An aid campaign has been broadcast on national TV channels in the past few days and has shown a parade of billions in donations, almost turning into an act of exposure. We were expected to be caught up in the splendor of the décor created under the motto “one heart”, but no, we have not even been able to bury our dead yet.

Weekly politics publication focusing on Turkey, city agendas, and international policy.

Spektrum

Billions of liras whirling around our TV screens can’t erase the misery.

Sins absolved by money

Hello everyone from Spektrum,In this issue, we continue to focus on the earthquake. Abdullah writes about "the anatomy of a murder".&nbsp;Deniz Kaptan from the University of Minnesota summarizes what stood out to him in the world of diplomacy immediately after the earthquake. He compiled the controversial statements made by the European Union countries and what was said about visa processes for earthquake victims.Hope to see you in the next issue,Bartu Özden

Why did thousands of people die?

The anatomy of a murder, earthquake diplomacy

Turkey has been left devastated by two earthquakes. Witnessing the desperation of the victims, people have criticized the government for its uncoordinated response and lack of efficient policy. Claiming that “now is not the for politics”, officials have been accusing critics of politicizing the disaster. But now is exactly the right time to get political in Turkey. Here’s why.

The ethics of “doing politics” in times of crisis.

The politics of rubble 

Hello&nbsp;everyone from Spektrum,As Turkey enters the election atmosphere, we, as Spektrum, are starting a new series in order to explain the election process to our readers in the most comprehensive way.&nbsp;In the Spektrum Election 2023 bulletin, we will bring you the discourses, promises, and statements of the alliances about the election, and interpret the latest polls for you. In addition, Teyit will verify whether politicians' statements are true or not. Oy ve Ötesi will provide regular information on election and ballot box security.&nbsp;As Turkey prepares for the elections to be held on May 14, you can follow this historic process on Spektrum.Hope to see you in the next issue,Bartu Özden

Latest statements from alliances, confirmations, current polls, ballot security information

Election 2023: Here we go

Hello everyone from Spektrum,&nbsp;This week, Deniz Kaptan from the University of Minnesota wrote about the talks at the Davos 2023&nbsp;Summit, where the inadequacy of the global economic system against today's problems was on the agenda. He evaluated the outputs of the summit.&nbsp;Also this week, we summarised public opinion polls on politics and Turkey's changing sociology. &nbsp;Hope to see you in the next issue,Bartu Özden&nbsp;

AK Party's increase in votes, the public's perception of SADAT, global polarisation and pessimism.

Weekly insights: Talks at Davos 2023 and Turkey's Trends

Hello everyone from Spektrum,Today, I have discussed the debates that arose over Gelecek (Future) Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu's words regarding the authority to sign that the leaders of the parties in the Six Party Table will have during the transition process. I focused on overcoming the environment of uncertainty and ensuring justice in representation. In addition, we also summarised the polls on the election agenda and the economy.Hope to see you in the next issue,Bartu Özden&nbsp;

The 2023 election turns into a referendum on Turkey's administrative system.

Weekly insights: Authority to sign, uncertainty, and fairness in representation

Hello everyone from Spektrum,In this issue, Abdullah writes about the changes in the Turkish defence industry in the last 20 years and the restructuring process. He also examines the relationship between the change in the defence industry and the authoritarian regime created by the AK Party, and summarises the rent that the established structure provided to the government.Hope to see you in the next issue,Enjoy!&nbsp;-İlkim Emirler

The changes in the defense industry in Turkey, its restructuring process and its relationship with the authoritarian regime created by the government.

Weekly insights: Turkish Defence Industry: Rent and Capital

Hello everyone,In this issue, Deniz Kaptan from the University of Minnesota discusses the political change in Brazil, where leftist Lula da Silva took over the presidency.We also compiled public opinion surveys and reports on the election agenda, citizens' livelihoods, and the government's moves towards the economic crisis.Hope to see you next week,Bartu Özden

While Lula da Silva took office, Bolsonaro, who lost the election, left the country.

Weekly insights: Things have calmed down in Brazil: President Lula

Hello everyone,In this issue, I have summarised Turkey's political agenda in 2022. In the year when political tensions were quite high; bans, corruption, and poverty were on the agenda again. Opposition parties, on the other hand, were trying to offer a way out to society.&nbsp;We wish that the 100th anniversary of our Republic will bring democracy, justice, freedom, and development to Turkey.&nbsp;Happy New Year!Bartu Özden

We have gathered together the political agenda of Turkey in 2022.

🎄Turkey in 2022

Hello everyone,In this issue,, Abdullah discusses the outputs of the Sino-Arab Summit, which is significant to the international politics and shows China's growing interest in the Middle East.&nbsp;We also summarized surveys on the economic crisis, the status of cemevis and the government system.&nbsp;Hope to see you next week,Bartu Özden

