Politurco (2025)

05/09/2025

The crises today are no longer limited to clashes on the frontlines; they span energy routes, trade, identity debates, and diplomacy. That is why issues such as Syria, Palestine, the Kurds, and Ukraine are no longer merely regional problems but arenas where global powers are contending.

As the world enters a new era, Turks and Kurds are also trying to redefine their historical roles. However, Turkey seeks to manage this process, as it has in the past, with bombastic rhetoric and faits accomplis. This time, though, the circumstances are different: the Kurds are not willing to entrust their rights to patriotic slogans or the mercy of the state. The West does not approve of Ankara’s unilateral moves. This indicates that old methods no longer yield results.

Continue Reading politurco.com

04/09/2025

DR. AZLY RAHMAN

“Success! O you, all the powerful divinities who are assembled, and who protect this province [kadatuan] of Sriwijaya; you too, . . . and all the divinities with whom all curse formula begins!”

— The Kota Kapur Inscription of Sriwijaya (Coedès & Damais, 1992, p. 55).

This series of essays delves deeply into the ideology of cybernetics, the Information Age, and the emergent paradigm of the Internet of Things, framing them as dynamic manifestations of post-informational capitalism. These paradigms represent not merely technological advancements but profound ideological shifts that restructure economic, social, and cultural relations.

Revised and expanded from my 2003 Columbia University doctoral dissertation, Thesis on Cyberjaya: Hegemony and Utopianism in a Southeast Asian State, these essays apply Grounded Theory methodology—a qualitative approach that derives theoretical insights inductively from empirical data—to scrutinize the genesis and implications of Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and the interconnected urban developments of Cyberjaya and Putrajaya.

Initiated during the tenure of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (1981–2003, and later 2018–2020), these projects epitomized an ambitious national strategy to propel Malaysia into the global knowledge economy, blending utopian visions of technological progress with hegemonic control over development narratives.

Grounded Theory, as employed here, involved iterative data collection and analysis of policy documents, media representations, and stakeholder interviews to uncover emergent patterns of ideological inscription.

This method revealed how state-driven initiatives like the MSC served as vehicles for embedding cybernetic ideologies into societal consciousness, transforming urban landscapes into symbols of informational prowess while reinforcing dependencies on global capital flows.

Continue Reading politurco.com

02/09/2025

The new judicial year has begun. The courts are back from their summer recess. If it weren’t for the “digital revolution,” court files would no longer fit into courthouse buildings—they would spill out the doors. The workload of Turkey’s judiciary has always been heavy, but never to this extent.

It is now unbearable. Judges and prosecutors have resorted to “copy-paste” indictments and rulings. Especially in political cases, the process runs on “autopilot.” Finding a prosecutor or judge who has truly read the case file is nearly impossible. The state of justice is dire.

Public trust in the judiciary has collapsed for good reason. Ordinary citizens see the “machinery” of manipulation at work in the courthouses and corridors of justice. Turkey’s sense of justice has never been this shattered.

Continue Reading politurco.com

01/09/2025

NJ, NY, VA, TX, IL, NC, RI, PA, MD, GA – As the new school year begins, thousands of students across the U.S. start their first day of school without the necessary supplies.

According to United Way Worldwide, nearly 25% of American students—over 16 million children—live in low-income households and cannot afford basic school essentials. This lack directly affects their academic performance and self-confidence.

To address this critical issue, Embrace Relief launched a wide-reaching school supply distribution campaign for the 2025–2026 academic year.

4,290 Students Reached in 10 States

Embrace Relief distributed backpacks and a variety of school materials to a total of 4,290 students in need across ten states: New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), Virginia (VA), Texas (TX), Illinois (IL), North Carolina (NC), Rhode Island (RI), Pennsylvania (PA), Maryland (MD), and Georgia (GA).

This large-scale initiative was carried out through dozens of programs in collaboration with local departments of education, schools, faith-based organizations, local foundations, and community leaders.

The backpacks and supplies ensured that students began the school year on equal footing with their peers. As a result, children felt more motivated and supported from the very first day, enabling them to better focus on their learning journey.

