March 10, 2014

Turkey needs a new constitution to save its democracy

Fethullah Gulen*

A small group in the executive is holding the country to ransom, says Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen calls for new constitution in Turkey

Fethullah Gulen, the Islamic preacher embroiled in a battle with the Turkish government that has shaken the country, has redoubled his criticism of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling for a new constitution to rein in rights he says are under siege.

The simple definition of democracy

Paul Green*

The simple definition of democracy is the following: “A form of government in which the people either directly or indirectly take part in governing.”

Erdoğan 'does not grasp' separation of powers, MEP says

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan does not seem to understand the importance of the separation of powers, a “cardinal principle of the Copenhagen criteria” that Turkey as a candidate to join the European Union professes to meet, a senior member of the European Parliament has said.

Japanese volunteers help Syrian refugees through Kimse Yok Mu

Turkish charity Kimse Yok Mu collaborated with the Tokyo Camii and Turkish Cultural Center to help transport $77,000 worth of humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees residing in the southern city of Adana near the Syrian border.

The rise and fall of Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan in three acts

Turan Kayaoglu*

Like a figure in a Greek tragedy, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has fallen from a Jefferson-could-be into a Putin-wannabe, all within the swift span of a year.

Revisiting society vis-à-vis politics

Erkan Toğuşlu*

The political goals of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for society over the last two years have emerged to be steps that seek to destroy the distinction between the political and non-political (civil) spheres.

Hizmet Movement discussed at Mexico’s UNAM

A group of Turkish, American and Mexican academics came together at National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to discuss the Hizmet Movement’s progression from past to present.

Damn this sort of politics!

Ekrem Dumanlı

The recent taped phone calls broadcast over the Internet last week confirmed the grave situation in relations between the media and politics. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a phone call to the justice minister asking him to influence a court so that the judges hand down a verdict against Aydın Doğan, owner of the Doğan Group. He then expressed his unhappiness with the minister after Doğan was acquitted [despite his all efforts to influence the court]. In response, the minister resorted to a horrible excuse to imply that he was unable to do anything and said, “That judge is an Alevi.” This is serious.