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Media ID: 55307696
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Anti-government protesters, with the New mosque in the background, gather over the Galata bridge in Istanbul. (REUTERS Photo)


Awakening Pera

Awakening Pera

When a small group of environmentalists and liberals started sleeping in a small, overlooked park next to Istanbul’s central Taksim Square, slated for replacement by a mall, I thought little aside from being infused by a private kind of sadness. It meant the adding of...
Media ID: 55306296
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TOPSHOTSBoys wearing Guy Fawkes masks stand on top of a public bus at Taksim square on June 7, 2013. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday his Islamic-rooted government was open to “democratic demands” as he hit back at EU criticism of his handling of a week of deadly unrest. Amid international condemnation of Ankara’s handling of the unrest, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule told Erdogan that police violence “has no place” in a democracy, urging a “swift” probe into the unrest in Turkey, a longtime EU hopeful. AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILIC


Opinion: Erdoğan and the culture of democracy

Opinion: Erdoğan and the culture of democracy

It should be acknowledged that democracy does not constitute a part of our culture. This is the least that can be said. Democracy is absent on all levels, from the head of the family to the president, from primary schools to universities. We are all immersed from head...
Media ID: 55306114
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Turkish police guard the entrance of Gezi Park at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 17, 2013 (REUTERS/Marko Djurica)


Media ID: 55305952
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Protesters light flares during a protest at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 12, 2013.(Reuters/Osman Orsal)


Opinion: Is Taksim another Tahrir?

Opinion: Is Taksim another Tahrir?

I long held the view that the US constitution made a grave mistake in limiting a presidential term to just four years. In light of the 22nd amendment, which limits presidents to just two terms in office, the entire situation seemed quite extreme to my eyes. My view...
Media ID: 55305402
Caption:

A Turkish flag flutters near a burning barricade during clashes in Taksim square in Istanbul, Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Hundreds of police in riot gear forced through barricades in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square early Tuesday, pushing many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week into a nearby park. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)


Opinion: The semiotics of the Taksim Square protests

Opinion: The semiotics of the Taksim Square protests

The Middle East is pregnant with surprises, and many incidents have taken place without warning, similar to how volcanoes and earthquakes erupt. A series of social and political explosions have shaken several Arab republics since 2011, to the confusion of political...