Reflection Vol. 1 | No. 2 …
?Europeanizing Turkey and the Politics of Fear? by Dr. Rabia Karakaya Polat
Excerpt from Rabia Karakaya Polat (2010) ?How Far away from the Politics of Fear: Turkey in the EU Accession Process? in Tunkrova, L. and Saradin P. (eds.) The Politics of EU Accession: Turkish Challenges and Central European Experiences, London: Routledge, pp. 58-71.
Human Rights roundup in Turkey.
Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yildiz arrives at a hospital in Ankara for a medical check after he was punched in the face April 19, 2010. Yildiz was punched in the face in Kayseri, during a funeral for a Turkish officer killed in clashes with Kurdish PKK rebels in a military operation in southeast Turkey.? Read more » REUTERS
Parliamentary Investigation into Murder of Journalist Dink?
Ahmet Türk was attacked…
… while security officials were immediate. A tendency to tolerate “nationalist emotions”? Like sympathasing with the murderer of Hrant Dink?
Pro-Kurdish Politician Türk Attacked
TEKEL 51- a documentary on TEKEL workers’ strike
tekel 51 is a documentary about the 51th. day of tekel resistance ? before the day of general strike – it contains interviews with the resisters and quite good view of the squatted streets which turned to a village of tents.-
in turkish
download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/367886567/tekel_51.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/367877652/tekel_51.part2.rar
HSYK coup today.
The Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors of Turkey (HSYK) had just ripped of a key special Prosecutor’s judicial authority who decreed the arrest of a Prosecutor related to Ergenekon case. HSYK had been effective in obstructing judicial investigations against the military tutelage.
Venice Commission secretary slams HSYK, urges judicial reform
Judicial tutelage at work: Yet another political ruling by the Turkish judiciary
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – A politically motivated ruling
Another coup plan unveiled: “Sledgehammer”
There is no need to have another coup plan unveiled, but Taraf daily insists on the new coup plan… some military officials might have planned these bloody plans.. in fact, most tactics were already employed in the 12 September 1980 coup… A roundup on Turkish politics follows…
Bloodiest coup plan: ?Sledgehammer?
Turkey is not heading towards civilian fascism…
As the military tutelage is under heavy assault, another wave of counter-attack comes from the pro-military circles. That definitely does not mean anyone suspecting of a possible civilian fascism era is pro-military. But hegemonic issues are complicated and thus it is hard to detect who is who in these hegemonic struggles. A sincerely concerned columnist’s ideas may easily be manipulated. Like Şerif Mardin’s ideas on “neighborhood pressure” before, some sincere ideas seems to be manipulated these days. My brief ideas for the moment:
1. It is a normalization baby.In many fronts. Turkey’s leadership was so distanced from the ordinary citizens. A total separation of worlds. Now it looks a bit similar. Is this good? I don’t know. But arrogant materially westernized but mentally oriental and distanced Turkish elites are replaced arrogant materially local and mentally local and seemingly less distanced elites.This annoys circles associated with older elites. These maybe sincerely democratic in thought but class counts. Social class reflexes rise unconsciously as the transformation of elites continue…
2. Just having a larger historical perspective: Was there any time in Turkish Republican that is better than now? This strongly worded “civilian fascism” always existed if one has to admit its existence. But there was always a military tutelage to this civilian fascism. (As if military tutelage was possible without civilian backing). Now the latter is gone (I am still not sure about that, too), civilians can enter into intelligible communication about democratization. Now that some parties will not call the Army for help!
Mala min mala te ye*
* My house is your house
Former DTP Chair Ahmet Türk is having troubles to find a place to rent. After banished from politics by the Constitutional Court, Mr. Türk decided to leave the place he was living because of neighbours and move to a new apartment. Apparently, his contract for the new apartment was cancelled before he could even more there because of a military official living in the same building. In the mean time, a group of intellectuals started a campaign in favor of Mr. Türk. “My house is your house… “
Special issue: State-Society Relations in the Southeast (Turkey)
State-Society Relations in the Southeast from European Journal of Turkish Studies Re-considering State-Society Dynamics in Turkey?s Kurdish southeast [Full text] Nicole F. Watts Kurdish Nationalism and Identity in Turkey: A Conceptual Reinterpretation [Full text] Güneş Murat Tezcür The Shared Political Production of ?the East? as a ?Resistant? Territory and Cultural Sphere in the Kemalist Era, … Read more
In the heart of coup preparation center
President of the Turkish parliament and vice prime minster Bulent Arinc, seen here on the right in 2007. Eight soldiers have been questioned over a presumed plot against Turkey’s vice prime minister, the army has said on its website. (AFP/File/Str)