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Obviously, Turkey Is Not A Typical Authoritarian Regime, And Obviously It's Very Important That There Are Free Elections. But It's Also Obvious That This Is Not A Liberal, Mature Democracy. This Is Why I Call Turkey A Wobbly Democracy. At Any Time, It Can Tip Over And Fall Down.

-Elif Safak

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Obviously, Turkey Is Not

Elif Safak

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Obviously, Turkey Is Not A Typical Authoritarian Regime, And Obviously It's Very Important That There Are Free Elections. But It's Also Obvious That This Is Not A Liberal, Mature Democracy. This Is Why I Call Turkey A Wobbly Democracy. At Any Time, It Can Tip Over And Fall Down.

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Turkey Has A Very Young, Dynamic, Curious Population. In Europe, Facebook And Twitter Are Mostly About Sharing Daily Experiences While For Turkish People, Social Networks Are Political Platforms.

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I See Two Opposite Tendencies In Turkish Society: People Feel Demoralized, They Lose The Interest In Politics And Retreat To Their Private Lives; Or They Become Very Angry And Even More Politicized, And Radicalized. Both Trends Are Troublesome.

I Remember A Time When It Was Ok To Make Fun Of Politicians And Powerful People. Now, It's Not Ok Anymore. We've Forgotten How To Laugh.

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I Believe In Optimism Of The Will, Pessimism Of The Intellect. But My Hope Is The People, The Society, Which Is Ahead Of The Government.

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New Experiences

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Submission Does Not Mean Being Weak Or Passive. It Leads To Neither Fatalism Nor Capitulation. Just The Opposite. True Power Resides In Submission. A Power That Comes From Within. Those Who Submit To The Divine Essence Of Life Will Live In Unperturbed Tranquility And Peace Even When The Whole Wide World Goes Through Turbulence After Turbulence.

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Identity Politics Divides Us. Fiction Connects. One Is Interested In Sweeping Generalizations. The Other, In Nuances. One Draws Boundaries. The Other Recognizes No Frontiers. Identity Politics Is Made Of Solid Bricks. Fiction Is Flowing Water.

Identity Politics

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