Spektrum discusses the outputs of the Sino-Arab summit

Weekly insights: International political balances

Politika hakkında yayımlanan makaleler ve yayınlar

Politika

Sosyal farkındalık hakkında yayımlanan makaleler ve yayınlar

Sosyal Farkındalık

We discussed Turkey-EU relations, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the European Union's changing security policies with Joschka Fischer, who served as Germany's Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor between 1998 and 2005, and was the leader of the German Green Party for nearly 20 years.Enjoy your reading!<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2023/2/2/1679405601688.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" alt="fischer" ratio="1.78" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">If the pro-democratic opposition alliance wins the election on the 14th of May, what would be its effects on Turkey-European Union relations? Do you think that there will be a quick reparation?<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">I don’t want to intervene in Turkish elections. I am a friend of Turkey and a democrat. I accept democratic free and fair elections. The rest is at the hands of Turkish political parties.</blockquote>The Turkish opposition is very decisive to revise the refugee deal between Turkey and the EU which was signed in 2016, and send back refugees because of increasing discontent. What would be the EU’s strategy about the migration problem between the two sides and how would the agreement be revised?<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">We have to negotiate the deal if there is a need, and there is a need. Both sides are under a severe pressure, not only the Turkish side. Unfortunately, refugees is not an issue which is popular, in Turkey nor in Europe. I must say that Turkey has done a lot and we appreciate it. So if there is a need for a renegotiation, it should be done.It needs no imagination that the terrible consequences of the earthquake in both Turkey and Northern Syria will create new refugees. This humanitarian catastrophe may mean we have to act together.</blockquote>How do you evaluate Turkey's foreign policy strategy in the process that started with Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Do you think Turkey is pursuing a 'neutral' foreign policy as stated in official discourse? How should Turkey's stance and strategy be against Russia?<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">Turkey was very helpful in procurement of the extremely important grain deal. This was very important especially for countries in Africa and the Middle East. I can't believe that Turkey is neutral. Knowing the Turkish history, invasion of Crimea by the Russian Empire was very close to the current situation. Turkey is a member of NATO and must have a clear position. I think the elections can only improve that.</blockquote>Turkey claims that its security concerns are not shared by some EU and NATO members. Do you agree with this claim? What should be the EU and NATO's stance about Turkey’s concerns?<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">First of all, Turkey’s concerns about Northern Syria is a NATO issue. Secondly, I think in an alliance you can sit together and talk about everything. I don’t see that Turkey’s security interests are not accepted, I would reject it. Everybody understands the security concerns of Turkey, especially related to the Kurds.On the other side, you have to see the humanitarian disaster developing in Norhern Syria for a long time. Syria is a mess but nobody inside NATO or EU is in favor of an independent Kurdistan, nobody. I think the Turkish security interests, which are well understood, are questioned. But the humanitarian catastphory there is a serious challenge for all of us. It's highly complicated but this means you have sit down and talk.</blockquote>You said in your speech at the Izmır Economy Congress, that we have to focus on concrete areas of cooperation and disregard missed opportunities. What are the possible&nbsp;cooperation areas between Turkey and the EU?<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">We have strong economic, scientific interests and cooperation. Look at this beautiful city, Izmir. You have a lot of foreign investment in here from Germany, EU and the US. It moves in a direction which is very promising. This is the way we have to continue to move on.</blockquote>There is an important debate inside of the EU about developing their own security capabilities and create their own security umbrella. France’s President Emmanuel Macron is a prominent figure in this debate. Furthermore, Germany decided to boost its security expenditures to 100 billions of dollars annually, and this policy change is seen as “The return of Germany as a geopolitical power”. What is your take on these debates, and how do you analyze Germany’s decision to boost its military expenditures?<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">We have to increase our military expenditures, there is no question about that. I have been in favor of that for a long time. Because we could not defend ourselves and this must change. On the otherside, you have mentioned that "Should the EU have its own security umbrella?", wait and see. Almost all the EU members with the exception of Austria, Cyprus and Malta will be NATO members. I don’t understand Turkey’s position on blocking the entrance of Sweden to NATO. For me, this makes no sense from the Turkish point of interest. I would give the advice, welcome them. And all these EU members in NATO, I would turn the table around and tell the EU "look, we are the same security family including Turkey". We have some work to do. Turkey’s position is very short-sided.As for the German question, we didn’t want that change, it was imposed on us. In Germany, there was no serious political force who wanted to change it. But we must be able to defend ourselves. With the aggression of Putin against Ukraine, this ended definitely the post-WW2 period of Germany. And this will transform my country in a very substantial way because the Germans feel threatened by Russia. Germans think that we have to be able to defend ourselves. At that moment, we can't do that so we will turn around and will do that.</blockquote>Europe is facing a two-handed security threat. The first one is the security threat especially from Russia, and the other one is a more economic, trade-related threat from China? What is and should be the EU strategy to challenge these threats?<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">These are different issues. We will try to differentiate with China because we should not make the same foolish mistakes as we did with Russia. The problem was not that we were trading with Russia, the mistake was our overdependency on energy supplies to Russia. We should not commit to the same mistakes twice. But this message has arrived in German business community and politics. So I see they are different situations and threats.</blockquote>There are lots of analyses on that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine can trigger China’s invasion of Taiwan. Do you agree with that?<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">I am not a fan of Xi Jinping and I am not convinced with his wisdom but I think the Chinese Communist Party is too clever to not do that. If you look at the biggest, most advanced technology in computer chips you have in Taiwan, TSMC is the biggest chip company. What is the biggest market for TMSC, China.So, it makes no sense to invade Taiwan for China. By the way, the US will not sit idle and watch what is going on. It is about global world role of the US, you should not underestimate this factor, Chinese know that. So I don’t understand why all these war mongering rumors, they make no sense.</blockquote><hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Fischer's pieces on Aposto</h2>Joschka Fischer's articles published on Project Syndicate, an international media organization that provides commentary and analysis on global issues, are now available on Aposto. Below is the link to Fischer's articles we have published before:<ul fr-original-style="padding-inline-start: 20px;" style="padding-inline-start: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; list-style-position: inside; box-sizing: border-box;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a fr-original-style="" href="https://aposto.com/i/covid-and-the-chinese-social-contract" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">COVID and the Chinese Social Contract</a></li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a fr-original-style="" href="https://aposto.com/s/the-birth-of-a-new-international-order" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">The Birth of a New International Order</a></li></ul>

Former German Foreign Minister and Project Syndicate author Joschka Fischer spoke with Spektrum.

On Turkey-EU relations and the future of the EU with Joschka Fischer

Political scientist Prof. Dr. Francis Fukuyama from Stanford University connected online to the Second Economic Congress of the Century in Izmir and gave a speech on the crisis of liberal democracies in the world and the opportunities that the 2023 elections could provide for Turkey. We interviewed Fukuyama, whose thesis 'The End of History and the Last Man' marked an era, immediately after his speech.Abdullah EsinHello Prof. Fukuyama, thanks so much for talking to us, Aposto. I have just listened to your speech at Congress for Future’s Economy. You are one of the prominent figures of liberal democracy and mostly known by your historical book “The End of History”. As you have mentioned in your speech, liberal democracy is in crisis throughout the World. The number of autocracies is on the rise while liberal democracies are falling. How do you analyze the current struggle of liberal democracy? What are the main dynamics behind the crisis of democracy? What the democrats should do to restore the liberal democracy in the world?<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2023/2/0/1679201816412.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" ratio="3.59" width="550" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"> <blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9);" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left: 2px solid rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">Well, there are several different threats to liberal democracy. There is a geopolitical threat right now that is exemplified by Russia and China. That has turned into a military threat with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. So, I think that is important at a geopolitical level to show these countries that they can’t get away with attacking democracy using military force, to deter future attempts to use force in a similar way. I think the one people are worrying most is China attacking Taiwan in the same way Russia attacked Ukraine.But for other countries, in particular for Turkey, the struggle is internal, domestic one. The main issue is winning elections. I think there is an opportunity for Turkish democracy to make a comeback if the opposition can actually organize well enough to win the upcoming election.This is the same issue for us in the United States. The only way that we are going to defeat our form of populism is by winning elections. I think the election last November was good for the democracy in America, because a lot of the pro-Trump populist candidates lost their election bids. I think something like that needs to happen in every country where elections are still possible.Unfortunately, there are a lot of countries where authoritarianism has consolidated to the point that there really are not meaningful elections. In those cases, there are much longer-term struggle going on. I don’t think Turkey is there yet, so you got an opportunity to use the ballot box to reverse the kind of trends we have seen in the last decade.</blockquote><img src="https://images.aposto.com/2023/2/0/1679201845574.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" ratio="1.58" width="550" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"> If the pro-democracy opposition in Turkey would win the election, what do you think about the challenges they might face? Will it be easy to restore democracy?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left: 2px solid rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">It is going to be a huge challenge. The first challenge is going to be economic. Turkey has an incredibly high rate of inflation that brought on deliberately by Erdoğan’s crazy monetary policy. I think there is a budget deficit and it need to rein in the money supply.Those are all going to be very painful measures, because interest rates are going to have to go up. It is likely to trigger a recession. That is going to be very bad for the incoming government to have to deal with this legacy.Unfortunately to some extent, it can’t be avoided. Because, Turkey’s economy is heading in the wrong direction. Unless there is a big shift in the policy, it is going to continue to deteriorate.But there are other aspects of democratic governance that are important. What I said in my talk is that, what people want out of democracy is in a way very local and oriented towards service which governments are expected to provide. The failure to respond adequately to the earthquake was damaging to the current government. So a new government needs to make sure that it has the authority to actually build roads, make sure the electricity stays on and all of these relatively day to day activities that may not seem very dramatic but are really what in the end people want a democratically accountable government to provide for them. I would say that focus needs to be there.</blockquote>I want to ask a question about the election strategy of the opposition. In Turkey,, the pro-democracy opposition from very different ideologies is trying to defeat the authoritarian populist government by forming a wide alliance. Same election strategy failed in Hungary against Orban, but the same strategy worked in Israel against Netanyahu. However, in that case, we have seen the comeback of Netanyahu as a result of the internal disagreements in the coalition. Do you think forming a wide democratic alliance is a sustainable and successful option to defeat authoritarianism?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left: 2px solid rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">There is no alternative. You are not going to restore democracy unless you gain political power. Right now, the only way of gaining political power is through winning an election. You are not going to win an election unless you got this kind of broad coalition. Just because it did not work in Hungary and in few other places does not mean it’s a failing strategy.Democratically inclined people in Turkey really have to concentrate on coalition building and coming up with the program that is actually going to be popular if they do succeed in coming to power.</blockquote>In your speech, you mentioned the importance of a common national identity to restore democracy. Nationalism and national identity have always been a conflict area in Turkey because of secularism debate and also because of the Kurdish issue. How do you think we can build a common national identity without falling to the trap of an ethnic or religious conflict?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left: 2px solid rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">As I said, I don’t think that national identity in Turkey should be built around religion. That was one of Atatürk’s great contribution to redefine a Turkish nationalism that was not based in religion.You know the reasons for that, the religion is a very divisive issue. That is what divides many of the countries in the Middle East. Even if they are majority Muslim, there are huge splits within the world of Islam. In Turkey, you have a major split between religious people and secular people. So, if you base national identity on religion, you are going to inevitably have a huge internal social conflict. That’s really the reason that liberalism is created in the first place.Liberalism aroused in Europe in the middle of the 17th century, after Europe’s wars of religion. Europeans spent 150 years killing each other over whether they are Protestant or Catholic. They were all Christians but they had this sectarian division. Liberalism was created in order to allow people to live in religiously diverse societies. I believe that is what Turkey needs to have.</blockquote>How do you see the current relations between Turkey and the European Union? Turkey’s EU membership ideal was a part of the democratization process. Do you think there will be another rounds of negotiations after the election if opposition wins? Or is it too late already after the years of destruction?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left: 2px solid rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">Well I think that it is going to take a while before Europe is ready to consider Turkey again. First of all, assuming that the democratic forces win the election, there is still going to be a lot of uncertainty about how stable the coalition will be, whether there will be a return of Erdoğan and anti-democratic forces.Until it is clear that Turkey has returned to a stable democratic path, I think Europe is probably going to be reluctant. The other problem right now is that there is a lot of competition to get in to the EU, there are a lot Eastern European countries which have been waiting for years such as Ukraine and Moldova. A lot of existing member countries are reluctant to accept new members until they are more sure of what are the politics of the new members.Hungary is an important one, it was seen as a stable democracy and entered the EU. Since then it became an autocratic government and the EU hasn’t really got a mechanism to deal with that kind of backsliding. EU is going to be very careful about taking in any new members, not just Turkey.</blockquote>My last question is about the globe. I don’t know if you agree but in Global North, the rise of the right-wing populism is seen as the result of negative consequences of globalization. In the Global South, the reason is seen as the the rise of a neo-middle class. But the result is the same in both hemispheres of the globe. Why and how different consequences of globalization have produced the same result, as the rise of the right-wing populism?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left: 2px solid rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">Actually, I think it is not just the difference between the Global South and North. There are many different varieties of populism. The classic form of populism was a left wing populism. You still see that in many places. In Latin America for instance, you have a number of populist presidents who have been elected, in Chile, Colombia, Peru. They are not like European populists. They are traditional people, worry about economic inequality. That is also true in many parts of the Global South.The other think is that there is resentment to western domination of the global economy. That is not necessarily ideological but it is the experience of colonialism and the past several decades of western policies. It made people unhappy that the west continues to dominate global institutions.All of those are separate reasons and I don’t think you are going to cure them with a single solution.</blockquote>