Embrace Relief officials emphasized that an educated generation is the key to a brighter future, stressing that such projects will continue in the years ahead. Beyond providing material support, this campaign marked a powerful step toward achieving educational equity.

About Embrace Relief

Embrace Relief is a nonprofit international humanitarian and development organization founded by volunteers of the Hizmet Movement. The organization carries out projects worldwide in areas such as healthcare, education, water access, and food security. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for vulnerable communities and build a sustainable future.

Continue Reading politurco.com

31/08/2025

AYDOGAN VATANDAS / Editor-in-Chief

The Qur’an is, without a doubt, the supreme book that knows the human soul best. When the Qur’an speaks of the place of anger in our nature, it acts almost like a torch illuminating the path for psychology and behavioral sciences. As a matter of fact, one of the virtues praised in Āl ʿImrān is this: “Those who spend in prosperity and adversity, who restrain their anger, and who pardon people. And Allah loves the doers of good.” (Āl ʿImrān, 3:134)

What is striking here, of course, is not the complete eradication of anger. It is its “swallowing.”

So, of whom does the Qur’an speak in this verse?

“Hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and to a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who are mindful of Allah.” (Āl ʿImrān, 3:134)

In other words, it is speaking of the “God-conscious”—the muttaqīn.

“This is the Book in which there is no doubt. A guidance for the God-conscious.” (al-Baqara, 2:2)

“The most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” (al-Ḥujurāt, 49:13)

According to the Qur’an, who are the God-conscious, those who avoid exceeding the limits set by Allah?

They are those who give in both abundance and scarcity, meaning not only when they have plenty, but also when they have little. They are those who restrain their anger and forgive.

Thus, according to the Qur’an, one of the conditions of God-consciousness—of guarding oneself against disobedience to Allah—is precisely this: the ability to swallow anger.

Anger is naturally part of the human soul; yet when controlled and managed, it can be transformed into a power that leads toward wisdom and maturity. When a person is insulted, what triggers anger is not the insult itself but the thoughts it evokes in the mind—“I am worthless, I have been wronged.” When these thoughts are reframed, anger too takes a different form. What the Qur’an points to with the term “swallowing” is not denying anger but bringing it under control through mental transformation.

Continue Reading politurco.com

29/08/2025

RICHARD ARRIGHI

Miss the 1990’s?
Here’s why… and here’s how to recreate it!

When we often hear adults comment on the passage of time and how everything goes by so fast, we almost always chalk it up to aging. But what if it’s not just adults noticing the same trend? What if we’re also hearing this from adolescents, and even children who haven’t reached their teenage years yet? Years that all of us above the age of 35, spent thinking about how slow time went by. If you were born in the 1990s or earlier, you can most definitely remember how long a week felt, a school day, or even 45 minutes in a classroom. Even outside of a school setting, time was in a slow motion pace compared to where we are today!

The age of the smart phone has largely been defined as an age of convenience, instant gratification, and the beginning of artificial intelligence playing a much more prominent role in everyone’s life. Over the past 5 years (post-covid especially), this has only accelerated into warp speed ahead, with nearly all of us embracing it as an overall net positive and necessary force to “function” in the modern world. But what if it’s not?

What if it has far more negative consequences than most of us realize or are willing to admit? What if this is actually at the root of many of the social and cultural problems that are so often discussed today? What if this warp speed movement and total acceptance of everything – ai is actually robbing us of our humanity and slowly killing us?

Maybe it’s time to rethink this a bit, look at the results we’ve seen thus far, check the scoreboard and see if it’s worth what we’re currently losing, and have already lost:

Let’s start with physical health and the explosion of obesity in America. If we take a trip back to the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and even the better part of the 1990s it was extremely rare to see groups of extremely overweight or muscle-atrophied people (in their prime) with awful posture walking around in public. Especially in those earlier decades, it was nearly impossible to see, because they didn’t exist.

Continue Reading politurco.com

26/08/2025

Hermann Hesse’s Journey to the East opens like a tale of mystical pilgrimage. A group calling itself the “League” sets out toward a spiritual horizon. Along the road are travelers of many kinds—some exuberant, some quiet, some doubtful. Yet among them there is one who seems least worthy of notice: Leo. He carries the bags, prepares the meals, offends no one. His presence is like an invisible thread, binding the group in harmony.

