Thomas Friedman of the New York Times in İstanbul, June 15,2010

Thomas Friedman, the three time Pulitzer prize winner, author of many books, reseracher and a columnist at the New York Times, spoke to over 600 people at Fuji Ballroom, Bosphorous Swiss Hotel on June 15, Tuesday. The topic was his latest book ‘’Hot, Flat and Crowded.’’ The audience included students from Ozyegin University, members of Turkish universities, ordinary folks and media representatives. The occasion was the introduction of Ozyegin University’s ‘’Research@Ozyegin’’ program. Mr. Husnu Ozyegin, the founder of  the new Ozyegin University and the great Turkish writer Yasar Kemal and his wife were among the many dignitaries. Yasar Kemal stated that he came to listen to what Friedman had to say.

Prof. Erhan Erkut, the Rector of Oztegin University spoke first and presented information about the university which opened its doors last year. Many of its teaching staff have been recruited from foreign universities, 60 % of them from the top 100 universities, boasting on reverese brain drain. The university has several research centers, including Center for Energy, Envirenment, and Economy. Prof. Dr. Sirin Tekinay, the Asst. Rector, introduced Thomas Friedman, who s considered as the most widely read columnist in the world.

Friedman presented ideas from his book which covers many subjects but the trust was green energy and natural resources. Friedman made references to America’s share in energy, which he said is the highest in the world, with usage of over 25% although its population is only 300 million. He said that everyone in the world wants to live like Americans, prompting a remark that God did not create the world fort this many Americans.

Friedman discussed five issues, presented on the video screen:

1. Energy and Natural Resources
2. Petrodictatorship
3. Climate Change
4. Energy Poverty
5. Biodiversity Loss

He told us that many people in the world now have a higher living standard which requires more and more of everything. The population of the world which was 1.8 billion in 1830 has increased to 6.3 billion now and is expected to reach 9.2 billion by 2050. He described the developments over the years with a graph, one showing the price of oil and the other significant world events. In 1997, when the price of oil wass a little over $16 a barrel, Hatemi of Iran called for Dialogue of Civilisation. In 2005, when the oil price increased, Iran called for he destruction of Israel. Friedman also commented that he is worried about America.

Friedman spoke for over one and a half hour, with dramatic gestures and many anecdotes. Several people asked questions which Friedman answered. If there would have been enoght time, I would have told him about Stephen Kinzer and asked him if he thought that America or Israel would bomb Iran someday, since this is the hottest subject now.

Mr. Stephen Kinzer, Eat Your Heart Out

Just about the same time that Friedman was reading passages from his book, Stephen Kinzer, the former head of the NY Times Bureau in İstanbul from 2000 to2004, was introducing his latest book  to Turkish – Americans in Washington DC. The book, Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America’s Future’’ has been released on June 8, 2010 by Times Book. There was a huge crowd in front of the Fuji ballroom where close to a thousand copies of Friedman’s books, both in English and Turkish, were on sale, Friedman happily signing them both before and after his presentation. I saw one young man walk away with four of his books. Stephen Kinzer comes to İstanbul often and makes presentations, with probably one in the works for presenting his latest book,

During a brief chat afer the presentation, I asked Friedman if he had been to Turkey before. He said, ‘’Yes many times’’ but the last time was in 2005.  He added that he loved Turkey. The presentation was strictly on his book without any reference to the Palestine issue, the Gazze Tragedy or the nuclear issue with Iran which he wrote about in his article, ‘’As Ugly as It Gets’’, referring to the May 17 picture of Iran’s president joining Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva and the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan.

Ozyegin University is to be commended for an interesting presentation.

Yuksel Oktay

16 June 2010

Istanbul