Posts About Turkey
America, Stay Out of Headscarf Debate
Is a leap towards a pluralist society and respect of a fellow citizen really fearsome? This debate reeks of Islamophobia.
Turkey Must Turn Resolution into Opportunity
Turkey must engage this American resolution as an opportunity for a wholesale review of all the region’s controversial events during the 20th century.
Turk Leaders Religious, but Economy Strong
After the AKP's election victory was declared, Turkey's stock market jumped to a record high. The party may be religious, but so is Bush. Yet they don't claim God is on their side, and have delivered impressive economic growth. The West should embrace the AKP as an opportunity for reconciliation with the Muslim world.
Lifting Ban Wins Turkish Hearts and Minds
Lifting Turkey’s headscarf ban is an issue of personal rights, not secularism.
Enough of the Word Games
Stop focusing on politicized labels and definitions and start considering what's really behind them.
Mideast Needs Consensus Islamists
There is nowhere in the world where the victory of a moderate Islamic party is more important for us than in the Middle East. Numerous Arab columnists have already written calls for Islamists to learn from the lessons of Erdogan and his party. The first lesson is that Islamists must accept and play by the democratic rules of the 21st century.
A Model for Integration
Ramallah, Palestine - An EU with Turkey could become a role model for the world, bringing nations with different ethnic groups and religions together.
Don't Send Islam Underground, but to Ballot Box
Political Islam is a fact of life in countries with large Muslim populations. Indonesia's experience tells us that suppressing or banning political Islam only drives the movements underground and leads to violence. Political Islam should instead have to make its case to voters, who in Indonesia have consistently chosen secularism instead.
Prove Civilizations Don't Clash
Morocco, Casablanca - The prospect of EU accession has helped Turkey evolve politically. It could pave the way for other Muslim democracies.
Hijab No Litmus Test For Democracy
Don’t reduce human rights in the Arab world to a debate over the hijab.
Isolation Won’t Heal Turkey’s Wounds
So much is riding on the West’s ability to fully engage Turkey, but Congress risks spoiling it for the rest of the world.
A Vital Bridge Between West and East
Mexico City, Mexico - The triumph of the secular and modern version of Turkey would radically transform Europe and the Islamic world for the better.
Pope's Words Aren't Enough
Budapest, Hungary - The Pope might have spoken out of eternal good will, but it's not enough.
Turkey's Turmoil: A Blessing in Disguise?
No one has the upper hand in Turkey these days – and that means cooperation may be on the horizon.
360 Degrees from Erbil: The Iraqi Kurds Need Turkey
The Iraqi Kurds' biggest worry isn’t Turkey – it’s Iran.
A Real Kurdish Solution
The revival of Kurdish nationalism is actually an opportunity for the U.S. to help negotiate peace there.
After Headscarves, What's Next?
The AKP must convince the Turkish population that it is ready to protect women who do not wear the turban, and that it is genuinely interested in women’s freedom.
Kurds: Armenians Win, We Pay the Price
As a minister in Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government, I fear we may soon bear the brunt of a U.S.-Turkey-Armenia conflict that has nothing to do with us.
Turkey's Past Victories Spawn Today’s Defeats
Turkey must come to terms with the rising strength of those it once obliterated and sent scrambling around the world, whose descendants now have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
What Would Ataturk Do?
The battle between reformers and the state has been taking place in Turkey for over a century. Ataturk's rebellion, begun in 1908, established the secular republic we know today. It is ironic that the ideological descendants of Ataturk's rebels are now the reactionary establishment against which the "reformist Islamists" are rebelling.
Double Standards for U.S. Friends
Anti-Americanism in Greece cannot rise much higher than it has the past few years. But despite anti-globalization theatrics, the reasons have much to do with domestic politics. Many of the grievances are U.S. sins of omission -- failure to support Greece's interests, siding with Turkey instead.
Turkey Must Change First
Athens, Greece - Turkey must live up to the standards set by the EU before joining it.
Don't Create Failed States
Athens, Greece - Riven as it already is by extremists in the insurgency, a Sunni region could easily become a failed state and a haven for terrorists.
The Headscarf Debate
Turkish secularists say that allowing women to wear headscarves will result in the Islamicization and radicalization of the country. Do they have a point?...
PostGlobal Bloggers
M. J. Akbar, New Delhi, India Mubashar Jawed Akbar is a leading Indian journalist and author. He's the founder and editor-in-chief of The Asian Age, a daily multi-edition Indian newspaper with a global perspective and editor-in-chief of The Deccan Chronicle, a news daily based in Hyderabad. He has written books including Blood Brothers, Nehru: The Making of India, Kashmir: Behind the Vale, Riot After Riot, The Shade of Swords, and India: The Siege Within. Kyoko Altman, Hong Kong, China Kyoko Altman is a writer based in Hong Kong. She has worked as a correspondent and anchor for CNN and...
Personal Piety, Public Power
Why are so many Muslims embracing their faith more explicitly in the first place? Partly because their countries’ political and economic structures are failing them.
Politicians, Stay Out of Our History
Legislating history destroys any real attempt to come to terms with what really happened – and that’s a huge shame.
It's About Modernization, Not Religion
The elections in Turkey were a momentous event. The ruling AKP has its roots in Turkey's Islamist movement and won in a landslide. But I see no reason not to apply the same analytical tools as in any other country's political system. Voters were not voting about the future of secularism in this country. They were responding to military interference in Turkey's modernization.
Turks Flirt with Picking Russia over EU
When Putin made his hard-line speech at the Munich conference on security, the Turkish public got truly excited. Given what they perceive to be the arrogance of the West, not to mention its double standards, many Turks side with Russia.
Europe’s Immigrants Need Turkey
Whether Europe is the way of the future will depend on what Europe does with its own people. One of the main challenges Europe faces today is how to integrate its immigrant communities. The continent may need its own civil rights movement, and it cannot succeed without Turkey.
Yes, And It's No Favor
Istanbul, Turkey - Since the Pope is infallible, we can't question his judgment, can we? Joking aside, he's right, Turkey should join the EU.
Talk Like Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey - Back before the war began Turkey called for a conference between Iraq's neighbors. Most dismissed the importance of this move. Now everyone is gung-ho about dialog.
Pamuk Wins, Turkey Loses
Istanbul, Turkey - The most important story in Turkey over the past two weeks was Orhan Pamuk winning the Nobel Prize for literature. The announcement came an hour after the French National Assembly passed a resolution making it a criminal offence punishable by five years in jail to deny that a genocide against the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire was committed during World War I....
Accepting Difference in Our Workforce
Globalization and immigration are twins. Germany exported more goods than anybody else last year, with globalization at the heart of its economic recovery. As Germany begins to import labor again, it will show that it has learned. In the 1960s the country invited many Eastern Europeans and Turks in as "guest workers" -- but over time realized it had received human beings.
Europe is Not a "Christian Club"
Germany/USA - By focusing the debate away from cultural differences and toward institutional capacities, the Pope is helping to rationalize the continental debate.