"Democratically inclined people in Turkey really have to concentrate on coalition building and coming up with the program that is actually going to be popular if they do succeed in coming to power."

On liberal democracy, elections, and Turkey with Francis Fukuyama

<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinem-ugurdag-119257a5/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; -webkit-user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Sinem Uğurdağ</a>Professor Dr. Vandana Shiva, an Indian eco-feminist, scientist, and environmental activist, is widely recognized for her leadership in the global food ecosystem and her advocacy for seed rights.Dr. Shiva has been instrumental in organizing popular movements aimed at preventing deforestation and the construction of large dams. In the 1960s, she spearheaded the establishment of seed banks across India, with the objective of preserving the country's agricultural heritage and promoting sustainable farming practices among farmers. Her advocacy work has centered on issues such as global trade agreements, corporate domination, and the privatization of water resources, all of which pose threats to biodiversity. Through her critical examination of these issues, Dr. Shiva has sought to promote realistic solutions to these pressing challenges.In recognition of her work, Dr. Shiva was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize," in 1993. She is the author of more than fifteen books and has published over 300 scientific articles.During the Izmir Economy Congress, we had the privilege of engaging Dr. Shiva in a conversation that touched on various subjects, including ecofeminism, post-earthquake reconstruction, and Turkey's food policies. In particular, we sought Dr. Shiva's insights on the policies that Turkey could implement to promote sustainable food practices and the methods that proponents of seed autonomy could employ to advance their cause.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2023/2/0/1679185008179.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" alt="shiva" ratio="0.75" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">I read your Ecofeminism book six years ago, and it's actually been 30 years since you wrote the book with Maria.How do you see the ecofeminism movement evolving in response to the urgent ecological challenges? And what role do you see for ecofeminism in shaping a more sustainable future?<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9);" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">Ecofeminism was evolved, i would say, in response to the roots of the multiple crises we faced. And of course the crises have become deeper now. We always saw eco feminism as the alternative to capitalist patriarchy, the convergence of an economics of greed with patriarchal power, because every structure of the greed economy is patriarchal and formed from the cooperation to the idea of competition rather than cooperation. So ecofeminism's relevance grows with the crisis, but also as another way of thinking and living in this world. That doesn't cause harm.</blockquote>As you said, disasters’ magnitudes have increased: earthquakes, some ecological crises like environmental crises… In Turkey, we had a horrific disaster last month, and how do you think that territory can promote, somehow sustainable agriculture development?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">Well, first, I offer my solidarity and my pain, shared pain for those who either lost their lives through the disaster or were suffering, the continued consequences. From what I have read, it's your new structures that collapsed, that villages survived. And that means two things, that first we have to rein in the unregulated cement suffocation of the mind. Because I have seen earthquakes in my own region, it is the cement that killed people. That was not the earthquake.And so we need to take much more respect to indigenous building systems, and more involvement in planning. And when you say, how do you rebuild agriculture, well, the Earth is still there, the Earth is still waiting to be taken care of. So ecological agriculture &nbsp;will always be relevant and even more relevant, because part of what has happened in the last 30 years since we wrote the book is globalization has pushed people off the villages by making agriculture unviable, pushed them into the cities and then you have this explosion. But that process cannot carry on wood because cities have a much bigger footprint than a village. But we need people in the countryside to regenerate the countryside. You know, people have hands, people have minds, people have hearts, and all that needs to be put to work to be able to have a renewal.</blockquote>I see your point. And I think that's actually the way to go, but because of this whole economic collapse and the comeback of the current situation. It would probably be hard to imagine, I suppose. And at the same time, the feminist movement, some sort of injecting this whole situation of feminist or eco feminist movement would be much harder, I think. And how did you see this same perspective in India?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">There are times when there's closure. And when I say closure, I mean, but the mental closure to not see that there are alternatives, but also political closure to not allow plurality of voices to emerge. But that's precisely the time when you need staying power. Because, for me, at least, my thinking and ecofeminist philosophy, or feminist movements are timeless. They are, they're the convergence of how nature works, and how women have sustained society through care. Even when, during the wars, how was food reaching the table? You know, the woman was still finding ways to put together something for the family to eat. So that economy of care and humility, in the context of nature, are even more important today. The fact that there is a closure for a short time, doesn't mean that we have to stop our thinking, we have to stop our speaking, we have to stop our mobilization, we have to continue.</blockquote>You have written extensively about the importance of preserving the traditional seeds, seed varieties, and promoting agroecological practices. How do you believe these approaches can empower women farmers and contribute to gender equality in terms of agriculture, especially in developing countries, such as India and Turkey?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">I knew when I started to save seeds, because I heard the corporation's talk about owning the seeds through patterns. And through genetic engineering, and having laws like the intellectual property laws of GATT and WTO. To make it impossible for farmers to save seeds, that's the day I decided I would save the seeds. I didn't do it with any idea other than the idea of freedom, that farmers' freedom to save and exchange should not should not be taken away. This has seeds of energy. This is the basis of agriculture. But now that we've done this since 87, that's when I started, we find that the old seeds have much more nutrition. So if you want food, you'd better use old seeds, because the new seeds have been bred for chemicals. Second, the old seeds are much more climate resilient. So we are living in times of climate change.&nbsp;We were just saving what we caught in the seeds we had saved for salt Aldrin seeds, and then the cyclone game in 1999. We could build back agriculture, tsunami came, we could build back agriculture. And the third most important part is nutrition is linked to taste and phytochemicals. So I have helped Indian farmers become seed savers. But when I went into the villages, at the end of the day, to the women who had the knowledge, they've always been seed savers, they've always been seed breeders. So women have a very important role right now to to change the idea that they do not have expertise. They are the ultimate experts on seed. The second is they're the ultimate experts on how to grow biodiversity and know the different uses of biodiversity. And that's the way we can feed the world, address climate change, and reverse biodiversity erosion. So women will be in the lead in this transition.</blockquote>I see but at the same time, because of the policy making regarding the seed situation, especially with the corporations and how they sell the seed and return it to the developing countries in a way trying to ameliorate the system but make it worse. &nbsp;What do you suggest to policymakers in this situation?