I'm Taking Requests
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
Jun 22, 2011 at 1:56am
As your bonus for joining Ricochet, and as part of our quest to provide ever-perfected customer service, today I'll be taking requests from Ricochet members. Your observer in Istanbul is at your service. Is there any story from this part of the world you'd like me to look into today? You decide, I'll report.
PS: We understand some of you encountered a glitch with our comment system yesterday. We're very sorry for that. We've had the responsible person executed.
- Comment (57)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments :
Oct '10
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Erdogan didn't get 330 seats in Parliament. What do you think he will do? Will this lead Turkey back into constitutional governance, or will he try and continue down his authoritarian road?
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Joseph, I think the first thing to realize is that "back to" constitutional governance is not an entirely helpful way to look at it. As the always-perceptive Aengus Collins notes:
Nov '10
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Does Turkey want Assad gone or not?
This article has me all kinds of confused.
Oct '10
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Claire Berlinski, Ed.: Joseph, I think the first thing to realize is that "back to" constitutional governance is not an entirely helpful way to look at it. As the always-perceptive Aengus Collins notes:
Jun 22 at 2:15am
Sorry, I meant constitutional in the British sense. E.g. the government and the public follow a set of governing rules that may or may not be written down. I dunno if Turkey has ever had this; it took centuries for Britain's institutions to evolve to that point (of course, they had no example to emulate).
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Jan-Michael Rives: Does Turkey want Assad gone or not?
This article has me all kinds of confused. · Jun 22 at 2:20am
A pretty good article. "All kinds of confused" is clearly what they're feeling, too. Above all, they want stability. They don't want problems. If Assad can stay and make things reasonably stable--i.e., no huge floods of refugees--they'll be fine with that. If he goes and something stable replaces him (dream on)--they'll be fine with that. Anarchy where Syria used to be is the worst-case scenario from their perspective. Not unreasonably.
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Joseph Eagar Sorry, I meant constitutional in the British sense. E.g. the government and the public follow a set of governing rules that may or may not be written down.
They certainly do follow rules here (both written and unwritten), but they're not the same rules as the ones written in the rule books--there's a major disconnect between the official law and what really happens. That doesn't mean "what really happens" isn't rule-bound, if that makes sense.
If they can forestall a major economic crash, I think sooner or later there will more of an interest in the idea of individual rights and rule of law, as those concepts are understood in the West. The growth of the middle class often means that. But it's hard to have the kind of sustained economic growth that produces a big middle-class without the protection of those rights, so I just don't know. I'd be more optimistic if property rights, at least, were robustly protected.
Feb '11
Re: I'm Taking Requests
I've heard that the mandatory philosophy component in Turkish primary and secondary education has recently been Islamized. It would be interesting to learn what new texts and themes are being taught, and what the changes tell us about AKP goals.
If that's too boring....
In the 1990s, Istanbul had the best red light district in Europe. And the business seemed to be well accepted. It was cosmopolitan, especially after the fall of the USSR. It was regulated by the city. The madams were always winning awards from the government for paying most of their taxes. Famous transvestites were regulars on TV, as singers, comedians, and even political analysts. How's the oldest profession faring these days.
Re: I'm Taking Requests
That industry never goes out of style. I think the most-famous brothel, the one I'm sure you're thinking of, fell victim not to Islamization but to gentrification. But the neighborhood known for its hookers and transvestites is still known for hookers and transvestites. I'd bet anything they still pay taxes. Probably more of them. Best red-light district in Europe? Not to be a complete cultural relativist, but that really is a matter of taste, don't you think?
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Schools have always had a compulsory religious education component--promoting state-version Sunni Islam, which maddens the Alevis. The promotion of religious Imam-hatip schools under the AKP raises more worrying questions about the Islamization of the educational system. But my biggest worry about the educational system is that it doesn't seem to result in much ability to think independently or critically. Whether the schools are secular or religious, that's the biggest danger.
