June 17, 2013

Is this a Turkish Spring?

Things are quiet in Turkey, the quiet of police control. Taksim Square and Gezi Park are occupied, by riot police and unbreathable air. But on their cell phones, on Twitter and Facebook, Turks are talking about how to get out from under the governmen...

June 16, 2013

ErdoДџan Learned Nothing

Yesterday from Istanbul, I wrote that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoДџan had probably learned his lesson. I predicted that he was going simply to leave the protesters alone. I was wrong: he learned nothing. Sparked initially by a government...

June 16, 2013

From the Turkish War Zone

Turkey, not just Istanbul, is at war with itself. The media is under the thumb of an autocratic dictator. Everything reported by Turkish press or its TV is vetted first by the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoДџan. That is why I continue writing--to g...

June 15, 2013

Protesting the 'Right' Way

While I would not hold myself out as a real reporter, I am in a good position to observe breaking news. I am currently visiting my son who lives in Istanbul. Further, he lives and works less than a kilometer from Taksim Square where the "rioting" is ...