You forgot Ankara, Trudy

An annotated Foreign Affairs syllabus on Turkish politics.

In recent years, Turkey has earned kudos from the international community for its economic dynamism, its energetic and confident diplomacy, and its attempts to confront some of its deepest foreign policy problems, such as in northern Iraq and Cyprus. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Turkey is one of seven rising powers with which the United States will actively collaborate to resolve global problems. But Turkey has not yet become the global, or even regional, player that its government declares it to be. These days, as always, daunting domestic issues are bedeviling Turkey´s progress. Increasingly polarized views about the leadership of the ruling Justice and Development Party (known as the AKP) have undermined the government´s ability to spearhead profound political change. Even some of the AKP´s traditional supporters have begun to question whether the party will follow through on its goals, including that of getting Turkey to join the European Union.

Rarely in human history has a piece of cloth been assigned so many roles. Been embroiled in so much controversy. Been so misjudged, misunderstood, and manipulated.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2009/1213/Behind-the-veil-Why-Islam-s-most-visible-symbol-is-spreading

narrow minded Switzerland

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/12/2009124171829382892.html

Minaret ban ´wins Swiss support´

"The initiative would appear to be accepted, there is a positive trend. It´s a huge surprise," French-language Swiss television said, 30 minutes after polls closed at mid-day.

The proposal to ban the building of minarets must win the support of voters in a majority of Switzerland´s 26 cantons for it to pass.

My comment: why don´t they ban Synagogues too

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/11/2009112912250816889.html

Exit polls from a national vote in Switzerland suggest that the country will accept a call by far-right parties for a ban on the construction of minarets on mosques, Swiss public television has reported.

One exit poll after the vote on Sunday said that approval for the ban stood at 53 per cent, while partial results from the poll indicated that the German-speaking canton of Lucerne accepted the ban.

You can almost find anything via Google

Choice of European council president seen as move to block Turkish accession to EU

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/20/eu-president-turkey-reaction

Ahmed Arif (1927 Diyarbakır -1991) was a Turkish poet of Turkish-Kurdish origin.

Ahmed Arif has studied philosophy at Ankara University. He has been arrested on political grounds in 1950 and spent time in prison till 1952. Published in various literary journals, his poems were widely read due to their original lyricism and imagery influenced by Anatolian folk cultures. He has published only one collection of poetry: Hasretinden Prangalar Eskittim (Fetters Worn Out by Longing/1968) – a volume which has gone through a record number of printings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Arif

The glories of Istanbul have arrived in Paris.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/22/AR2009102201773.html