Today's Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Columnists

[Silent Turkey-4] Conservatives

EKREM DUMANLI e.dumanli@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

There is one truth we need to underline even though it may come as strange to some: The most suppressed group in Turkey is the conservatives, even though they are the biggest group of people. Suppression did not happen as a result of pressure imposed by police force.

Iran: a new phase in the nuclear crisis

BERİL DEDEOĞLU b.dedeoglu@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

We are on the threshold of a new phase in the Iranian nuclear crisis. Iran recently declined the international community’s proposal to stock 75 percent of its enriched uranium outside Iran to prevent the country from controlling enough uranium to make a bomb.

Finish the executions before Atatürk arrives

ABDULHAMİT BİLİCİ a.bilici@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

When Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Deputy Chairman Onur Öymen, who has a background in diplomacy, defended the tragic massacre in Dersim (now Tunceli) as he was listing his objections to the democratic initiative, this inevitably led to the re-opening of a dark page in Turkey’s recent history.

Traces of Ottoman Turks

CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

When landing at the international airport in Budapest I was impressed with the efficiency and the music. Joseph Haydn fans were listening to his music everywhere as Hungarians marked the 200th anniversary of the celebrated composer’s death. Only learning about the special concerts upon my arrival, I was disappointed that no tickets could be found.

It wasn’t a slip of the tongue for Öymen

MEHMET KAMIŞ m.kamis@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

It has become clear that the statements Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Onur Öymen made about the Dersim massacre were not a slip of the tongue but a revelation of his thoughts. As everyone knows, Öymen’s real business is diplomacy. In other words, he comes from a tradition of weighing his sentences several times before he utters them and hiding his messages in between the lines.

MHP’s nationalism and the Kurdish issue

MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE m.turkone@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Nationalism is the party doctrine of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). In other words, nationalist ideology is the raison d’être of this party. This doctrine implies that all characteristics of the party are directly based on nationalism, giving the MHP a basic direction in all areas.

Restoring the Ankara axis in Turkish foreign policy

ABDULLAH BOZKURT a.bozkurt@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu does not seem to be distracted or shaken a bit by articles and news stories that have appeared in the US and European press, claiming that Turkey has changed its orientation from West to East.

Hunting for peace in the Middle East

GÜRKAN ZENGİN g.zengin@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Turkey’s performance in the last seven years of its foreign policy has been a success story. Not stopping at addressing problematic relations with its immediate neighbors, the country has transferred its vision of regional peace from the Western Balkans to Afghanistan’s east, from the northern Black Sea region to southern Africa.

Karzai and Obama; Guantanamo; Thierry -- what about the new EU president?

KLAUS JURGENS klaus.jurgens@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

One would have thought that Brussels occupied most, if not all European TV station’s prime spots last night; having chosen to watch the BBC -- famous for its honest news brokerage -- I expected nothing less. I had already heard that a special summit of EU leaders had decided on whom to elect for both president and a new foreign policy chief, but no news coverage so far. Perhaps breaking news a few minutes later? Far from it; only a few words in the news ticker!

Disconnecting the video games

KATHY HAMILTON k.hamilton@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

If you listen to my son, there are times when he is positive that I am the meanest, cruelest mother to ever walk the earth. This attitude rears its ugly head when he wants to spend time playing video games.

Military plots seem to have no end

FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK f.zibak@todayszaman.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

A new document uncovered by the Taraf daily on Thursday revealed yet another series of sinister military plans to destroy the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) through the assassination of prominent non-Muslim figures in Turkey and then putting the blame for the killings on the government.