New York Times: >>>> To Turkey's secular elite, Mr. Erdogan and his crowd want to drag the country back to the past. But it is precisely his party's local approach that makes it likely to that he will prevail. If he does, power would shift to the devout middle class he represents and away from the secular elite, which has controlled the state since its founding in 1923. <<<<
This is rubbish of course. Presenting those who took to the streets in Ankara and Istanbul as the secular elite is misrepresentation of the facts. These events were organized mainly by the fascist/neofascist nationalists supporting and supported by the Military but this does not mean that all of the ones that they were able to mobilize were at such extremes nor does it mean that all of them were elites of any kind. Yes, there were elites among them too, if by that we mean the well to do ones, but there were many "middle class" folks who were genuinely concerned with the Islamist policies of the AKP among them as well. It is also incorrect to claim that Erdogan represents the devout middle class. He neither represents my in laws nor my mother and other relatives, and they are nothing but middle class, whatever middle class means. Furthermore, Erdogan and the AKP have been hard work in the destruction of the "middle class" that has been going on since the mid-1980s. Who are these New York Times authors kidding? By the way, the US government seems to be siding with the Military so I wonder whether our nationalists will continue to be anti-US after this change in the US preferences between the Military and the AKP. Best, Sabri ____________________________________________________________________________________ Finding fabulous fares is fun. Let Yahoo! FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight and hotel bargains. http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097
