Turkish Forum

Tag: POLITICAL

  • TURKISH AMERICANS RUN FOR OFFICE

    TURKISH AMERICANS RUN FOR OFFICE

    It seems like the presence of Turkish Americans will be felt more and more in the coming years. According to a press release dated October 12, 2010, by Turkish Coalition USA Political Action Committee (TC-USA PAC,), “Five Turkish Americans Seeking Office in November Elections”. The statement is based on research conducted TC-USA PAC which shows a growing interest among the Turkish American community in becoming actively involved in political process in the U.S.

    Of course I knew about at least 3 of them, but the other two came as a pleasant surprise to me. I believe Turkish American candidates can offer lasting, fair, and practical solutions to nagging social and economical problems as they are known to achieve more with less. The kinds that people will say “Gee, it is so simple yet works! Why didn’t I think of that?”

    Turkish American candidates do not bring with them baggage full of age old accounts to settle, like some Armenian candidates motivated mostly by anti-Turkish hate. To us, Turkish Americans, history is something to learn from not distort and dictate to others for personal and/or political gain. So, with Turkish American candidates, voters will not be bored to death with bogus history built into self-serving political resolutions every April.

    TC-USA PAC has supported over 175 candidates and political committees nationwide since its creation in 2007, ensuring that politicians in the U.S. have a better understanding of the Turkish American heritage, needs and interests. TC-USA PAC makes no bones about the fact that one of their major long-term goals is to encourage more Turkish Americans to run for office to be heard across the country.

    “We have worked for several years, with great success, to support public servants who understand the interests of Turkish Americans, and believe in a strong US-Turkey relationship,” says G. Lincoln McCurdy, Treasurer of TC-USA PAC. “But in the long term, we believe very strongly that Turkish Americans need to speak out on their own behalf, and need to represent themselves. This year’s crop of candidates is the community’s strongest yet, and we look forward to the day when the election of Turkish American is a common occurrence.” TC-USA PAC is also the creator of the new TEN THOUSAND TURKS CAMPAIGN designed to encourage Turkish Americans to become politically pro-active, including running for office. The campaign’s strives to identify and promote outstanding members of the Turkish American community who could make positive contributions to their local, state or national government through public service.

    The five candidates representing the Turkish American community in 2010 are:

    Yunus Aksoy, running for a seat on the City Council in Irvine, California.
    www.aksoyforirvine.com

    John Alpay, a candidate for Areas 3 Trustee for the Capistrano Unified School District in San Clemente, California.
    www.johnalpay.com

    Osman (Oz) Bengur, who was the first Turkish American to ever run for Congress, is currently seeking election to Maryland’s General Assembly.
    www.ozbengur.com

    Hon. Jay (Ceyhun) Karahan, running for re-election as the Presiding Judge of the Harris County Criminal Court #8 in Houston, Texas.
    www.ccl.co.harris.tx.us/criminal/8/bio.htm

    Timur Taluy, running for Harbor Commissioner in Oxnard, California.
    www.TimurTaluyHarborCommissioner.com

    The statement goes “…2010 has been a banner year for Turkish American organizational involvement in the political process. In 2009, only two Turkish American PACs, TC-USA PAC in Washington, DC and TurkishPAC in Houston, TX, were active. But in September 2010, the Turkish Coalition New Jersey PAC, a third Turkish American political action committee, was established. These three Turkish American PACs contributed more than $250,000 so far in this election cycle. A fourth Turkish American political action committee is currently being organized in California. All four PACs will work to ensure that even more Turkish Americans are on ballots across the country in 2012….”

    Needless to say, I am thrilled!

    ***

    PS: To learn more about the Turkish Coalition USA PAC, click on : www.tenthousandturks.org;
    and TurkishPAC, click on: www.turkishpac.org. The new player in the PAC field, the Turkish Coalition New Jersey PAC will have its webpage up and running by October 15 at www.tc-nj-pac.org.

  • Atatürk’s mother’s name rejected by AKP for new Turkish university

    Atatürk’s mother’s name rejected by AKP for new Turkish university

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    Friday, July 16, 2010Z
    ANKARA – Radikal

    Deputies from Turkey’s ruling party have voted down a proposal to name a new university in İzmir after Zübeyde Hanım, mother of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

    During a debate Tuesday evening in Parliament, the name “Zübeyde Hanım” was proposed for one of the eight new universities around the country to be established under a recent draft law.

