Turkey- Overview

Turkey-fact to use at parties: The American bird is named after the country because similar birds (now called Guinea fowl) used to be bought into Europe via the Ottoman empire. In Turkey, they're called India, and in parts of India, they're called Peru.

Turkey-fact for massive bluffers: "After the constitutional referendum last year, I think Erdogan has it in the bag. Turkey has certainly come on in leaps and bounds under the AKP, but ironically I don't think their European aspirations will come to much until the opposition find their feet again".

(Image from Visit2Istanbul.com)

Turkey one hundred years ago can basically be summed up by doing a Google image search for "sultan". The Ottoman Empire somehow managed to last for centuries, despite having a system that often lead to the head of state being a) inbred and b) raised in solitary confinement. Everyone was firmly of the opinion that the empire was just about to collapse from about 1650 through to 1923, when it finally did. The new revolutionary republic decided to move away from the last few centuries of the Sultan eating sherbet, sitting on exquisite silk cushions, and watching himself having sex in a mirror while making horse noises. Instead, they looked at what Europe and America had done since their 1820, and reckoned they could do the same.

Turkey today is an interesting place. Almost everyone is at least nominally Muslim, but the constitution is extremely strongly secular. Turkey sees itself as an integral part of Europe, and the rest of Europe is divided on the issue. The country is changing extensively, rapidly and dramatically. Turkey might become a model of European-level prosperity and freedom for the Muslim world, or it might collapse in on itself.

Image from a site specialising in weird football wallpapers

In about a month, Turkey is having a general election. Over the next few posts, we'll take a look at the contenders and examine the odds. We'll find out where they're coming from and what they're for. We'll see who's watching anxiously and who's already pissed off about it. I don't want to give too much away, but there are also hints of military conspiracies and one of the weirdest publishing phenomena I've ever heard of.