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">Well, you know, I feel very grateful and very blessed that I was able to play a role in India, not just with the farmers and to create 150 Community seed banks. But with our policymakers, a Parliament, Parliament would invite me to talk about trade, Eurasian intellectual property rights patenting GMO, and ridotto law on battens, which says plants, animals and seeds are not human inventions, therefore, they cannot be patented. That's something Turkey should do. You know, this parliament should pass a law that plants, animals and seeds are not human inventions. Therefore they are not patentable. But the second was. We talked to our policymakers about how farmers have been the real breeders of every seed we use, you know 0.1001% work has been done by the corporations, most of it has been in but not by nature or traditional farmers. So I always say the farmers are the first breeders.So we managed to write a law and UPOV is the international law on Breeders' Rights, which is like patent rights. And I &nbsp;managed with the government to write a log on. The government invited me to be an expert in writing this law on plant variety protection of powers, right? So we have an article 39, which says farmers are breeders, the right to save, exchange, improve, sell seed can never be taken away. And that has meant that when Pepsi tried to sue Indian farmers for saving, put it, you know, they have faced chips. And they've sued Indian power for farmers for 40 million rupees. And when I read this in the newspaper, I immediately sent my book on intellectual property to the lawyers and the judges. I see, but they can't they can't sue the farmer because the writer is an alien. So article 39 of that law. That's something definitely parliamentarians and policymakers of Turkey, those both laws, you know, should with the farmers of this country be molded in appropriate context, for Turkey. I've just had a wonderful lunch, full of diversity. Breakfast, they laid out, I think, 20 kinds of olives. I've never seen 20 kinds of olives. I go to Italy all the time, green, olive, black, over 30 kinds of olive. You are so rich in biodiversity, and protecting your farmers rights to continue to evolve biodiversity is very important for the future sovereignty of Turkey.</blockquote>You've been a passionate advocate for sustainable agriculture, social justice, eco feminism, and all these amazing things. I'm really curious, in the last few years, have you ever experienced anything that changed your perspective that took you from one point to another, quite strictly?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">My perspective just got deepened. I took on the biggest giants, the Monsanto's of the world. And you don't like it because they set their mind on a monopoly, all seats will be theirs. And when I interfere in their project of total monopoly, of course, they're not happy. But every time they do horrible things, I learn a little more about how unjust, undemocratic Victorian dictatorial system works. So, then you learn how your principles don't change. But your strategies understand their mind deeper. Because we are dealing with an economics that is like mafia economics, you know.So, to stay true to your knowledge, and your values and your choices, in the context of market economics, of course, means that you just have to become more plural in your ways.</blockquote>I couldn't agree more. Finally, last but not least, what are the current projects that you're working on? What do you want to achieve in the upcoming years?<blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">You know, I don't really like to use the word achieve, because I work on important issues, irrelevant of what the outcome will be, because, you know, you have to do the right thing. Because you know, I have done my PhD in quantum theory. And there's always multiple parts, you know, it can be a particle, it can be a wave. But if you keep putting your weight behind the right action, then the right action becomes part of the outcome. So what am I, you know, I'm continuing to save seeds. It has so happened that women have been the most committed in this movement, even though I started the farmers as a whole but it's the women farmers who are really, totally committed to this. And we've just finished a celebration last week on 450 farm women, 400 farmers, and 50 women from around the world on the future issues and they've just done their manifesto. But what I can see is like seed was to be monopolized. They are those in Silicon Valley, who would like to take over our food and, and make lab food. So all the delicious tastes I had this afternoon, you know, would be totally gone. And you know, a Coca Cola is not like a fresh juice. It's not the same. It's still a drink, but it's not the same.</blockquote><blockquote fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(94, 53, 177); padding-left: 5px; box-sizing: border-box;">So we know ultra processed food has already caused 75% of the chronic diseases we face. If all food is ultra ultra ultra processed in the lab, two things will happen, agriculture will become more monoculture to produce raw materials and commodities. And therefore biodiversity will go, energy use will increase So climate change will increase. And worse, food will lose its quality of taste, of diversity, of culture. Food is culture. Food is life, they lose life. So when I see Silicon Valley, putting money into fake milk, fake meat Impossible Burger patterns, 14 patents on Impossible Burger, you know, my work on seed, that ultimately food begins with seed. So the outer circle becomes real food and real farmers. So I'm just hoping that just like we were, our young children's health was destroyed with junk food, that our future will not be destroyed with thick food that for me, truth is absolutely non negotiable. And the truth in food is the very basis of the health of the planet. Thank you so much. A junkie can play a very big role by defending its real farmers and celebrating its amazing food.</blockquote>Thank you so much for answering my questions.

"We always saw eco feminism as the alternative to capitalist patriarchy, the convergence of an economics of greed with patriarchal power." 

On rebuilding and food politics with Vandana Shiva

<a fr-original-style="" href="https://link.apos.to/c/VZ7vpgBrrdKI?c=CMPUW0oNATZsM7VDNkqgM&sub=62b033905d379200061d8935&s=web" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Enes Köse</a>When social crises erupt, people start to evaluate the dynamics that caused the crisis as much as its outcomes. These are the times when collective memory is at its strongest. Because there has been a breach in the blinding ordinariness of daily life, and the ordinary flow of events has been replaced by exposure of a series of errors and sins. These are also times of relentless attempts to confront the receipts of the crisis with a fait accompli.We witnessed a charity broadcast on national TV channels. In this program, celebrities and people from various communities came to the fore with their faces, voices and mostly their names, and the state made an exhibition of its institutions as if to say "we are helping the most". This happened on television in a country where, just a week ago, people had to rent their own cranes to pull their relatives out from under the rubble.&nbsp;Philanthropy has always been quickly deployed to hide the cracks in the system as it has functioned as a strategy to manage social change. It is used by elites or those in power to conceal the power dynamics and integrate the powerless into the very order that exploits them. It is utilized quite effectively in times of crisis.This strategy has its roots in the twentieth century. As <a fr-original-style="" href="https://philpapers.org/rec/BERTIO-31?utm_source=aposto" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Edward Berman</a> points out, philanthropy, which makes an appearance during critical periods, acts on the understanding that social reconciliation can only be achieved by somehow abating the extremes of poverty and wealth. In times of crisis, this strategy is put forth through a crude discourse of togetherness. In other words, we are talking about a false reconciliation that is achieved by artificially trying to close the gap between the misery in the earthquake zone and the millions of liras on TV. Moreover, this reconciliation effort, which is usually a one-off, does not offer permanent solutions to the loneliness in the midst of all the misery.During this showcase of charity, where the money that was taken from us was being donated by others, another exchange was also taking place: the exchange of symbolic capital. Institutions, companies, and infamous individuals were announcing unimaginable sums for symbolic gains such as reputation, recognition, and absolution. We were witnessing an intense effort to hide past sins by creating a noisy distraction.French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu defines symbolic power as a legitimizing power that ensures consent from both the dominator and the dominated. In other words, with this symbolic capital, legitimacy is guaranteed as the order of the rulers continues on, unharmed. In fact, the dominant group gives a kind of advance payment to the subordinate group, and in return, it gains a "collective belief" and "capital of trust".The loss of trust following the failure to manage the crisis after the earthquake was attempted to be remedied through the aid program - with our money. Contractors, politicians, and state institutions appeared before us to pay "fees" that meant very little to them to be able to atone for their sins. The people, who had nothing left but solidarity, would be willing to retreat in the face of this advance, they thought. But we know from Eduardo Galeano that "Charity, vertical, humiliates. Solidarity, horizontal, helps.”In the scenario written by those who failed to manage the disaster and tried to manage the consequences, we were invited to erase the traces of misery as mournful consumers. A décor supposedly uniting contractors whose tax debts were repeatedly written off, and the thousands of people trapped under the rubble on some common ground, artificially fusing these two realities together as sharing “one heart”. But no, we haven't even buried our dead yet.In such a period when human rights are packaged as "charity", we need to prevent “everything that is solid” from being melted in all the showiness, and we need to remember the misery behind the décor. We are not partners in the guilt of those who make vows for legitimacy at the sacrificial altar of the age of appearances.The money is not enough to cover our funerals. And again, we know that "the dead who are not buried properly, come back.”

