Now that the highly dramatic month of July has finally come to an end, the people of Istanbul can collectively turn a page and look to an immediate future, which appears considerably more certain, if not banal, in comparison to the recent past. The city’s bourgeoisie will head to their summer houses in the greater Istanbul region, while the upper classes augment their social status and darker skin tones at exclusive seaside ghettos such as mythic Bodrum. (more…)

The drama surrounding the potential closure of the ruling AKP party acquired a significant nuance with the decision of Standard & Poor’s to cut Turkey’s credit rating to three increments below investment grade (BB-) last week. The credit agency attributed its sudden decision to “the increasingly challenging political and global environment that Turkey faces in the near term”.| MORE ›

Benjamin delves into the deeper socioeconomic background of the debate over head scarves in Turkey.

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