Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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People react as rescuers carry a miner who sustained injuries after a mine explosion to an ambulance in Soma, a district in Turkey’s western province of Manisa May 14, 2014. (REUTERS/Gokhan Gungor/Depo Photos)

Opinion: Soma’s Lesson for Turkey

by Aylin Kocaman | May 21, 2014 | Opinion

“Shall I take off my boots so the stretcher won’t get dirty?” These poignant words symbolized the terrible mining tragedy that struck Turkey last week. Every breath of that injured miner—rescued from 437 yards underground—was of enormous importance for the Turkish...

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epa04160198 A picture made available on 09 April 2014 shows a boy playing on the Kilyos beach during sunset in Istanbul, Turkey, 08 April 2014. According to weather reports temperatures will remain around 17 degrees Celsius. EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU

Opinion: West and Southeast in Turkey’s Municipal Elections

by Aylin Kocaman | Apr 10, 2014 | Opinion

Last week was an eventful one in Turkey: the Syrian conflict continued to threaten stability and security along the southern border, the disgraceful Twitter ban was lifted, and of course there were the local elections. As these words were being written, the ban on...

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A picture representing a mugshot of the twitter bird is seen on a smart phone with a Turkish flag on March 26, 2014 in Istanbul. A Turkish court on Wednesday overturned the government’s controversial Twitter ban imposed after audio recordings spread via the social media site implicated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a corruption […]

Opinion: Twitter talk crowds out ISIS

by Aylin Kocaman | Mar 27, 2014 | Opinion

A few days ago, just at the time when social media was at its busiest, access to Twitter in Turkey was abruptly severed. As everyone was trying to figure out what had happened, a statement appeared on the official website of the prime minister’s press office: The...

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Turkish riot police use tear gas to disperse protestors during an anti government demonstration in Istanbul, Turkey, 22 December 2013. (EPA/Ulas Yunus Tosun)

Opinion: In Turkey, the problem is not corruption

by Aylin Kocaman | Jan 2, 2014 | Opinion

Turkey has certainly had a full agenda again this week. Resignations by three ministers, a Cabinet reshuffle, a new operation being canceled by the chief prosecutor at the last moment, resignations from the Justice and Development Party (AKP). “I am the only target,”...

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epa03929090 A woman waves the Turkish national flags and shout slogans during a rally marking the 90th anniversary of the Turkish Republic’s Day, in Istanbul, Turkey, 29 October 2013. EPA/SEDAT SUNA

Opinion: Turkey has not abandoned the West

by Aylin Kocaman | Nov 3, 2013 | Opinion

What kind of place would the world have been if Turkey, the gateway to the Middle East and the intersection of Europe and Asia, had been a representative of a radical right with a strategy based on violence, or if it had been closely aligned with the former Warsaw...