    Parliament convened to debate the new draft and decided that the university would be named “Katip Çelebi” instead.

    During the debate Tuesday before the draft passed, Bülent Baratalı and seven deputies of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, proposed a resolution for the naming of the new university in İzmir “Zübeyde Hanım University.”

    Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu, however, expressed her disagreement with the CHP proposal.

    CHP deputy Baratalı pointed out that İzmir currently has seven universities and the new university in question was initially named “Turgut Reis,” but this name was later changed to “Katip Çelebi” by Parliament’s Planning and Budgeting Commission.

    “For the first time, a university in Turkey would have been named after a woman. At the time the founder of the nation, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was installed as president, he bore the title of parliamentary deputy – from İzmir,” Baratalı said. “His wife was from İzmir and he laid his mother to rest in İzmir – her grave is in [the local district of] Karşıyaka. For that reason, we, the people of İzmir, owe this homage to the founder of our nation.”

    The Justice and Development Party, or AKP, members, however, rejected the resolution proposed by the CHP deputy, and the new university will be named after Çelebi, an Ottoman scientist who lived between 1608 and 1656.

    The other universities established under the new law are Yıldırım Beyazıt University in Ankara, Bursa Technical University, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Konya University, Erzurum Technical University, Kayseri Abdullah Gül University and the International University of Antalya.

  • Turkey’s Evolving Dynamics

    Turkey’s Evolving Dynamics

    An update of a previous
    June 2008 report,
    Turkey’s Shifting Dynamics.

    Relations between the United States and Turkey stand at a critical
    juncture. Turkey is a key ally in the advancement of U.S. interests
    vis-à-vis the Middle East, Eurasia, and global energy diversification.
    Turkey still sees the United States as its closest ally and wants to
    be a partner in advancing mutual interests, particularly in its
    immediate environs. This confluence of interests gives revitalization
    of bilateral ties greater urgency. Yet the relationship remains
    somewhat strained and lacks the strategic character it once enjoyed.
    The two governments have made steady progress during the past few
    years to repair the damage done by differences over the Iraq War and
    the handling of its turbulent consequences. The visits by President
    Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the first
    few months of the administration suggest a commitment to further
    strengthening relations. However, much remains to be done.

    Turkey has been buffeted in recent years by turmoil in its
    neighborhood, beginning with the consequences of the Iraq war, then
    again with the Russian invasion of Georgia in the summer of 2008.
    Turkish leaders will continue to pursue policies that seek to avoid
    such regional instability, and they expect understanding from
    Washington on this score. Washington, too, has the right to expect
    that Ankara will behave as a loyal ally when mutual interests are
    threatened.

    This report, prepared by seven senior CSIS scholars and two colleagues
    from other institutions, offers a comprehensive and balanced
    assessment of the uncertain state of Turkey’s domestic political and
    social dynamics and the complexity of its relations with its
    neighbors. It reflects extensive field research in Turkey and
    neighboring countries, as well as consultations with a wide range of
    officials, scholars, journalists, and leaders of business and trade
    associations.

    PDF

    Turkey’s Evolving Dynamics CSIS March 2009

  • An Obama Policy toward Turkey: Continuity or Change?

    An Obama Policy toward Turkey: Continuity or Change?

    Contact:mailmaviboncuk(at)gmail.com

    February 19, 2009

    Mavi Boncuk |
    An Obama Policy toward Turkey: Continuity or Change?
    Featuring Soner Cagaptay, Mark Parris, and Ian Lesser
    February 18, 2009

    Listen to MP3 Audio files
    Soner Cagaptay | Mark Parris | Ian Lesser | Q&A

    The Obama administration faces a number of imminent decisions in developing U.S. policy toward Turkey. Should Washington choose sides in Turkey’s protracted struggle over secularism and democracy involving the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its opponents? Can the United States bring the reluctant AKP to support U.S. efforts on issues ranging from Iran’s nuclear program to Russian regional ambitions?

    To discuss these issues, The Washington Institute invited Soner Cagaptay, Mark Parris, and Ian Lesser to address a special Policy Forum on February 18, 2009.

    Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow and director of the Institute’s Turkish Research Program. A visiting professor at Georgetown University, he recently spent four months in Turkey researching and writing on Turkish foreign and domestic policy.

    Mark Parris, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, is counselor to the Turkey Project and visiting fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution.

    Ian Lesser is a senior transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund, focusing on Turkey and the U.S.-Turkey-EU triangle.

    Labels: PolicyWatch, politics