More on Turkey – April 29

What is happening in Turkey continues to develop.

The tension you see between the military and secularists and the prospective President is significant.

Turkey was founded as a secular Islamic country by Ataturk after WW 1. This involved a huge cultural revolution that moved the country into the modern age and closer to Europe. It has been held onto with constant tension with more religious Muslims for sometime. The current leading candidate belongs to a religious Islamic party. The secularists marched today in Istanbul. They are nervous, so nervous the military (which has staged coups at certain points in modern history to protect this approach to the nation) warned about the outcome, something Europe and the US warned the military about. So the situation there is tense.

What is happening in Turkey continues to develop.

The tension you see between the military and secularists and the prospective President is significant.

Turkey was founded as a secular Islamic country by Ataturk after WW 1. This involved a huge cultural revolution that moved the country into the modern age and closer to Europe. It has been held onto with constant tension with more religious Muslims for sometime. The current leading candidate belongs to a religious Islamic party. The secularists marched today in Istanbul. They are nervous, so nervous the military (which has staged coups at certain points in modern history to protect this approach to the nation) warned about the outcome, something Europe and the US warned the military about. So the situation there is tense.

If you want a look at this story, see http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/29/turkey.election/index.html