According to official figures released so far, more than 35,000 people have lost their lives, hundreds of thousands of people have been left without a home, and thousands of bodies are still waiting to be pulled out from under the rubble.The earthquakes, which have caused one of the biggest devastations in the history of the Republic of Turkey, have been called &nbsp;the "Disaster of the Century" by the mainstream media and the government for some time now, and propaganda has been intensely used to push this narrative. President Erdoğan has been trying to absolve himself of all responsibility and blame the loss of thousands of lives on "fate" by saying "It is not possible to be prepared for such a great disaster".Millions of people who oppose this narrative and criticize the state's inadequacy, negligence, and failures are facing insults and accusations of treason.Those who have been in power for 21 years, who have been talking about the disaster of the 1999 earthquake for years to politicize the incapacity of the state at the time, have mobilized a massive propaganda apparatus instead of taking responsibility for the disaster and resigning.Despite all the warnings from scientists and opposition parties, the danger of earthquakes, which was ignored for years with no measures in place, has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people. This disaster is a blatant murder and in this article, I will try to explain the anatomy of this murder.<h2 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Earthquake taxes scattered on the roads</h2>Introduced after the 1999 earthquake, the "Special Communication Tax", popularly known as the "earthquake tax", is collected with the aim of preparing Turkey for earthquakes, realizing urban transformation projects, and improving first aid and search and rescue activities. This tax, which was made permanent under the AK Party government, generated 36.2 billion liras in revenue between 2003 and 2022. Some economists estimate that when inflation and exchange rate are taken into account, the revenue from the earthquake tax reaches 685 billion liras. After the 2011 earthquake in Van, then AK Party Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek was asked, "How were the earthquake taxes spent?" He replied, “After all, this is the wealth of 74 million people. More than the so-called earthquake tax, there are SCT’s (special consumption tax) etc. that have become permanent. These taxes go to our health. You say, 'You collected 44 billion liras of tax in this framework, where did it go?' The expenditure we made for the health of citizens in just one year is 44 billion liras. This goes to double highways, railways, airlines, farming, and education." Instead of saving the lives of thousands of people, the earthquake tax was spent on roads that crumbled in the earthquake, and it was the first step of a blatant murder. To compensate for this money, a charity campaign was launched on television yesterday. Millions watched a show in which businesspeople turned their donations into an advertising campaign and donated to people as if they were handing out "alms". As a whole nation, we were overwhelmed with shame.<h2 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">AFAD under the rubble</h2>The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), which was established to ensure inter-institutional coordination in cases of disaster and to carry out search and rescue operations, intervened too late in many cities destroyed by the earthquake due to the appointment of unqualified personnel in the administration, the weakening of the institution's mobility, and the lack of coordination in search and rescue operations. Therefore, thousands of people could not be rescued from the rubble. Aposto and Referandom teams investigated the reasons for AFAD's inadequacies in earthquake response from primary sources and reached very important findings:&nbsp;<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">When we examine the regional IRAP (Istanbul Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Plan) reports available on AFAD's website, we can actually see the reasons for the inadequacy of the earthquake response. Here are the problems that AFAD officials from the cities affected by the earthquake expressed in these meetings;"Hatay AFAD official stated that they have problems regarding the budget and responsibilities regarding IRAP actions and related organizations.""Kahramanmaraş AFAD official stated that especially small municipalities complain about the lack of budget and technical staff.""Osmaniye AFAD official stated that they constantly hold IRAP meetings locally, but central power would be more effective in implementation.""Kilis AFAD official emphasized that the institutions of Kilis AFAD caused disruptions in the realization of the actions by claiming budget and personnel insufficiency, and that it would be useful to write to the relevant institutions at the ministry level.""Şanlıurfa AFAD official stated that especially the Regional Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) had coordination problems with the institutions it works with in stream remediation efforts and that this situation caused problems in practice."Despite all the warnings from the authorities, no attempt was made to remedy the deficiencies. Furthermore, some changes in AFAD's decision-making mechanism have significantly reduced the organization's mobility. The first of these was the removal of the Turkish Armed Forces from the Disaster and Emergency Board. This was one of the most important reasons behind the army’s inability to intervene in the first days of the earthquake.</blockquote>In the Law No. 5902, which founded AFAD, the Disaster and Emergency Board included the Ministry of National Defense, the supreme board of the Turkish Armed Forces. However, the Ministry of National Defense was removed from this board with a presidential decree after the transition to the Presidential System. In other words, the TAF (Turkish Armed Forces) is not present in the highest board against disasters in the country.Similarly, the Security and Public Order Assistance Protocol (EMASYA), which came into force in 1997 and authorized the TAF to intervene in social incidents and natural disasters without the permission of the governorate, was canceled in 2010 because it was used in a coup plot.In addition, İsmail Palakoğlu is the General Director of Disaster Response at AFAD. Palakoğlu is a graduate of Religious Studies, and before his appointment to this position, he served as General Manager of the Turkish Religious Foundation and Presidential Advisor to the Presidency of Religious Affairs. He has no training in disaster response or search and rescue.<h2 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">The 0.5% budget</h2>In 2022, the share allocated from the capital budget for programs to prevent earthquakes and natural disasters is only 0.5%. Economist Mustafa Sönmez states that the money spent in 2022 for "Urbanism and Risk Oriented Integrated Disaster Management", which aims to reduce the risk of destruction in earthquakes, is 21.2 billion liras. On the other hand, the money spent from the treasury on the currency protected deposit (FXPD) program, which was issued to protect the savings of capital owners at a time when inflation skyrocketed and the exchange rate exploded due to the government’s faulty economic policies, is 93 billion liras.<h2 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Building Inspection</h2>Contractors and owners of construction companies, just some of the killers of more than 35,000 people who lost their lives in the earthquake, have been quickly detained and arrested. However, no one from the municipalities that approved these buildings or the AK Party government that handed over the building inspection system to private companies has yet been detained. Arresting the people at the bottom of this system, which has turned the construction industry into a grave for people, will not ease the public conscience. The politicians who built this system must also be questioned from top to bottom and the guilty must be arrested. The duty of building inspection was taken away from TMMOB (Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects) and given to private companies. This has created a system in which people who own construction companies also set up building inspection companies (and fail) to inspect themselves. Newspapers close to the government had gleefully celebrated this decision.Mehmet Soğancı, former Chairperson of the Board of Directors of TMMOB, criticized the regulation with the following statements:<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">“Building inspection is one of the main law enforcement activities carried out by the administration based on its sanction power, and as stated in Article 128 of the Constitution, the primary and permanent duties required by the public services that the state is obliged to carry out according to the principles of general administration must be carried out by civil servants and other public officials. However, with Law No. 4708, the state has made this essential and continuous service a subject of privatization, despite the fact that Article 128 of the Constitution is in force. Building supervision has been handed over to building inspection organizations from the ground and foundation reports to the license stage (actually, including the license stage, because the license is granted according to the inspection reports).”</blockquote>Considering that the construction companies that are the contractors of many buildings destroyed in earthquakes are also the owners of building inspection companies, we see that the regulation made by the government is another stone used in paving the way to mass murder.<h2 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Construction Amnesty</h2>During the AK Party's term, construction amnesty was issued 9 times. Unstable, irregular, and unsafe buildings, which were against the regulations, were granted amnesty in order to gain votes during election periods and negligence was ignored. Contractors, who believed that they would be granted amnesty every time, ignored the laws and rules and built buildings that would bury thousands of people for years without any humane concerns. The government legalized murder by granting amnesty to these buildings that would cause the deaths of more than 35,000 people. Nine more stones were laid on the road to mass murder.CHP Deputy Mahmut Tanal asked the Minister of Environment and Urbanization Murat Kurum how many houses and workplaces received "Building Registration Certificates" in the last months of 2022 with the 2018 construction amnesty. According to the answer, 7 million 85 thousand 969 Building Registration Certificates were issued throughout Turkey within the scope of the construction amnesty, 5 million 848 thousand 927 of them are residential buildings.According to DW Turkish, the number of building registration certificates issued within the scope of construction amnesty in the 10 cities affected by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş was 294 thousand 166. These are listed as follows:<ul fr-original-style="padding-inline-start: 20px;" style="padding-inline-start: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; list-style-position: inside; box-sizing: border-box;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">"59,247 in Adana, 10,629 in Adıyaman, 14,719 in Diyarbakır, 40,224 in Gaziantep, 56,464 in Hatay, 39,58 in Kahramanmaraş, 4,897 in Kilis, 22,299 in Malatya, 21,107 in Osmaniye and 25,521 in Şanlıurfa."</li></ul><h2 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Who are the perpetrators of mass murder?</h2>As we have witnessed many times before, the AK Party government has not taken any responsibility for this disaster and is trying to ease the public conscience with a few arrests and detentions. From the construction site chief to the President, the rent-based construction sector which was built in the last 21 years cost us the lives of more than 35,000 people with practices such as distributing government bids to government-supporting companies, paving the way for lack of supervision, granting amnesty to buildings in violation of the rules in order to gain votes, turning institutions that have the capacity to prevent earthquake disasters into political rent machines while making them dysfunctional, not allocating sufficient budget, and changing the building inspection system. The government continuously paved the way for mass murder one stone at a time. And today, the people who should be held accountable and prosecuted are those who happily carried said stones on their shoulders.

