Tadeium democratie
The problem is no democracy on the planet is strong enough to regulate this arena where truths are hunted down or ridiculed to the ground by some zombie-like digital creatures and entities. Most of the business of shaping the truth
Kurdish female fighters are once again pawns in a bigger political game
They have fought Isis with unparalleled bravery. But their fate lies in a power struggle between Putin, Trump and Erdoğan. In August 2014 Marie Claire published an unusual photo shoot. The women in the stylised images were not in fancy haute
Global dictionary of political insanity
Ten years ago, it was impossible to translate Turkey for the foreign audience. It wasn’t because we, the English speaking Turks, didn’t have the sufficient vocabulary but it was because what we went through politically simply did not make sense
Erdogan Rising: the making of an autocrat
A new book explores the complex background to Erdogan’s tightening grip on power. In 2017, in The Hague, the Russian novelist Mikhail Shishkin and I took to the stage to talk about rising authoritarianism. Projected on the giant screen behind
Our changing idea of home
“Very happy with election results. But the truth is it may take decades to get back the country we belonged to - if we ever may.” On the 23rd of June, on the night of the Istanbul mayoral elections, a close
Think autocracy is ‘impossible’ here? Look at Turkey.
Ece Temelkuran is a Turkish journalist and writer. She is the author, most recently, of “How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship.” “No, that can’t happen here.”
Ece Temelkuran on Erdogan, Trump, and the Banality of Evil
What We Can Learn from the Decline of Turkish Democracy into Populist Dictatorship The fighter jets are breaking the dark sky into giant geometric pieces as if the air were a solid object. It’s July 15, 2016, the night of the
‘How dare you! How dare you!’ A Turkish novelist fights back against the populist Erdogan government.
His features wouldn’t look so “rural” if his glasses were less ostentatiously hip. His accent wouldn’t sound so “provincial” were his boldness not so inflammatory and vulgar. He sports a moderate-Islamist, nouveau riche suit, and a huge Ottoman ring that must have
From Tahrir to Trump: nationalism has hijacked the hope of the people
Protesters’ need for recognition has been harnessed to a darker, divisive movement and new heroes promising them greatness Thousands of people in Tahrir Square chanted the slogan: “Bread! Dignity! Freedom!” It was 2011, and the height of the Arab spring. Standing
‘What happened to Turkey is coming towards you. This political insanity is global’
The fighter jets are breaking the dark sky into giant geometric pieces as if the air were a solid object. It’s July 15th, 2016; the night of the attempted coup in Turkey. I am piling pillows up against the trembling