But one day Leo disappears. From that moment the League begins to unravel. Small quarrels swell into divisions, suspicions deepen, the spirit of companionship wanes. Only years later does the truth emerge: Leo was not merely a servant, but in fact the president of the League. Genuine leadership, the story reveals, is not found in titles or pomp, but in silent selflessness.

This parable mirrors the deepest fractures of communities. Their true wealth is not material reserves or strategic ambitions; it is the living bond woven from shared suffering and shared joy. One person’s labor touches another’s wound; one’s injured heart is consoled by another’s understanding. When this bond is damaged, the whole fabric begins to fall apart.

In the vocabulary of social movements, words like “grassroots” and “leadership” may seem functional, yet in truth they serve as labels that deepen division. The essence of Hizmet does not spring from hierarchy, but from the sharing of a common purpose and a common burden. Whether one walks at the front or lingers at the rear, the responsibility to lighten the load is the same.

Continue Reading politurco.com

25/08/2025

AYDOGAN VATANDAS / Editor-in-Chief

The Qur’an’s account of Abraham’s surrender to God’s absolute command is not only a story of faith but also a reminder that faith itself is a test that transcends reason and ethical law. When Abraham prepares to sacrifice his son, he yields to the absoluteness of faith — for faith is the embrace of the transcendent, the step beyond the limits of reason. In that moment, a silent and unfathomable dialogue takes place between God and man.

Do you love your child more, or God? This is the question the story poses — and one that we must ask ourselves. Many profess belief in God, yet they love their mother, their daughter, their son, or their father more. This is among the sharpest questions of existence, for love cannot be measured or compared. In the human heart, two abysses lie side by side: on one side, the tangible, touchable child who gives life to life; on the other, the invisible and indescribable God, the very source of eternity. Abraham’s trial reflects precisely this collision of loves, this profound tension, and ultimately a surrender that goes beyond comprehension.

As a father, Abraham felt love for his son as all fathers do: he had waited for him, cherished him, placed his hopes in him. Yet God’s call carried him beyond that love, into a realm reason could not grasp. In offering his son, he revealed the highest form of love — for the child became the price of his faith and submission. That love was not annihilation but the embrace of the transcendent and the unknown; it was the deepest and most tragic expression of human love.

Abraham loved his child, but he loved God more. For love of God was the summit of his love, its most complete form, the very source of all other loves. And that is why Abraham’s sacrifice has echoed through the centuries as the most exalted, tragic, and sacred expression of both faith and love.

Continue Reading politurco.com

22/08/2025

Aydogan Vatandas / Editor-in-Chief

Literature is, without question, one of humanity’s most intense attempts to seek its own truth. Yet it is also the field most heavily encircled by social prejudices, cultural expectations, and economic mechanisms. A writer may long to put their authentic voice on paper; but that voice often collides with the approval mechanisms of society, the harsh rules of the market, and the invisible pressures of identity politics. This is why films adapted from literary works rarely tell the story of a single author alone. They inevitably expose the contradictions, biases, and narrow corridors of the societies in which those authors write.

Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction is one of the sharpest examples of this phenomenon. At its core lies Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure, a searing satire of the American publishing industry and its treatment of Black writers. Everett—one of the most prolific and incisive voices in contemporary American literature, with more than fifty works spanning poetry, novels, short stories, and essays—has long been recognized for his interrogation of race, identity, and representation. In Erasure, he dismantles the literary marketplace’s tendency to pigeonhole Black authors into “authentic” narratives of poverty, violence, and victimhood. When his protagonist writes a parody novel mocking such clichés, it ironically becomes a bestseller—laying bare not only the contradictions of the publishing world but also those of American society itself.

