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The Sultan of Istancool,
Is Erdogan’s Success Pulling Turks Away from Europe?

In conversations, his voice has become quieter and quieter the longer he has been in power. Conversely, it sounds more powerful than ever when he speaks in public. He greets his audience, calling them “kardesler” (“siblings”), a word that implies a much stronger sense of familiar affection in Turkish than in English or German. Then he gets serious. He has a plan to announce, one that his campaign strategists have already characterized as an “insane project,” an idea that exceeds all “powers of imagination.”

…This new foreign and economic policy has been dubbed “Neo-Ottomanism,” another term that triggers anxiety in the West. Are the Turks trying to rebuild the empire that controlled the Middle East for 400 years?

See also: Turkey’s Rules: Foreign Minister Dovutoglu

Turkey’s relationship with Syria is complex, leading many to suspect great reticence in going too far in criticizing the Assad regime. Nevertheless: Turkish PM: Syria crackdown inhumane

me in a good mood because my next 3 weeks will be brilliant

Turkey. I have him some corn but he wouldn’t eat it till i walked away.

Turkish Elections: Flags & Minivans

Sunday is it. 

With the end of the elections will come the return to the environment most Turks wish would come faster.

But for me, a foreigner and political junkie, I must admit I am a bit sad to see it all go. The election environment in Turkey is electric. Bright. Loud. Even music-filled.

And it’s a bit different than elections in the States. Here’s some small examples…

• Flags: In general, the Turks love their flags. On national holidays (and there are many), the city is a sea of red with almost every building and home blanketed in building-size Turkish flags. Now, in the heat of election season, mini triangular flags for the three major parties compete for just about every hangable surface. (When I first laid eyes on the tiny flags criss-crossing the roads where I live, I was immediately reminded of auto racing and birthday decorations.)
• Mini-vans: Even more amusing and exciting to me than the colorful banners covering the city are the mini-vans racing through the streets, trumpeting the political renditions of popular Turkish beats. Whenever and wherever I am — walking to work, riding the bus, sitting in class — the various political parties are thoughtful enough to give me small music breaks throughout the day. Like a child that hears an ice cream truck, I instinctively jump up, run to the window, and bob my head to the tunes. What surprises me the most are the small vans themselves, though those are funny to me for some reason. It is the loud, fast, exciting music that at reminds of military marches, sometimes folk tunes, and other times the equivalent of rap. 

Of course there are also the typical billboard, newspaper, and TV ads that we all know and love back in the States. 

While the environment certainly grabs my attention, for many Turks, it is the equivalent of NYT Square ad clutter. Just more noise. 

“Why don’t politicians put the money they spend on flags to a project or something?” I have heard at least a handful of times.

We may not use tiny flags in the States, but maddening election costs are certainly something we know…

Linguine with homemade tomato sauce and turkey meatballs

It only sounds that way when I write it down. by EYLUL ASLAN on Flickr.

That Turkey raised Little Greece after Mama Greece died. I don’t see Turkey as the mushy-mushy feeling type so I think he was quite awkward around Little Greece which kind of scared the poor boy. This prompted Greece to stay as far away from his as possible making Turkey a bit bitter.

NOW that doesn’t explain the hatred for eachother they have now but this kind of might.

I also have another theory, extending off of my last, that one of two things could have happened that caused him to I guess adopt Little Greece. Either Turkey loved Mama Greece so after she died he decided to take in her child or he killed her and for WHATEVER REASON he took in her baby.(reasons being a. He planned on killing the kid later or putting him under his power. b. His Ottoman heart showed a soul and he took him in)

But I like to believe it was both. I haven’t worked out the details in my head but I think it was a mix of unrequited love, betrayal, and lust for power. He might of loved her but that doesn’t mean she loved him back. It also doesn’t mean love would stop him on his conquest to take over the world.

(IDK I DON’T THINK TURKEY IS HEARTLESS DON’T SHOOT ME)

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