The collision is beautiful, the politics and the pop culture, and I can't convey enough how richly and seamlessly absurd it can all be.
This is why I keep living in Turkey:
Bülent Ersoy, on her way to court to defend herself against the medieval Turkish legal code, had the support of more than one creative fan. The charge against her, of attempting to alienate the Turkish people from military service, follows her statements denouncing the mindless waste of life caused by Turkey's unofficial war against the Kurds of Northern Iraq.
"If I had a son, I would not send him to serve in the military."
As she entered the courthouse, spectators held signs reading "Biji Diva!"
Ersoy is reknowned in Turkey as one of the nation's first openly transexual singers. The signs championing her cause, written in Kurdish, best translate as "Long live the Diva!"
Showing posts with label Iraq War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iraq War. Show all posts
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
How to say "Fuck Off" in Arabic...
Iraq Signs Oil Deal With China Worth Up to $3 Billion
"The United States Embassy in Baghdad had no immediate comment on the oil deal."
"The United States Embassy in Baghdad had no immediate comment on the oil deal."
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The People I Meet When I Travel: The Turkish Envoy to Iraq
I met the Turkish envoy to Iraq on a flight to Ankara from Istanbul, in May. We were sitting next to each other, and when I noticed him reading an English newspaper, I struck up a conversation. I don't know what I said to get it started, and I never remember, so whenever I find myself in a situation to start talking with someone, I usually don't know what to say. I lucked out, anyhow, cause once he got his turn to speak, it turned into a mini-lecture, and I was saved all the effort of actually having to talk, or think about how fast an object free-falls.
He was on his way back to the capital from Baghdad, where he said the security situation was "improving". He and his staff never felt at risk, but it had taken time to get used to gun shots and explosions... which were a daily occurrence.
I didn't learn anything that research wouldn't turn up, but he had this matter-of-fact manner for describing the role of Turkey, vis-à-vis US foreign policy towards Iraq. He used terms like "mediator" and "intermediary" and "alternative voice", and discussed very honestly how Turkey's policy cues and talking points come largely from Washington. Perhaps, if he'd known the term, "step-and-fetch" would have been among them.
"Your State Department," he said, "needs Turkish diplomats to assert much of their agenda, because Iraqi's are growing tired of the American presence. It is an occupation, after all, and it helps if we can step in to make it look and feel less like that."
Iraq needs a lot of help, and Turkey has been doing a great deal of that, under the direction of the United States. He indicated that this kind of diplomacy was, obviously, very helpful for furthering Turkey's relations with their southern neighbor.
I assume there are additional, unspoken advantages, for both Turkey and the United States. I don't know what they are. I speculate, however, that one reason the House of Representatives abandoned its efforts to recognize the 'Armenian Question', as it's called in Turkey, as a genocide, has to do with our present interests in the region.
If the gentleman's demeanor was any indication, the Turkish government can do some serious bargaining with the US on a number of fronts. He seemed to feel pretty good about that.
He was on his way back to the capital from Baghdad, where he said the security situation was "improving". He and his staff never felt at risk, but it had taken time to get used to gun shots and explosions... which were a daily occurrence.
I didn't learn anything that research wouldn't turn up, but he had this matter-of-fact manner for describing the role of Turkey, vis-à-vis US foreign policy towards Iraq. He used terms like "mediator" and "intermediary" and "alternative voice", and discussed very honestly how Turkey's policy cues and talking points come largely from Washington. Perhaps, if he'd known the term, "step-and-fetch" would have been among them.
"Your State Department," he said, "needs Turkish diplomats to assert much of their agenda, because Iraqi's are growing tired of the American presence. It is an occupation, after all, and it helps if we can step in to make it look and feel less like that."
Iraq needs a lot of help, and Turkey has been doing a great deal of that, under the direction of the United States. He indicated that this kind of diplomacy was, obviously, very helpful for furthering Turkey's relations with their southern neighbor.
I assume there are additional, unspoken advantages, for both Turkey and the United States. I don't know what they are. I speculate, however, that one reason the House of Representatives abandoned its efforts to recognize the 'Armenian Question', as it's called in Turkey, as a genocide, has to do with our present interests in the region.
If the gentleman's demeanor was any indication, the Turkish government can do some serious bargaining with the US on a number of fronts. He seemed to feel pretty good about that.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
When I worked with refugees...
I have a new job for the summer, something absurd and in Ankara that I'll talk about later. The job I left, was only part-time with the International Organization for Migration. I was the "airport guy," though my title was, and I'm not kidding: Identification Authenticating Officer.
