There is a certain comradely beauty in the fact that we all are dealing with the same peril. Since we all talk about nothing but the pandemic the world somehow finally feels in sync.

There is a certain comradely beauty in the fact that we all are dealing with the same peril. Since we all talk about nothing but the pandemic the world somehow finally feels in sync.

The coronavirus has created its own, quite distinct mental hegemony. Not only it is impossible to think or talk about anything else, but the global crisis has also abducted our dreams.The coronavirus is a global loop that dumbs us down

The world is at its best to allow the sane, the humane and the rational to take over. The question is, how are we supposed to reinvent solidarity in order to gather the political power to change it? How are

Once you leave your home country, you are incurably ephemeral. The mind commands the body to live in half-formed places with transient conditions, for it secretly believes that allowing yourself the comfort of settling down will seal your destiny for

‘My pain is deciphered and therefore human. She, on the other hand is a muted creature; easier to misinterpret and, finally, dehumanize.’ Ece Temelkuran describes her deep unease at being referred to as an ‘exile’ and how, despite that public

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

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

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

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

“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

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.”

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

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

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

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

His unlikely moral stance following the killing of Jamal Khashoggi comes as no surprise to many Turks The Turkish president is better known for relentless political oppression that has left dozens of journalists in jail or cast out of their jobs,

After years of division, the feeling of brotherhood among Turkey’s different factions has been inspiring. It feels like I’ve been dumped by text message,” wrote one of my friends. She sounded like a heartbroken lover but in fact she was talking

Our two nations can feel solidarity in how our revolutions turned into authoritarianism. Is there hope for us? Of course A true patriot of her country and Europe.” This is how I was described during the Ambassador of New Europe award

If the Queen adds her voice to the Turkish people’s, we can inspire young people to stand up to evil. “So are we not supposed to be in dialogue? I mean shouldn’t we try to empathise with Trump voters to understand?” Dear

"I am Now Obliged to Tell a Story, But Only the One Particular Story" I was supposed to be writing about a refugee in Istanbul. Then she disappeared. Most of them do disappear now and again. Then I had to disappear

‘When the men get sick they start to seek a cure for women.’ This sentence keeps spinning in my head, because the world is going through some interesting times. This is not only happening in ‘crazy’ countries like Turkey or

A few weeks ago in front of Lincoln Center in New York, while Women in The World Summit was about to start, a woman who seemed to like she could move mountains called Tina Brown was telling me, “I very

I was supposed to be writing about a refugee in Istanbul. Then she disappeared. Most of them do disappear now and then. Shortly thereafter, I had to disappear. Therefore, I am now the subject matter of this text, although I

It took me three tries to watch the video, which has since been removed from YouTube by the user. The first pass was simply because it was one of the most popular videos during the latest war of words Europe-Turkey

In appeasing rightwing voters at home, the Dutch are helping the Turkish leader consolidate his rule The diplomatic row that has flared up between the Dutch government and Turkey is a last-minute saviour for the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He

As tens of thousands of women took to the streets around the world on 21 January, another woman, the Turkish MP Şafak Pavey was being treated in hospital for injuries sustained during a physical assault on the floor of the

We in Turkey found, as you in Europe and the US are now finding, that the new truth-building process does not require facts. But we learned it too late.

23 November: The women around me are more alert to the Turkey’s situation than the men are. The comfortable male universe is full of denial encased in a constantly refreshed argument: “It cannot go on like this; this is not

Straddling the division between Europe and Asia, since 1923 the idealised dream of Turkey has been a secular, modern and democratic country. Although weakened by military coups, the imperfect multi-party democracy survived until recently when president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared

I am used to mourning the cities I didn’t get to see before they turned to ruins: Kabul, Baghdad, Aleppo and many others. It never occurred to me that someone would come to feel the same way about Istanbul, until

I remember the Turkish coup of 1980. Now it is my nephews’ turn to see adults terrified, fearing for their lives and their country’s future Until I was eight years old, I had never heard the word “dawn”. Then, early one

Notes from an exhibition that never was In February 2016,"Post-Peace" an Istanbul art exhibition due to take place on the city's Istiklal Caddesi, was cancelled due to "the delicate situation in Turkey". Just weeks later the busy street was the victim

Turkey is imprisoning intellectuals, but regime-critical author Ece Temelkuran has chosen to stay in Istanbul. She tells DW why what's happening in Turkey is relevant to all of us.

Free Expression: The surprising weapon of the Taksim Gezi Park protests: a cheery disposition. A newlywed couple, having stayed at the Taksim Square protests day and night throughout the first week of demonstrations, hung a banner on the front of their

This week’s PEN Atlas piece reports from the Tanpınar literary festival in Turkey. Journalist Ece Temelkuran gives her personal response to this year’s festival. As world politics becomes bloodier, commercial literature becomes increasingly depoliticized. People eat, pray, love, and think Tahrir