Every politician, every government official, and every contractor who paved the way to mass murder must be questioned and account for over 35,000 people who lost their lives.

The anatomy of a murder

After the February 6 earthquakes that caused devastation in 10 cities in Turkey, inadequacies and problems persist both in the earthquake zone and in diplomacy. In this article, I will focus on positions that contrast with the social support Turkey has received from other countries, especially the statement made by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on February 12.If the devastation caused by the earthquake and the despair we find ourselves in as a society indicate that the 20-year AK Party government has ignored one of the most important phenomena in the geography of our country, the recent developments in diplomacy show how isolated Turkey has become in the world arena at the state level.<h3 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">"The EU is overcrowded. So, good deals should be made with Turkey"</h3>Speaking two days after the earthquake, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "We are now racing against time to save lives. Turkey and Syria can count on the EU."&nbsp;Two hours after the first earthquake, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism deployed search and rescue teams, tents and mattresses, and €3 million in emergency humanitarian aid to improve government response.Speaking on a television program a few days after the earthquake, Belgian Prime Minister De Croo emphasized that 5.5 million people were displaced in Turkey and Syria, and that they needed to make "good deals" with Turkey in order to prevent a new wave of migration to Europe. The statements of Prime Minister De Croo raised suspicion at a time when there was a sense that the EU and its member states were moved by humanitarian sentiments and values, as they acted immediately after the earthquakes.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2023/1/2/1676997648055.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.78" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">AP<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">Noting that the EU has become even more crowded after the refugees from Ukraine, De Croo's idea of preventing a new wave of migration and reaching an agreement to keep migrants in Turkey has a basis in fact.<h3 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Since the readmission</h3>One of the -good- deals hinted at by Prime Minister De Croo was the EU-Turkey negotiations in 2015-2016, whereby Syrian refugees would stay within Turkey's borders and Turkey <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18/eu-turkey-statement/?utm_source=aposto" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">would receive</a> €3 billion from the EU to provide the necessary assistance and conditions for the refugees. Despite promises, such as a new Customs Union agreement and EU visa liberalization for Turkish citizens, we did not see any progress other than the funding for refugees.This statement by the Belgian Prime Minister days after the disaster is not only ill-timed, but also a severe consequence of the AK Party government's past foreign policy. In other words, we see that the decisions made by Western states to prioritize their own regional and national interests by instrumentalizing human rights, which were accepted by the AK Party government to save the day, are now being proposed to AK Party again, under more difficult conditions.<h3 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Fast and easy visa</h3>On the other hand, Turkish citizens living in EU member states or in the UK may be able to bring relatives who lost their homes in the earthquake to their home country. In some countries, citizens are pressing for visa facilitation for Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims.As BBC Turkish correspondent Yusuf Özkan reports from The Hague, Germany and Belgium, two of the countries with the highest number of Turkish citizens in Europe, are planning a "fast-track" visa process for earthquake victims that will not be as quick and easy as it should be. One of the biggest problems is that the number of documents normally required for a Schengen visa has not been reduced and earthquake victims' documents have been buried under the rubble.<h3 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Petitions to parliament in the UK</h3>Another interesting case on the visa issue comes from the United Kingdom. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, parliament was flooded with petitions for privileges for Turkish and Syrian citizens. While some petitions with general statements such as "The government should launch an emergency program for citizens affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria" were rejected, others were accepted and posted on the <a fr-original-style="" href="https://petition.parliament.uk/?utm_source=aposto" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">parliamentary website</a> for signatures.One of the most signed petitions proposes to "create a Turkish Family Program visa for people made homeless by the earthquake." The petition was spearheaded by a <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.lbc.co.uk/opinion/turkish-caller-appeals-to-govt-to-make-refugee-scheme/?utm_source=aposto" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Turkish man</a> who lost many family members in the earthquake and is trying to bring his 16-year-old cousin to the UK with him. At the time of writing, 76,404 of the 100,000 signatures needed to submit the petition to the government have been collected.While a domestic solution for the thousands of citizens who have lost their homes in the 10 cities is an ideal scenario, the week-long stalemate of the state organization and the government’s failure to solve such an urgent and massive problem are discouraging. Citizens looking for alternatives are unable to obtain the necessary documents for visas in the countries where their relatives live. Although the fear of a "migration wave" seems unlikely in the current situation, if Turkish foreign policy had been better managed, visa facilitation for Turkey could have been achieved by removing some of the documentation requirements, just as it was done for Ukraine after the war.

