light gazing, ışığa bakmak

Sunday, May 22, 2016

'Turkey, into darkness'

"But it’s about much more than growth. Perhaps more than anywhere else, Istanbul is the place to observe the current age in all its raging glory: urban expansion in overdrive, freedom squeezed, democracy in retreat, refugees seeking safe harbor, Islam and modernity in battle, and terrorism on the march. “Istanbul is and always has been a barometer,” Oxford historian Peter Frankopan said, “a sort of early warning system of pressure systems moving in.”"
no Boston Globe.

or why I love Istanbul reason #845. but--

"DEMOCRACY, FREEDOM, AND the rule of law “have absolutely no value any longer,” Erdogan recently declared."

and more:
"Istanbul, meanwhile, has become a murky nexus of terror. Thousands of jihadis and ISIS recruits have passed through on their way hither and yon, including suspected Paris attack accomplice Hayat Boumedine in January 2015. In November, two Russian spies shot and stabbed a Chechen militant in his car. In December, Kurdish militants hit Sabiha Gokcen airport with several small blasts, killing a cleaning lady. Then ISIS struck twice — next to one of Turkey’s most iconic attractions, Sultanahmet Mosque in January, and on Istiklal two months later — killing 18 people, mostly foreigners, and wounding dozens more. An online map of terrorist detentions across Turkey shows more arrests have occurred in Istanbul than anywhere else."




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