Another major worry for Mr. Erdogan now is that anger with his administration will spread to the streets, as it did in the summer with the violent suppression of demonstrators trying to protect a beloved Istanbul park from development. On Wednesday night sporadic protests erupted in some neighborhoods of Istanbul and other cities, with people calling on the government to [...] → Read the full article…
Turkey’s ruling party, facing the threat of fresh anti-government demonstrations, is boosting its presence in a sphere long dominated by the opposition: social media. The Justice and Development Party, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is recruiting a 6,000-member social-media team to woo citizens and fight critics, party officials said. The AKP is gradually bringing young, tech-savvy party members to [...] → Read the full article…
[NOTE: Angara is an alternative pronunciation of the name Ankara, which reflects the peculiarities of the city and the country.] The Political Atmosphere Leading Towards Gezi Park Process It can be said that the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) was born as a hegemonic project in the wake of the economic and social crisis that Turkey faced in 2001. In [...] → Read the full article…
On 28 May, upon awakening, alarming news from home flooded my screen: citizens were protesting the destruction of the Taksim Park, just outside the historic Taksim Square in Istanbul, which is to become little more than a busy traffic intersection featuring a shopping mall and a mosque if the city government proceeds with current plans. There were also reports of [...] → Read the full article…