MER Article Military Rule and the Future of Democracy in Turkey Between 1960 and 1981, there were three “successful” military takeovers in Turkey, and three other attempts failed. This indicates the important place the army occupies in Turkish political life, but there are differences that set Turkey apart from certain other countries where the army plays a simi Ahmet Kemal • 11 min read
MER Article The Turkish Elections of 1983 The elections of November 1983 are unique in the history of modern Turkey. They took place after three years of military rule, during which the entire political structure was completely altered. The alleged aim of this restructuring was to prevent a return to the situation which prevailed before Sep Feroz Ahmad • 27 min read
MER Article From the Editors (March/April 1984) The war between Iran and Iraq has entered its most gruesome phase. Iran has stepped up its “human wave” attacks, sending tens of thousands of new recruits, including many young boys, to face entrenched Iraqi gun positions or to serve as human mine detonators. Tehran, with some evidence, accuses the The Editors • 3 min read
MER Article Keddie and Hooglund, The Iranian Revolution and the Islamic Republic Nikki R. Keddie and Eric Hooglund, eds., The Iranian Revolution and the Islamic Republic (Washington, DC: Middle East Institute, 1982). (Author not identified) • 1 min read
MER Article Brzezinski, Power and Principle Zbigniew Brzezinski, Power and Principle (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1983). In the title of his account of four years as Carter’s national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski offers two concepts that, in his view, should guide US foreign policy. As with so much in this tart apologia, his Fred Halliday • 2 min read
MER Article ADL, Pro-Arab Propaganda in America Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, Pro-Arab Propaganda in America: Vehicles and Voices (New York, 1983). Martha Wenger • 1 min read
MER Article Hiro, Inside the Middle East Dilip Hiro, Inside the Middle East (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982). Peter Johnson • 2 min read
MER Article Berberoglu, Turkey in Crisis Berch Berberoglu, Turkey in Crisis, From State Capitalism to Neocolonialism (London: Zed Press, 1982). This is a useful, concise rendition of Turkish political history and economic development. It is rich in facts and easy-to-use economic data. Its best conceptual contribution is the portrayal of t Karen Pfeifer • 2 min read
MER Article The Torture of Huseyin Yildirim Hüseyin Yildirim is a lawyer and a Kurd from eastern Turkey. In the fall of 1981, he was serving as defense counsel to members of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), many of whom had been arrested and subjected to torture by Turkey’s military junta. Yildirim himself was seized in October 1981, and was (Author not identified) • 7 min read
MER Article The Kurds in Turkey Traveling from western Turkey to its eastern provinces is like going to an entirely different country—more primitive, poorer, with starker social contradictions. Many peasants there still live in semi-feudal bondage, tribal loyalties are strong, and traditional concepts of honor find expression in v Martin Van Bruinessen • 20 min read
MER Article "Please Don't Use My Name" This interview was conducted by Karen Pfeifer in Ankara during November 1983. How would you like to be identified? I have been in prison five times since the 1980 coup, so please don’t use my name. I was an activist in the construction workers’ union, a shop steward in one of the most progressive (Author not identified) • 5 min read
MER Article "The Traditional Middle in Turkish Politics Disintegrated" Ahmet (a pseudonym) was a founder of the Turkish People’s Liberation Front Party in 1971. He was imprisoned from 1972 to 1974, and released during the general amnesty. He worked with Türk-Iş (the state-endorsed trade union confederation) in the 1970s and helped publish the political journal Birikim. (Author not identified) • 6 min read
