The election poster of the Democratic Party from the 1950 elections. The Democratic Party came into power by promising more democracy to the Turkish people.

Thursdays have been a bit different in Turkey for the last few months. Every week on Thursday, as the viewer ratings reveal clearly, a majority of the Turkish population is at their homes in front of the TV screens, first watching the news, hearing much about the Ergenekon courtcase, then after a short break, moving on with the popular Turkish soap opera Ask-i Memnu. Appearently, the people of Turkey are amazed by the level of conspiracy and the complexity of the knotty relationships dominating both of the stories. This two-part acticle will first give the crucial facts about the Turkish parliamentary democracy in a nutshell and then deal with the provocative question of whether or not the Ergenekon courtcase is turning into a soap opera. A question that most of the Turkish people are asking themselves these days.

For further reading: How to lose friends and alienate people - diplomati på israeliskt vis (Utrikesperspektiv.se), Turkiets väg till EU - reformarbete och kritiska röster (Utrikesperspektiv.se)

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Harry? Photo: Luc Van Braekel

I’ve spent the last years of my life studying political science at the University of Lund. In line with my personal preference, I’ve chosen to focus my studies on Europe and the workings of the European Union. Yesterday I attended a dinner party at a friend’s house and, being the resident EU-expert, I was asked the name of the president of the European Council. As I sat there, shocked at the fact that my brain could not so much as produce the image of the man filling the supposedly highest formal position of the EU, I thought to myself - I’m pretty sure it’s Henri… or Harry Something…

See Also: Herman Vem? (DN), Profile: First EU President Herman Van Rompuy (BBC), Belgian PM is first ‘President of Europe’ (CNN), Van Rompuy insulted in Parliament (EU Observer). (more…)

An American solider walks out to an oil platform in Iraq Photo: Shane T. McCoy - US Military

What is the best way to build a democracy in the world’s third richest oil-country? Answer: Outsource the planning of the new system to a company and let them take care of it. This may sound unreal but that was the way it was done in Iraq shortly after the invasion in 2003. The economy of Iraq went from being a planned economy to a fiasco of privatization dictated by a “Free Market for Dummies” book. The economy was not the only thing to be privatized - everything was in some way touched by the new order.

See also: Foreign policy in focus article on the oil heist, Nobel Prize Winner Paul Krugmans’s column on the military and privatizations,

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Iraqi Al-Iraqiya supporters. Photo: Al-Jazeera

The second elections in the turbulent eastern part of the fertile crescent otherwise known as Iraq have proven to be different from the ones that were held in 2005. This time there was a lot less mortar fire, a telltale sign that security has improved; there were 6000 candidates and countless coalitions to choose from, and so the Iraqi people finally had the choice to choose. The media has been calling these elections the democratic revolution Iraq has been waiting for, a watershed in the history of Iraq. Is this big bubble of hope obscuring a reality where not so much has changed after all, or is real reform on the horizon? Continue reading for the full story.
See also: NY Times coverage of the elections, DN.se primary election results, SVD.se article on the dismissal of election fraud

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Iraqi Goran Supporter. Photo: Al-Jazeera

In the year 2003 Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. They were part of an evil alliance, dubbed “the axis of evil”, and they also supported the Al-Qaida terrorist network. These familiar arguments were provided by the world’s only superpower, The United States of America. The US invaded Iraq in order to overthrow Saddam Hussein, their former ally, and to install a new democracy that would pave the way for a new democratic Middle East and solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Two elections have so far been held in Iraq, in 2005 and in 2010. This article discusses the political structure of Iraq leading up to the elections this week.

Further reading;

Al-Jazeeras Interactive website on the Iraq Elections

The Swedish Newspaper DN.se Q&A

The Swedish Newspaper DN.se listing of the parties and alliances

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