Dialogue - Page 27 of 40

Goodbye “Mr. President”, let the halay begin!

By Deniz Torcu

On the afternoon of Sunday, 7 June, citizens of the Republic of Turkey followed their post-general election ritual: they turned on their TVs to catch the incoming results, poured a cup of tea and engaged in some country-saving debate that always pairs well. For the past three elections, the only “winners” have been the voters of the governing Justice and Development Party, with celebrations kicked off by one of Mr. Erdogan’s infamous “balcony speeches” in which he would proudly embrace the will of the people, dutifully accepting his role as the leader of the country.

A landmark election in Turkey

In an unexpected turn of events, the Turkish general elections on 7 June did not end well for the conservative Islamists who have governed the country for the past thirteen years. The Justice and Development Party (AKP), which obtained 41% of the vote, has effectively—and unexpectedly—lost its majority in the Parliament and will now be forced to share power through a political coalition with other parties if it holds onto hope of governing the country.

UE-AL, 1990-2015 : Apres la perte de terrain, ou allons-nous?

Par Viktor Sukup

Depuis 1990, les relations commerciales entre l’Europe et l’Amérique Latine et les Caraïbes ont connu d’abord un recul relatif très important, puis, à partir du tournant du siècle, leur part s’est stabilisée sur un niveau modeste, entre 10 et 15% du commerce extérieur total de la région.

Breaking the linguistic barriers in Europe, with or without Esperanto

By Christos Mouzeviris

Various Euro-enthusiasts hold the belief that Europe should have a common language. And for some federalism activists, “Esperanto” is ideal to be the future language of a united Europe. Yet in a continent in deep economic and political crisis, plagued by an ever increasing euro-scepticism, how could any leader convince the voters to take such a step?

More protection for holidaymakers

Parliamentary elections in Turkey: The end of the beginning or the beginning of the end

By Yanni Gigourtsis

A few hours separate us from perhaps the most critical elections in Turkey since the establishment of the multiparty parliamentary system in the late 1940s. Once again, as in the last 15 years, the protagonist in this year’s election–as it should not, at first reading – is the country’s President and, for many years, Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In the 7 June elections, however, the stakes are higher for the political future of the Turkish President. It is the future of the country and the course it will take in the coming decades that will be decided. Let me explain.

Turkey’s history explains support for Erdogan

By Esra Taskiran

Imagine a party consecutively winning the last nine local and general elections since 2002. Imagine a feat that commands the attention of the entire world so as to become doctoral and master’s theses at numerous international universities. Without a doubt, this power originates from a strong reasoning, which is hidden in the recent history of Turkey.

The EU Budget and its Discontents

Amidst growing criticism from civil society and academics on the adoption and focus of the EU budget, the European Commission proposed last week an annual budget of €143.5 billion for 2016, only 1.6% larger than in 2015, “to support the recovery of the European economy and help improve lives in Europe and beyond.” The budget amounts to no more than 1% of EU’s collective GDP, but has been scrutinized ever since the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community in the 1950s.

What you should know about the upcoming Turkish elections

Dialogue , Op-ed
5 June, 2015

By Deniz Torcu

On Sunday, 7 June, Turkey will go to the ballot box to elect 550 members of its Grand National Assembly. This will be the 24th general election in the Republic of Turkey and, surely, one of the most important in the country’s history. While it is likely that the current Islamist ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), will be the winner of the elections, the margin with which they win will be the big question.

Cities’ new ‘paradiplomacy’

Dialogue , Op-ed
1 June, 2015

By Mario Saavedra

At different times in history it has been Athens, Venice and Milan. Today it’s São Paulo, Shanghai, Istanbul and Barcelona: large cities that sign international diplomatic agreements directly with other governments, either local or national, without necessarily going through their capital city. Mayors or governors have thus become the new diplomats.