“Communists supposed it… but Syriza surpassed their expectations…” ... read full story / add a comment

Did those who are already raising Lenin from his tomb to render quick judgement on Syriza's abject “world-historic defeat” (without saying much about what victory would look like or require) actually bother to read the rather similar plans that Syriza put forward before the referendum and that were consistently rejected by the EU and IMF “Institutions”? This rejection is what the referendum was about. The resounding OXI was then used by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to secure the resignation of the leading political representative of the domestic ruling class (and former Prime Minister), Antonis Samaras, and to get all the party leaders with any such claim or ambitions to speak for that class to adopt Syriza's position on the need for debt restructuring and investment funds. One might even say that if there was a class crossover involved here it was the other way around, one that looks more like what Gramsci meant by a hegemonic strategy rather than the way it is presented from the perspective of those standing on Lenin's Tomb. ... read full story / add a comment

Così finalmente, nonostante tutti i meandri, le vie laterali e le deviazioni della storia, la logica delle lotte sociali ha finalmente impresso la sua impronta sulla politica della Turchia. La clamorosa sconfitta di Recep Tayyip Erdogan e del suo Akp alle urne nelle elezioni generali del 7 giugno in Turchia, mette allo scoperto una perdita di peso politico da parte di Erdogan a seguito dei successivi rovesci che ha subito negli ultimi due anni da parte delle masse e, in parte, dai suoi alleati di un tempo. [English] ... read full story / add a comment

So at long last, despite all the meanders and sideways and detours of history, the logic of social struggles has finally put its stamp on the politics of Turkey. The resounding defeat of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP at the polls in the 7th June general elections in Turkey brings out into the open a loss of political clout on the part of Erdogan as a result of the successive blows he received in the last two years at the hands of the masses and, partly, his erstwhile partners. [Italiano] ... read full story / add a comment

“One must know how to employ the kairos [right or opportune moment] of one's forces at the right moment.
It is easy to only lose a little, if one always keeps foremost in the mind the idea that unity is never the trick, but the game.”

— Guy Gebord, “Notes on poker.” ... read full story / add a comment

On January 25th, Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) formed a government in Greece with the help of the ANEL (Independent Greeks). Within 24 hours direct attacks, threats and provocations aimed at the Greek government, about to begin negotiations with EU and Eurozone leaders, began. The attacks were pre-emptive strikes against efforts to find a quick, viable and productive solution to the Greek debt problem that continues to strangle the Greek economy and society; time is very short and everyone is aware that it is working against the efforts of the Greek government that needs to reach an agreement by February 16 or February 28 at the latest. ... read full story / add a comment

The Gezi Park protests in Istanbul have been the center of attention not only in Turkey but the whole world during the last few weeks. This has been a revolt unforeseeable in terms of its scale, influence, the intensity of its resentment, and the courage, determination, and self-confidence of masses of people, many with no previous political affiliation and experience. It is commonplace to say now that the movement was not just about the initial problem: the destruction of a ‘couple of trees’ to make space for a shopping mall or a kitsch Ottoman style caserne. It was essentially about demanding basic human rights or the right to demand rights.

But what were the big issues? Which developments led to these riots? Why does Taksim Square matter so much to Turkish people? And will this revolt be a factor to cease Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's unfinished transformation?

Hamilton University Professor of Economics Erol Balkan and Sabanci University Professor of Sociology Ahmet Öncü, have been asking these questions for years. In the book they are working on with Hamilton University Professor of Economics Nesecan Balkan, entitled The Neoliberal Landscape and the Rise of Islamic Capital, they analyze the economic and social context that gave rise to this movement. According to Balkan and Öncü, the Gezi Park protests will have to develop into a new, stronger and more inclusive movement in the future. They were interviewed by Kvanç Özvardar, a Turkish journalist writing regularly for Ekonomist weekly and on politics as a freelance reporter. ... read full story / add a comment