Diplomatic highlights immediately after the earthquake

20 years of destruction and earthquake diplomacy

<a fr-original-style="" href="https://link.apos.to/c/VZ7vpgBrrdKI?c=XEbBoD5AwN7WT_d_LUzvc&sub=62b033905d379200061d8935&s=web" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Enes Köse</a>To my dear friend Alaattin, who was left breathless and voiceless under the rubble for 30 hours, whom I lost,The apocalypse has many definitions, varying envisionings, and different names. We don’t know which is the truest, but when we woke up on the morning of February 6, “Here I am,” said the apocalypse. Chaos.Everybody tried to grasp the reality of what was happening, reached out to their relatives, witnessed the wreckage, and mobilized wherever they were. TV channels seeking bits of information, countless reports from rubbles, and cries for help. Aching loneliness soon after.In the wake of significant social events and disasters, political elites and the people in power try to tranquilize the public, all the while lecturing people to swallow their anger by saying, “Now is not the time for politics,” In times like these, you can observe that virtues like “conscience”, “reason”, and “morality” are put into action.Despite the fact you lived through the disaster due to negligence, you are expected to keep your voice down. Morality, conscience, and reason do not apply to them. But if you ever raise your voice, these virtues are used against you as tools of discipline. You can’t get political while a frowning face scolds people with loved ones still under the rubble for their cries for help. Because it’s not the right time.Before asking when it is actually “legitimate” to get political, we can try to define what is politics in the first place. Is it solely a collective decision-making process where people come together to vote at designated times to choose their representatives? Why does this “weird thing” that meddles in every aspect of life suddenly evaporate into the ether during periods of social crisis? Why does politics become illegitimate when rubble is a matter of fate?French philosopher Jacques Rancière distinguishes politics into two kinds: Politics as domination and politics as the well-being of everyone. To him, the core of the first definition is the reduction of what is political to the order of polis.The first kind of politics takes shape in its fear of democratic understanding and its conceptualization of people as mere masses to be governed. Rancière states that those who see politics in this light fear the public. Today, this is the kind of politics that is envisioned by those telling us not to “politicize”.In the aftermath of crises, the defects of governing powers and social formations become ubiquitously disclosed. “The sins” come to the surface one by one. Those who want to hide them employ the sedative nature of “common sense” to cover up the cold, apathetic face of politics.In fact, crises spurred by the politics of governing powers are jammed into narratives of supernatural narratives of natural disasters. And whenever you point out any wrongdoings, you are treated as an opportunist who is trying to benefit from the agonies of others. But politics is the mind itself that tells you all this destruction is “above politics”.Innumerable cases of negligence in areas affected by the earthquakes, taxes paid in vain, a system of rent that has become far too complicated, and the connections of contractors with petty greeds are exactly the subjects of politics.People who have been directly affected by the decisions of the governing powers are even deprived of the right to ask “Where is the state?” As Edouard Louis states, “For the ruling class, in general, politics is a question of aesthetics [...] For us, it was life or death.”Politics is a matter of how you die as much as how you live. It is taking away the microphone from a child for saying that her sibling is under the rubble. It is the void into which she is thrown. Politics is what is written inside the "books to be opened later", which are referred to for suppressing the uproar of earthquake victims who are completely left alone. Politics is the hesitation in the cries of a woman waiting for her family to be rescued from under the rubble, saying “If I am arrested - I am arrested.” Politics is the anonymity of refugees without death certificates.Politics is our collective attempt to “do something”, especially when we are tested by loneliness. In times of crisis, our sense of solidarity becomes an antidote to the shock. Politics exists in the resistance of those who have to make do on their own.The punishing tool of non-politics, which will appear as long as we cower in fear, is one that will make us, as potential victims, bow our heads to the next disaster. Every sin that is not accounted for prevents us from burying our dead, and every question that is not asked remains as our sins, adding to the burden left by those who have passed away.Politics stands as the only bond we, potential victims, have with those whom we have lost. This bond cannot be comprehended by those who tell us when is the right time for &nbsp;politics. If survival means guilt to you, you are living with the discomfort of all that is left unsettled. This is politics.

The politics of rubble

Organised with the slogan of Cooperation in a Fragmented World, the 53rd Davos Summit brought together approximately 2,500 leaders from 130 countries on the basis of states, companies, and international organisations, 52 of which are heads of state/prime ministers. In this article, I will examine the prominent themes of the meeting that took place between 16-20 January.The World Economic Forum (WEF) was founded in 1971 as an international foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The foundation, which has more than a thousand member companies, is financed by the contributions of these companies. While developments affecting the world economy, such as Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, continued; this year, country and company leaders came together under the risk of economic recession.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Main themes of the year</h2>Interrelated themes included new energy, climate change, employment, tourism, health, technology, and banking.In addition to the rising climate crisis, the need for a sustainable and affordable new energy source&nbsp;was one of the most important items on the agenda in terms of protecting both companies and individuals, especially with the effect of the recent changing discourse and sanctions against countries, such as Russia and Iran. On the other hand, young people who had the chance to speak at the session on climate change stated the need to act globally and drew attention to the changes that must happen.Especially the continuation of the effects of Covid-19, as well as the interrupted production chain as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, makes the issue of employment crucial from different perspectives. While the theme of tourism readdressed the problems related to Covid-19, women's health&nbsp;and what could be changed globally this year were discussed with the theme of health. Under the theme of technology, the innovations of artificial intelligence in predicting and preventing large-scale fires were emphasised. Finally, under the theme of banking, the digitalisation of trade and its ability to meet the world's needs were discussed.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">The ineffectiveness of the Biden government drew attention</h2>In addition to the absence of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken from the US government, which manages the economy of the world's 1st or 2nd country according to different calculations, three Council of Ministers Advisors who attended the forum did not make opening speeches. It was said that Davos 2023 was greeted with silence by the Biden government. Bloomberg columnist Saleha Mohsin noted that former US President Donald Trump is the only US President to attend Davos twice, writing that Biden received support from the American working class and ‘made clear to his supporters that Davos, an elite forum, is not his style.’ .On the other hand, the participation of only Chancellor Olaf Scholz from Germany, among the G-7 countries other than the USA, was one of the issues that were emphasised. Former political advisor Ed Owen noted that despite citing the busy agendas of most government representatives, in fact, politicians in many countries cannot afford ‘being seen hobnobbing with a global financial elite’ while the public is struggling to make ends meet.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Rising powers came to the fore at Davos, as well</h2>Although companies, banks, and participants from major international organisations have shown the influence of western states in the forum, countries such as China and India, which have recently resolutely reflected their economic and political powers, seem to have created a wider sphere of influence in the forum, especially with the low participation from the governments of the G-7 countries.Speeches on topics that will affect the economy and social transformation, such as India-focused energy transformation and gender equality, were among the prominent topics of the forum. India, which is predicted to be the world's third economy with more than 10 trillion dollars in 2035, has been recorded as one of the important country economies where most of this year's themes are discussed together.On the other hand, Xinhua, a Chinese government affiliated news agency, wrote that China had an impact as an important participant while underlining that there was no participant from Russia in Davos 2023 and that policies that would isolate Russia were advocated by European countries, representatives, and companies. Observing that the focus has shifted from economic growth to resilience in Davos 2023, Xinhua news also once again stated that it is a lesson learnt from the forum that ‘only in unity can the global community make steady progress and achieve its long-term goals’.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Ukraine did not fall wide from the agenda</h2>One of the important topics was the latest situation in Ukraine. It was noted that President Volodymyr Zelenski 's wife, Olena Zelenska, gave a letter to the Chinese delegation at the Davos Summit, which was ‘an invitation to dialogue with Beijing’. It is thought that China, which has become one of the important actors in shaping international public opinion and politics, may turn the balance against Russia. Thus, during the Davos Summit, we observed the importance of unity not only in global disaster scenarios, such as the climate crisis, but also in regional crises.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Can Davos 2023 offer a solution?</h2>If we go beyond the perspectives of individual countries, the most important point that Davos 2023, attended by DEVA Party leader Ali Babacan from Turkey, revealed, was that the global economic system was insufficient and created problems for today's political economic conjuncture. Therefore, what Davos 2023, where we have witnessed many conversations about the worrying issues of the last period, such as renewable energy, energy security, and climate change, can and will not change in practice is an issue that needs to be talked about.The forum, which creates a platform for both short-term and long-term policy recommendations, also continues to deal with these issues in its following publications, stating that we have entered a major global transformation, targeting 2030. However, Davos Summits, speeches, and publications, which are criticised as ‘meeting of the elite’, are often not enough to affect the practice.&nbsp;One reason is that the participants are representatives from countries and big companies that are already destroying nature for economic development. UN Secretary-General Guterres pointed to this issue and stated that ‘fossil fuel producers and their enablers are still racing to expand production, knowing full well that their business model is inconsistent with human survival.’. With these words, Guterres underlined the limits of the World Economic Forum. After the Davos Summit, which is a platform where ideas are put forward and discussed, we will observe the changes that will take place in practice and therefore the sincerity of the participants in the upcoming period.