Oct '10
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Joseph Eagar Sorry, I meant constitutional in the British sense. E.g. the government and the public follow a set of governing rules that may or may not be written down.
They certainly do follow rules here (both written and unwritten), but they're not the same rules as the ones written in the rule books--there's a major disconnect between the official law and what really happens. That doesn't mean "what really happens" isn't rule-bound, if that makes sense.
Right, but the same was true of the Magna Carter and our own Constitution. I guess my question was whether the AKP is going to be restrained going forward, or not (my impression is not), and if it was restrained, would the power structure evolve into a new unwritten or written constitutional order that better upholds the rule of law while offering checks on government power?
Oct '10
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Joseph Eagar
Right, but the same was true of the Magna Carter and our own Constitution...
I mean, that was true in the early history of both. Constitutions take time and hard work to implement. Otherwise they're nothing more than pretty prose written on useless bits of paper.
Oct '10
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Is it realistic to hope that instability in Arab countries and, perhaps, Iran will signal to the AKP that Turkey needs to maintain constructive relationships with Europe, the US and even Israel? To put it another way, isn't, for Turkey, the best case result in Syria a more open society (however unlikely that may be) and, therefore, the best policy for Turkey is to remain relatively open? Why go out of one's way to create conditions that are leading to revolution elsewhere?
Feb '11
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Well, relativism might ordinarily be a factor, but those were heady days. As the matter was described to me -- quite regularly -- by a really old Kemalist in charge of manuscripts at a certain (famous) Istanbul mosque: With the fall of the Soviets, all the talent of that immense and frustrated empire had just been loosed from commie shackles. What with the joys of new freedom and the first tastes of a competitive market, a unique confluence occurred -- the sort of thing a discipline only experiences once every few generations.
Feb '11
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Kinda hard to think critically if one's still having trouble with basic facts. From yesterday's H"uriyyet:
"According to International OECD Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, Turkey is ranked 32nd in scientific literacy among 34 countries, said the report.
"Only 1 percent of Turkish students were found to be at the required level for their age group in science and literature, the PISA report said, adding that 30 percent of the students are unable to use their skills to answer basic questions in these subjects."
Shame, too: human capital has traditionally been a Turkish strength.
Re: I'm Taking Requests
John Lamoreaux
Kinda hard to think critically if one's still having trouble with basic facts. From yesterday's H"uriyyet:
"According to International OECD Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, Turkey is ranked 32nd in scientific literacy among 34 countries, said the report.
"Only 1 percent of Turkish students were found to be at the required level for their age group in science and literature, the PISA report said, adding that 30 percent of the students are unable to use their skills to answer basic questions in these subjects."
Shame, too: human capital has traditionally been a Turkish strength. · Jun 22 at 3:55am
This is the heart of the problem.
Apr '11
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Three weeks ago, before the elections, The Debka File was reporting Turkey was planning an armed incursion across the Syrian border to establish a sanctuary zone for Syrian refugees. Did anything come of that? What is the Turkish response the the problem on its border?
Re: I'm Taking Requests
I think I've mentioned this, but I'm convinced that phenomenon has prevented a whole generation of Turks from properly evaluating the evil of the Soviet empire. They just feel so positive about post-Soviet Russian women, and can't really separate the two in their minds.
Edited on Jun 22, 2011 at 4:18amRe: I'm Taking Requests
It's very realistic and already happening. But as I've noted here, this shouldn't make anyone sigh with relief: If they're nervous enough to begin confronting reality, that means we need to be very worried, because it's serious.
Oct '10
Re: I'm Taking Requests
[Quote function seems to not be working] "We've had the responsible person executed" Ah, I think maybe Kenneth was responsible too. A little bit...
Aug '10
Re: I'm Taking Requests
Can you turn your gaze towards Giza and prognosticate the efforts to maintain some secular and or military powerbase in the future Egyptian government ?