
Articles By Begum Toprak

Erdogan’s Megaprojects Will End Up Choking Istanbul By Begum Toprak - Aug 6, 2020
After four months of confinement indoors, the residents of Istanbul long for nothing more than a stroll through a park in the fresh air. Unfortunately, thanks largely to the government’s policies – or lack of them – on the environment and on climate change, Istanbul has few green places where people can go to escape … Continue reading “Erdogan’s Megaprojects Will End Up Choking Istanbul”

Turkish Farmers Are Squeezed by Government Neglect By Begum Toprak - Feb 23, 2020
It’s not easy to be a farmer in Turkey. They have long been victims of ill-informed and outdated agricultural policy, and of woefully inadequate subsidies. Now, farmers also are at the mercy of climate change and the government’s inability – or unwillingness – to even attempt to combat it. Negotiating between these handicaps is the … Continue reading “Turkish Farmers Are Squeezed by Government Neglect”

Erdogan’s ‘Pious Generation’ and the Closing of the Turkish Mind By Begum Toprak - Jan 20, 2020
In an address to the theology faculty of Ankara University in November, Recep Tayyip Erdogan outlined his vision of “a pious generation” in Turkey, declaring, “God willing, a pious youth and a pious generation will be raised by our hand.” It’s an ambition the Turkish president has been pursuing with all the power at his … Continue reading “Erdogan’s ‘Pious Generation’ and the Closing of the Turkish Mind”