I Could Almost Doubt That I Saw This
I came back to check the news--any mention of this in the English language, anywhere? Not that I see.
And why not? Presumably because it was peaceful. The police presence I saw was unusually small, for Istanbul these days. The cops were completely professional.
What I noticed was the absolute civility of the protesters. There were no crazy Leftists with Che Guevara posters; there were none of the usual professional trouble-makers. There was not a hint of violence or menace.
But the eeriest thing was when the music and the chanting stopped. I don't know if it was planned. It was something I've never seen before in Istanbul: The entire street silent, except for the drone of the police helicopter overhead.
I've never seen so many Turks just shut up before.
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Re: I Could Almost Doubt That I Saw This
First, we had the end of the Cold War. and the dismemberment of the Soviet Union. Now we have an internal economic crisis -- and we have "come home" in something like the sense that George McGovern called for in his Presidential campaign in 1972. It is the natural condition of the United States to be inward-looking. The bankers in New York are an exception to the rule, and I suppose that there are folks in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles who have their eyes on the horizon to the west. But, instinctively, we are isolationist. If we were not, Ron Paul would be universally excoriated as the dangerous crank that he is, calling for an increase in expenditures on defense, and a decrease in expenditures on the military.
Turkey is, I fear, returning to Middle Eastern norms. Erdogan is, in all of his policies, a neo-Ottoman; and if he manages to establish a presidential regime in Turkey, he will become that country's Mubarak and rule into his dotage. We and the Europeans could have gotten in the way of these developments, but our policy is one of wishful thinking.
Apr '11
Re: I Could Almost Doubt That I Saw This
Erdogan Has Good Reason To Be Crazy
"Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan brings to mind the story about the housewife who calls her husband during rush hour. “Be careful driving home on the Beltway, dear,” she advises. “The news says that there’s a maniac driving in the wrong direction.” “What do you mean, ‘a maniac’?,” he replies. “Everybody’s driving in the wrong direction!”
http://pajamasmedia.com/spengler/2011/09/18/erdogan-has-good-reason-to-be-crazy/?singlepage=true
From the inestimable Spengler (David P. Goldman), complete with worthwhile hotlinks.
Dec '10
Re: I Could Almost Doubt That I Saw This
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
What I noticed was the absolute civility of the protesters. . . . . . . There was not a hint of violence or menace.
Here we have our own civility in the TEA Party movement also without a trace of violence. A large group of individuals are awakening. May it continue to grow and spread.
My observation of American public attitudes has been that we generally view peoples living elsewhere in the world as being just like us but speaking a different language far far away. This makes it difficult then to understand how those people might react to events differently from the guy next door. I perceive things may be changing.
It takes special interest to find information about world affairs because it is not readily available and what appears in our press is often superficial or incorrect.
What I know of current Turkish affairs is from your many posts. For this you have my gratitude. It is also because of your interview with Peter for Uncommon Knowledge that I wandered over here to Ricochet, now my daily inquiry. I highly recommend to everyone here to read 'There Is No Alternative' as it's happening again.
Nov '10
Re: I Could Almost Doubt That I Saw This
Tea Partiers, obviously.
May '10
Re: I Could Almost Doubt That I Saw This
Claire, would you please comment as much as you are safely able to on Viator's Spengler link? I actually came to this thread intending to post it myself, and I was scooped.
I'm interested in the demographics issue and how it is likely to play out near term and mid term.