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March 27, 2005

Turkey and Its Conspiracy Theories

[Orginally published in The Washington Times]

The anti-American fervor in Turkey has been of interest in the U.S. media recently. American officials and pundits express concern about the widespread resentment of America evident in the Turkish media and popular opinion as well as even some Turkish bureaucrats and politicians.

While they recognize a global controversy exists about the war in Iraq and that anti-Americanism among Turks is not unique, they also identify an odd fact especially pertinent to Turkey: the widespread acceptance of bizarre conspiracy theories about the United States.

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Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 3:30 PM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2005

Hating America, Turkish Style - This Too Shall Pass

[Originally published in The Weekly Standard]

Longtime allies of the United States, the Turks have been sympathetic to American values for decades. Nevertheless, a new BBC World Service poll of 21 countries shows Turkey to be the least friendly to America, especially the current administration. Eighty-two percent of Turks said they found President Bush's reelection "negative for peace and security in the world."? While this sentiment doubtless reflects a global reaction to the war in Iraq, there are also distinctive local factors that explain the current wave of Turkish anti-American feeling.

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Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 5:21 PM | Comments (2)

March 4, 2005

God & Turkey - Church and State in Istanbul

[Orginally published in National Review Online]

"Christian missionaries infiltrating our country! Islam is slipping out of our hands!" These words represent the epitome of a very hot debate in Turkey in recent weeks. What made them more surprising than ever was that they belonged not to a conservative Muslim, but to Rahsan Ecevit — the influential wife of Bulent Ecevit, Turkey's former prime minister and long-time guru of left-wing, secularist ideology. Nobody had heard Mrs. Ecevit worrying about the future of Islam before; instead, she used to speak about the "threat" of it.

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Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 3:31 PM | Comments (3)