At the summit, the inadequacy of the global economic system against the current political economic conjuncture was on the agenda.

Davos 2023: What was talked about at the ‘meeting of the elite’?

‘The leaders at the Six Party Table will have the same signing authority as the President.’ said Gelecek (Future) Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu last week. The statement was very controversial.Claiming that if the candidate of the Six Party Table is elected president and acts against the will of the general presidents, a ‘crisis’&nbsp;will arise and re-elections will be held, Davutoğlu said, ‘If I am at that table, I will have the right to speak.’. The former prime minister announced that the leaders will be vice-presidents, each party at the table will receive a ministry, and the remaining ministries will be shared according to the votes of the parties.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Reactions were quick</h2>It was claimed that the other parties in the Six Party Table were disturbed by the ‘a crisis would breakout’ discourse. Davutoğlu's statement that says six party leaders will be given the authority to sign on the actions of the president has also been interpreted as ‘a new tutelage system’&nbsp;that will stand against a president who will be elected with the support of more than half of the voters. İYİ Party spokesperson Kürşad Zorlu made the following statement on the subject:&nbsp;<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(37, 44, 60); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">‘Such an evaluation has not been made under the aforementioned title in the Six Party Table. But there is one thing, in the framework I mentioned, a President will combat Turkey's deep-rooted and chronic problems. In doing so, it will act within the framework of the transition process roadmap and government program that we will probably launch on January 30th. To prepare the conditions for the President to work more healthily by putting the common mind of the Six Party Table into action there. Yes, the İYİ Party supports this, but within the framework you mentioned, we do not find an approach such as 'The President will do this because we said so, they will not do this because we told them not to' right and our nation does not find it right either.’</blockquote>Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdağ said,&nbsp;‘Executive power/duty cannot be delegated, a partner cannot be used, and a partnership cannot be accepted unless the Constitution is amended. Despite these clear provisions of the Constitution, the decisions or practices to be taken by the leaders of the Six Party Table would be the de facto partial abolition of the Constitution, the civil coup against the executive organ, the usurpation of the powers and duties of the President, the tying of the President's hands, feet, and mouth.’.President Erdoğan, on the other hand, blamed the opposition on Davutoğlu's words, ‘While everyone is waiting for a candidate, it has been decided that they will rule the country with six people. My brothers, six captains sink a ship. A ship sails with a single captain. Two drivers make a car crash for sure. They invented a system that is unique in the world to switch to the parliamentary system. The president they chose would be responsible to six people at the table, not one of the two people who voted for them.’ he said.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Davutoğlu: 'No tutelage'</h2>Making a statement again on these discussions, Davutoğlu stated that he said ‘something principled’. ‘We will never bring a president who will work under tutelage to work. They will be a strong president; but the current president cannot decide on their own. We agreed that the party leaders should be vice presidents. In other words, there is no picture saying that the party leaders will sit outside, they will be the tutelage of the President.’ he said.Davutoğlu said that those who interpret his statements as tutelage are ‘those who surrender to the logic of the Presidential System of Government, in which only one person has all the authority with one mind’, and that a common mind will work like the old coalition periods.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Reassurance to conservatives?</h2>The Six Party Table claims to defeat the authoritarian Cumhur Alliance by bringing together social democrats, nationalists, centre-rightists, and conservatives who stand for democracy. In order to realise this claim, it feels the obligation to arouse confidence in all these social segments.&nbsp;In line with this goal, it is of great importance to overcome the distrust of the conservatives towards the CHP from years ago and to believe that the Six Party Table will provide Turkey with a healthy transition period. The way to accelerate the disintegration in the Cumhur Alliance and to convince the indecisive conservatives passes through this. The CHP administration, who is aware of this, also draws attention to the discourse of saying goodbye, its self-criticism about the past of the party and its attempts to provide legal guarantee for the headscarf.Therefore, it is possible to interpret Davutoğlu's words as a guarantee to conservatives that the joint Presidential candidate of the opposition will not follow policies other than the promises made today after the election. Davutoğlu is striving to create a base made up of former AK Party voters with the excitement of not being able to catch the exit he hoped for in the polls.On the other hand, Davutoğlu's words reveal two main problems that the Six Party Table is facing.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Overcoming uncertainty</h2>The 2023 election turns into a referendum on Turkey's administrative system. Although some think that if the AK Party loses the election, it will take a stand in favour of not continuing the current system, but it is a big risk for the opposition parties to prepare for the elections by relying on this.For the Strengthened Parliamentary System, which is the biggest common promise of the opposition, to come into effect, it needs to reach a majority in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey that will change the constitution, or at least take the constitutional amendment proposal to a referendum.Whether this majority will be achieved, how the system change calendar will work, and what kind of policies the next President will follow before the system change, despite all the policy sets announced by the Six Party Table, creates uncertainty in the minds of the vast majority of the people for now. It does not seem possible to resolve this uncertainty without the joint government program expected to be announced in February, the roadmap for the transition and the presidential candidate. Even if they are not satisfied with the stability and every step of the government, it is not possible to convince the voters, who are likely to support the predictability of the system, to a change full of uncertainties.The emphasis on&nbsp;‘a crisis will arise’ in Davutoğlu's statements, while trying to reassure conservatives, magnifies this uncertainty, brings to mind bad scenarios and harms the efforts of the opposition, which is currently struggling to increase its votes. It increases the recipients of the ruling party's communication strategy, which underlines doubts about the opposition's ability to manage and disagreements among themselves.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Ensuring fairness in representation</h2>The Six Party Table, while promising to form a coalition of a size that is rare in the history of world democracy, also creates confusion about how it will provide justice in representation. Of course, every party sitting at the table has to contribute to the government program and is expected. However, an administration in which the parties have an equal voice regardless of their vote share, that is, their response in the public, also brings with it the danger of violating the principle of fairness in representation.The fact that the CHP and İYİ Party, which are likely to receive the support of more than 40% of the voters, will not be able to decide on any policy without the signatures of the parties, which are expected to remain in single digits, not only undermines justice in representation, but also has the possibility of lowering the motivation&nbsp;of party organisations and voters.In order to increase the chances of success, the Six Party Table should eliminate the question marks about uncertainty, detail how it will ensure fairness in representation, and ensure social consensus by starting a joint communication campaign in which it explains what and how it will do in a language that everyone can understand, without wasting any more time, and by announcing its candidate. In today's environment, every day that passes harms the opposition, highlights the rivalry between the opposition parties and reduces the possibility of total change.

Gelecek (Future) Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu's statements.

Authority to sign, uncertainty, and fairness in representation

While the bureaucratic and financial restructuring of the defence industry during the AK Party era paved the way for the development of the sector, it also created a new structure in which both decision-making mechanisms and financial resources were concentrated under the President.