The choice of the title Erasure is telling. The word denotes not simply “erasing,” but the systematic act of silencing. Everett suggests that the authentic voices of Black writers are not merely ignored but overwritten—replaced with the market’s appetite for stereotypes palatable to a white majority. His work returns us to one of literature’s oldest questions: Whose voice is heard, and whose voice is silenced? Everett’s broader oeuvre—including novels like I Am Not Sidney Poitier, which satirizes the way Black identity is flattened through cultural icons—makes him an indispensable figure for understanding

Continue Reading politurco.com

20/08/2025

The Belgian Council for Alien Law Litigation (RvV) has confirmed that persecution against members of the Hizmet Movement continues in Turkey. According to attorney Ali Yıldız, the court issued a landmark ruling correcting a widely applied but flawed interpretation used in asylum procedures across Europe.

The case concerned a Turkish citizen who had served a full prison sentence in Turkey for alleged “membership in a terrorist organization” under Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code. After completing the sentence, the individual obtained a passport through legal means, left Turkey lawfully, and applied for asylum in Belgium. His application was initially rejected by the Belgian asylum office (CGVS), but the case was appealed to the RvV.

The Belgian court overturned the rejection and granted the applicant refugee status. The ruling emphasized that leaving Turkey through “legal” channels does not prove that the risk of persecution has disappeared.

Attorney Ali Yıldız: “The court corrected a wrong interpretation” Speaking to TR724, attorney Ali Yıldız explained why this decision matters:

“This decision, published in the RvV’s monthly bulletin, corrects a misinterpretation increasingly adopted by asylum authorities in various European countries. That interpretation assumes that those who served sentences under Article 314 and were later released are no longer at risk in Turkey. But this assumption does not match the realities on the ground.”

14/08/2025

ADEM YAVUZ ARSLAN

The U.S. State Department’s annual human rights report is not just a diplomatic document; it is a reference point for international politics and economics. The findings in the report convey to the international public how countries perform in democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights. Foreign investors, international organizations, and governments treat these reports as a criterion for trust and cooperation.

For a NATO member and strategically important country like Turkey, its record is closely monitored on the world stage through these reports. The criticisms in the report affect not only diplomatic debates but also economic relations, the investment climate, and international reputation directly.

Foreign investors, international organizations, and governments treat these reports as a criterion for trust and cooperation. For a NATO member and strategically important country like Turkey, its record is closely monitored on the world stage through these reports. The criticisms in the report affect not only diplomatic debates but also economic relations, the investment climate, and international reputation directly.

Continue Reading politurco.com

07/08/2025

In the United States, medicines are increasingly treated not as essential tools for survival but as luxury commodities, available primarily to those who can afford them. A deeper analysis from the National Institutes of Health reveals why:

“Medicines are expensive because, as a society, we have chosen to rely on a for-profit business model for medical innovation that prioritizes profit maximization for the benefit of shareholders and investors over health purpose. The few medical breakthroughs are overly expensive, precluding access except for the wealthiest.”

This reality reflects a healthcare system that has drifted from its public health mission, where the value of medicine is measured not by lives saved but by profit margins.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) play a significant role in the complex dynamics of prescription drug pricing in the United States. These intermediaries operate on behalf of insurance companies, employers, and government programs to negotiate drug prices, determine formulary inclusion, and influence patients’ out-of-pocket costs.

While PBMs were originally established to reduce healthcare spending, they have increasingly come under scrutiny for practices that appear to drive prices upward. As highlighted in Harvard Health Publishing, “Pharmacy benefit managers… often receive a share of total spending on medicines, which might encourage approval of higher-priced drugs.”

This indicates that PBMs might not be looking for cost-effective healthcare solutions but instead are motivated to promote higher-priced medications, even when they may not have a superior health benefit. Their complex rebate structures, lack of pricing transparency, and increasingly consolidated relationships with major insurers have contributed to a highly opaque and distorted pharmaceutical pricing system.

In response to rising public frustration over drug prices, former President Donald Trump signed a 2020 executive order introducing the “Most Favored Nation” model, which aimed to tie U.S. drug prices to those paid in other high-income countries.

Continue Reading politurco.com

Politurco

05/09/2025

04/09/2025

02/09/2025

01/09/2025

31/08/2025

29/08/2025

26/08/2025

25/08/2025

22/08/2025

20/08/2025

14/08/2025

07/08/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share