Turkey Today

Politics

Parliamentary elections in June 2015 ended 13 years of single-party rule by the conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP), but ushered in a new period of uncertainty for a country already troubled by economic downturn, political polarization, and regional conflicts. Since its first election victory in 2002, the AKP has sparked alarm among diehard secularists who assert that the party, under powerful Prime Minister-turned-President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, seeks to erode the secular legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Some even contend that the AKP seeks to impose Sharia (strict Islamic day-to-day religious law) on the country, pointing to its efforts to remove restrictions on headscarf wearing and Erdoğan’s vocal opposition to alcohol and tobacco use, though party leadership denies this.

Under the AKP, Turkey moved toward greater political and economic engagement with the Arab world, as well as with developing countries in other regions, as interest in joining the EU appeared to take a back seat. Though the country is still a candidate for membership, there are some strong opponents to Turkey’s accession, and the talks have made only halting progress as Turkey faces criticism on several other issues. Continued Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus (which only Turkey recognizes as a sovereign nation) is one major stumbling block; another is the Turkish government's refusal to label the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians during World War I as genocide. Domestically, critics cite criminal laws that punish anyone found guilty of insulting "Turkishness" (amended in 2008 to insulting the Turkish nation) and pressures on the media, judiciary, and political opposition as further obstructions.

Simmering tensions between the AKP and its critics boiled over in the summer of 2013, when the heavy-handed police response to a peaceful sit-in at a central Istanbul park sparked weeks of anti-government protests in Istanbul, Ankara, and elsewhere around the country. The June 2015 election results, which saw a Kurdish party cross the 10 percent threshold for parliamentary representation for the first time and the AKP lose its majority, showed that the opposition from various segments of society can be turned into success at the ballot box, but most observers still predict rocky times ahead.

The Economy

The rosy outlook for the Turkish economy in the early 2000s began to fade over the past few years, as the country hailed as an up-and-coming powerhouse started to look increasingly fragile amid regional turmoil, domestic political instability, and a general slowdown among the world’s emerging markets. Turkey still enjoys a diverse economy: self-sufficient agricultural production, a massive textile industry, and a growing electronics sector, not to mention impressive tourism figures, though the number of foreign visitors has been on the wane after nearly tripling between 2000 and 2010. But following nearly a decade of strong annual GDP growth, considerable foreign investment, and reduced inflation, these trends started to reverse in the early 2010s and the lira’s value against the dollar has weakened to an all-time low. Turkey's sizable trade deficit, driven largely by the country's need to import foreign oil, and concerns about an overheating economy have added to the renewed jitters among foreign investors.

Religion

In Istanbul they sell a T-shirt with the name of the city spelled using a crescent, a cross, and a Star of David a testament to how Turks pride themselves on their tolerance of other religions, a legacy of the Ottoman Empire, which governed people of all faiths. While Turkey is a secular republic, the population is overwhelmingly (99%) comprised of Muslims; the remaining 1% are Christians (mostly Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic) and Jews. One reason for the relative harmony between people of different faiths may be the more relaxed approach toward religion found in much of Turkey. Many Turks drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes, and on any given day in Istanbul you’re as liable to find as many scantily clad fashionistas walking down the street as women wearing headscarves (many of whom are plenty stylish themselves).

The Arts

Turkey has made many recent contributions to the art world—no surprise from a country that boasts such stunning antiquity. The Istanbul Film Festival will be in its 35th year as of 2016: held every April, the festival awards prizes for both Turkish and international films. The country's most well-known creative mind may still be novelist Orhan Pamuk, who garnered Turkey’s first Nobel Prize in 2006 for his dreamy yet historical novels, though the stars of other authors—as well as filmmakers, designers, and musicians—are on the rise as well. Additionally, Turkey's status as a large textile exporter has helped ensure the nation a place in fashion design, and Istanbul's Nişantaşı district is a maze of small boutiques selling imported and Turkish clothing. In the visual arts, Turkey is most famous for its ceramics and porcelain, especially handmade Kütahya and İznik tiles.

Sports

Turkey is a diehard soccer nation (they call it football), and heated rivalries run strong. Turkey's clubs boast lots of homegrown talent along with some players imported from Europe and South America. The Turkish national football team has enjoyed sporadic success in international play. In the last decade, the team reached the semifinals in the 2002 World Cup and 2008 European Cup. Basketball is also an increasingly popular sport in Turkey, which hosted the 2010 FIBA World Championship—and cheered its national team of “12 giant men” to a second-place finish.

Media

Turkish media seems to always be on people's lips, mainly because of Article 301 and the Turkish government's penchant for closing down, fining, or otherwise applying pressure on outlets that offend its sensibilities or offer criticism that is deemed too harsh. Until 2008, Article 301 forbade anyone from insulting "Turkishness," under pain of criminal prosecution (as mentioned above, the crime has now been changed to insulting the Turkish nation). Most cases are dropped but many notable Turks, including Orhan Pamuk, have been prosecuted. Frequent shutdowns of popular Internet sites, most prominently YouTube and Twitter, have raised concerns about freedom of speech, as have recent detentions of journalists. Despite these controversies, the Turkish press remains large and vibrant, with a variety of voices represented, though concerns about media self-censorship are growing along with political pressure.

Smoking

In an effort to curb rampant tobacco addiction, the Turkish government introduced a ban on smoking in enclosed public places, which took effect in May 2008. Some bars, restaurants, and clubs simply ignore the ban, but the World Health Organization estimates that the number of Turkish smokers has declined by around 13 percent, and that more than 1 million people have kicked the habit since the ban was initated.