I never had a badge, my biggest lament in that position. I would go to the airport, usually around 2 AM, with another IOM staffer, and we would help assist refugees with their exit procedure. This amounted to coordinating 35 refugees, usually from Iran or Iraq, and sometimes E. Africa, to get all their baggage checked, documents verified and in order, and conveyed through passport control to the airplane. It usually took between three and five hours, depending mostly on the police.
It is the kind of work that involves managing a great deal of chaos. The population I was working with was, understandably, traumatized by their experience. In short, refugees are often treated as criminals in Turkey. You don't ever want to be a refugee, and you don't want that for your family.
Having fled their homes under duress (because of war, persecution, famine, biblical-style badness, etc.), these people were subjected to the treatment of the Turkish police and legal system, which regards refugees in much the same way that the US government does illegal immigrants. People are detained, shuffled around, and occasionally they get separated from family; some are abused, subjected to extortion, or poorly fed and clothed.
The IOM, and several other organizations, are working to change this, but change is slow.
By the time I saw a refugee, they had likely been in Turkey anywhere from nine months to five years. I even met a couple who had been here for eight. So, when people are within hours of leaving to goto the US, where they have been set up with a job and a home and hope, they are a little agitated and needy. One gets lots of questions, worried looks, and I had to learn to try to be a comforting and empathetic person, while still directing the group.
Did I mention it was 2 AM?
Five plus years ago, I remember what was in the news, and what people were say, in the months preceding the Iraq war. There pro/con style arguments. There was a staunch, principled opposition. There were "hawks" and "doves" (why we anthropomorphize those positions I will never understand).
I was a "dove," because I thought the war was a bad idea. I even went to a protest in Washington D.C., to be the best possible dove I could be.
In all the talk I heard about the coming war, the planning, the opposition, etc., I don't remember anyone mentioning the potential plight of refugees. I know I never thought about it, at the time.
I was with the IOM for about six months, before moving the Ankara. It is work I'd would like to continue... except 2 AM is a strange hour to be up several times a week. Anyhow, my experience there was really informative, and I'll have more to say about it. With the total Iraqi refugee population topping two million, it will continue to be a problem for Turkey, and the region as a whole. Long after the Iraq war ends, there will probably still be talk of the "Iraqi diaspora".
I just reckoned I oughta preface my connection to it, before I said any more. While I still worked the job, I was taking notes on the experience, and there are some funny, as well a some sad stories, that I mean to publish here.
I never had a badge, my biggest lament in that position. I would go to the airport, usually around 2 AM, with another IOM staffer, and we would help assist refugees with their exit procedure. This amounted to coordinating 35 refugees, usually from Iran or Iraq, and sometimes E. Africa, to get all their baggage checked, documents verified and in order, and conveyed through passport control to the airplane. It usually took between three and five hours, depending mostly on the police.
It is the kind of work that involves managing a great deal of chaos. The population I was working with was, understandably, traumatized by their experience. In short, refugees are often treated as criminals in Turkey. You don't ever want to be a refugee, and you don't want that for your family.
Having fled their homes under duress (because of war, persecution, famine, biblical-style badness, etc.), these people were subjected to the treatment of the Turkish police and legal system, which regards refugees in much the same way that the US government does illegal immigrants. People are detained, shuffled around, and occasionally they get separated from family; some are abused, subjected to extortion, or poorly fed and clothed.
The IOM, and several other organizations, are working to change this, but change is slow.
By the time I saw a refugee, they had likely been in Turkey anywhere from nine months to five years. I even met a couple who had been here for eight. So, when people are within hours of leaving to goto the US, where they have been set up with a job and a home and hope, they are a little agitated and needy. One gets lots of questions, worried looks, and I had to learn to try to be a comforting and empathetic person, while still directing the group.
Did I mention it was 2 AM?
Five plus years ago, I remember what was in the news, and what people were say, in the months preceding the Iraq war. There pro/con style arguments. There was a staunch, principled opposition. There were "hawks" and "doves" (why we anthropomorphize those positions I will never understand).
I was a "dove," because I thought the war was a bad idea. I even went to a protest in Washington D.C., to be the best possible dove I could be.
In all the talk I heard about the coming war, the planning, the opposition, etc., I don't remember anyone mentioning the potential plight of refugees. I know I never thought about it, at the time.
I was with the IOM for about six months, before moving the Ankara. It is work I'd would like to continue... except 2 AM is a strange hour to be up several times a week. Anyhow, my experience there was really informative, and I'll have more to say about it. With the total Iraqi refugee population topping two million, it will continue to be a problem for Turkey, and the region as a whole. Long after the Iraq war ends, there will probably still be talk of the "Iraqi diaspora".
I just reckoned I oughta preface my connection to it, before I said any more. While I still worked the job, I was taking notes on the experience, and there are some funny, as well a some sad stories, that I mean to publish here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)