Turkey
The Keys to Istanbul
Imamoglu prides himself on having won every election he has contested against Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party. With four mayoral victories under his belt, he stands out as a potential challenger for the presidency in 2028.
A Peace Process's Last Gasp
While political repression and violent conflict have intensified since 2015, the 2023 general election and the departure of Selahattin Demirtas, the imprisoned leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, were a turning point. The retreat of Turkey’s Kurds from formal politics portends an intensification of the conflict in the months ahead.
Antakyans Fear Their City’s Soul Will Not Rise From the Rubble
Antakyans are still traumatized a year after a massive double earthquake. Their pain is intensified by anger at the government response and a feeling that they have been marginalized for their local identity and politics, as they fear for the future of their city’s unique culture.
A Century After the End of the Ottoman Caliphate — With Ryan Gingeras
“If you dive deeper into everyday life in various parts of the former Ottoman world, elements of that culture endure. You can see it in the language, you see it in the cuisine. You see it to some degree in communal relations. It’s still very much with us.” Ryan Gingeras talks to New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai about the end of the Ottoman Empire on The Lede.
The 1873 World’s Fair and Turkey’s European Aspirations
At the 1873 World’s Fair, the Ottomans presented themselves as a European power, governing an empire whose diverse peoples were united by a single cohesive identity. Yet while the fair’s Ottoman exhibits made an impression, Ottoman identity foundered, and Istanbul continued to be seen as peripheral to European diplomacy.
The Unfulfilled Promise of a Turkish City’s Post-Quake Rebirth
Today, the neighborhoods to the west of the river — once one of the city's most densely populated areas — are little more than a barren plain where the occasional cluster of buildings sticks out of the landscape like teeth in a toddler's mouth.
History Suggests Antakya Will Come Back to Life
The Antakya we knew is gone and not to be retrieved. Yet as much as it hurts to think about the city that was destroyed overnight, history has shown us that it is resilient. It will regrow new tissue and continue the processes of both erasure and reworking after a loss.