IVOS 2: ΚΕΙΜΕΝΑ,ΕΙΚΟΝΕΣ

“1071, our seal on Anatolia; 2071, our seal on the world. ” (...) the conquest of Anatolia in 1071 may once again remind everyone of the fact that the homeland of the Seljuk Turks was quite far away from Anatolia – that Anatolia is not the Turks’ homeland ( the Seljuk Turkish homeland was near the Aral Sea, or nearly 4,000 kilometers away from the present Turkish homeland). (...)   Mr. Erdoğan should be reminded that the Seljuks were not a Turkish dynasty, but a Turco-Persian empire . They were highly Persianized in culture and language, and they exported Persian culture to Anatolia. (...) The symbolism over 1071-2071 also betrays sentiments for the unnamed war of religions, not the alliance of civilizations. The Battle of Manzikert simply was Muslims fighting Christians... (...) 2071 The year 2071 will mark the millennium for The Battle of Manzikert which was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuk Turks near Manzikert (modern Malazgirt in...

The remarkable degree of progress Turkey’s national defense industry has achieved in the last decade is a fact. But how it is often portrayed by the ruling party and defense officials is a first-class lie. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was telling a near truth when he said that “Turkey’s transformation can be best seen in its defense industry.” It is true that there is a visible parallel between Turkey’s economic growth and its defense industry’s technological advancement under Mr. Erdoğan’s governance. All the same, unlike what Mr. Erdoğan might prefer to believe (or claim), the Turkish defense industry is still a few light years away from manufacturing flying battle tanks and underwater helicopters.  UAV-ANKA I ignored it when the prime minister claimed in a recent speech that Turkey was now capable of manufacturing its own “unmanned fighter aircraft. ” I understand that Mr. Erdoğan dreams of a mighty army equipped by a mighty and purely Turkish defe...

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims that his governance has pushed the Turkish economy into the elite league of the world’s top (G-) 20. Few Turks know that the Turkish economy was in the top 20 before his party came to power, but Mr. Erdogan plays a very smart game: Make the Turks feel imperial again. The industry manufacturing weapons, which has always miraculously appealed to the Turkish male heart, was the perfect start. We are to make our own fighter jet, drones, aircraft carriers, spaceships, tanks and even a missile with a range of 2,500 kilometers. All that would happen before we could design, develop and manufacture an all-Turkish car and while Turkish scientists were still debating how to produce an “Islamic bicycle” – probably a bicycle that refuses to pedal if the cyclist has drunk alcohol or eaten pork.  We do not yet have the world’s finest football teams like Barcelona and Manchester United, but we have a national carrier that sponsors both Barcelon...