Thoughts on Tom Friedman’s alarmist column

I just read this morning’s New York Times column by Thomas Friedman, in which he sounds alarms about Turkey lurching toward the Arab world and away from the West. Here’s a brief excerpt: After 9/11, I was among those hailing the Turkish model as the antidote to “Bin Ladenism.” Indeed, the last time I visited [...]

Moving pictures trump words

Now that I am back in a country that does not block You Tube (shame on you, Turkey), here is a video compilation of our trip. It may be more than people who weren’t along want to watch, but it has some good moments. It’s about eight minutes long. And here is a map of [...]

Spreading the word

On our last day in Istanbul, we learned more about the Gülen movement’s efficient – and expensive – mechanism for bringing visitors to Turkey. From humble beginnings just four years ago, the non-profit organization Bakiad has grown to the point where last year it coordinated the visits of 250 groups, totaling about 3,000 people, most [...]

On Israeli question, reason meets anger

There has been a lot of talk among the people with whom we have been meeting about an interview the Wall Street Journal conducted with Fethullah Gülen last week on the topic of the Israeli raid on the Gaza aid flotilla. The section of the interview that caught everyone’s attention: Mr. Gülen said organizers’ failure [...]

Turkey’s emerging identity, internally and globally

Back in Istanbul for a couple of days now, we have had a chance to focus on politics, specifically Turkey’s self-identity and place in the world, and where the Gülen movement fits within this three-dimensional mosaic. Yesterday we had the good fortune to spend a couple of hours with Celil Sağir, the 37-year old foreign [...]

The meaning of hospitality

The days have been so long (18-plus hours is the norm, it seems) and so full that I am beginning to fall behind. But this isn’t meant to be a travelogue, so I won’t trouble myself with describing the wonders of places like the Kaymakli Underground City, or the renowned Cappadocia, and will focus instead [...]

In education, we get what we deserve

We learned today why other countries are eating our lunch when it comes to education. We paid a visit to Ibrahim Büyükkoyuncu hıgh school on the outskirts of Konya, a provincial capital in south-central Turkey. It’s a private Gülen school for boys grades 9-12. Actually, it’s two schools in one (and there is a girl’s [...]

A varied day

We covered a lot of miles Sunday, arising early for a flight to Antalya on a 737 taking its maiden voyage with passengers. We flew in over new apartment blocks and expanses of greenhouses growing tomatoes. Alptekin told me that this region supplies many of the Baltic states as well as the rest of Turkey [...]

An obssesive work of genius

We awoke this morning in Kuşadesi, a port city of some 70,000 souls, best known among tourists as the jumping-off point for Ephesus. But it’s a lovely place in its own right; a half-moon harbor backed by gentle hills, an Ottoman castle guarding the harbor entrance. People stroll the seaside promenade at sunset. Islands offshore, [...]

Impressive Izmir

Mind-bender of the day (from a pamphlet in Izmir). From the Seven Advise (sic) of the Exalted Seven: Either Exist as You Are Or Be As You Look. (better translation, Exist as you are or become as you envision yourself). Izmir (Smyrna to the Greeks) situated on a gorgeous Aegean inlet, is a booming city [...]