Dimitrios' World

I was proud of my country and its institutions on Saturday, 28 September when numerous arrest warrants were issued for members of the neo Nazi,  national  socialist gang that calls itself a party -- Golden Dawn. Among those arrested where its party leader as well as other standing members of parliament. I am still proud that they will be tried for their numerous hate crimes including their organized crime activities. It was about time to crush them even if if they cannot be nipped in the bud anymore.  A week has passed. So much has changed, yet much remains the same. Instead of witnessing and experiencing a mass sensation of relief, and a wider debate around the issues of hate, racism and tolerance, all we have seen is much ado about nothing....an embedded suspicion of the political system and within it where the so called 'democratic' political parties of the left and the right continue to snipe at each other in public about the objective of the arrests and the cra...

The Democratization Package that was made public by Turkish Prime Minister Rexhep Tayyip Erdogan on 30 September leaves much to be desired although it could be described as a small step forward. In today’s polarized political climate, anything the government promotes is viewed with much suspicion in particular in light of the upcoming electoral season beginning next year with local elections in March, the presidential election in August and the general election in 2015. In true autocratic Turkish political tradition, which Erdogan usually decries, the package was decided in back rooms among a small cadre of apparatchiks and unveiled to the rest of us. Obviously, it caters to the conservative-nationalist sensitivities of the Prime Minister’s electoral base in particular with regard to allowing women to wear head scarves in public places (though not everywhere) and token reforms for minorities. Most importantly and ominously, it sets the stage for widespread gerrymandering with a v...

Question: what does a frustrated and desperate citizen do when he realizes, as a horrified onlooker at the developments in his country, that not one of the parliamentary or extra-parliamentary parties (or constructs) expresses him? What does he do when the democracy he believes in and wants to constructively engage in is broke?  It has taken the murder of Pavlos Fissas by a member of Golden Dawn, Greece's brand of neo-Nazis, to shock society into action....a society that has been largely silent when the Nazis murder or rough up immigrants. Yet even this call for a higher calling that this ideology minimizes us and should have no place in mainstream politics or otherwise has brought us closer by awakening most to the danger of extremism but has polarized us further as other mainstream political and social actors seek to equate extremism on the right with extremism on the left. Roger Cohen correctly coins it when he writes that " [t] he perfect political storm for violent e...

I remember the excitement I felt when Athens was awarded the 2004 Olympic Games on 5 September 1997...I felt happy, inspired and hopeful about the adventure my country was getting into...its chance to shine, and actually work on much need urban development projects such as roads, ring highways, a subway, etc. as well as build state of the art sport facilities..the Games came albeit the wastefu l public spending of our ever enlightened public officials and I had the opportunity to enjoy athletics, volleyball, basketball, and water polo in different venues and become proud of my city with its volunteers, transport system, smoke free venues....The colorful and joyous atmosphere in the Olympic stadium where we were all citizens of the world in spite of our different national affiliations is a once in a lifetime experience I am glad to have lived. it was a magical three weeks in a magical summer...'Yes, we can when we set our minds to it' was the prevailing sentiment...then the har...

Like everyone else that works hard for a living, I need my small summer break to recharge my batteries in the sunny beaches of my homeland, in the village hearth of my parents, with the engaging company of my son and friends. In these times of crisis, the need to feel rejuvenated in order to tackle the various challenges life  presents us, is even more compelling…I need the time to read, to reflect, to write, to sleep, to admire the rich nature all around me, to wake up when I want, to talk, to touch, to plan, to wear khakis and bathing suits all day, to dream…nothing out of the ordinary here, you might say…Isn’t this what we all more or less look forward to during our vacation?     Yet, even this idyllic moment of a few days has become almost impossible to even consider as the stream of emails requiring responses seems overwhelming…Why do I have to even look at them, you may ask? What if I don’t, I ask? We have become prisoners of our laptops, tablets, and smart phones...

The empowerment of the social capital of the country has become one of the most important aspects arising out of the Occupy Gezi movement in Turkey. While the definitions of the term ‘social capital’ are many, I would posit that the World Bank’s is the most inclusive: Social capital refers to the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society's social interactions. Increasing evidence shows that social cohesion is critical for societies to prosper economically and for development to be sustainable. Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions which underpin a society – it is the glue that holds them together. In other world, the social capital refers both to a country’s institutions and their representatives and to its civil society and the interplay between both. It raises the issues of legitimacy, accountability, democracy, education and responsibility by both the institutions and civil society. In the case of Turkey, th...

Surrealism is a good word to describe what one experiences in Cihangir in the center of European Istanbul near Taksim Square. The tension is palpable, the air heavy with humidity. People having their usual conversations in cafes with their thoughts on how their life's have fundamentally changed since 31 May. Strangers are walking up and down the streets ready to partake in the protests that will follow later with their gas masks (the choice is infinite both in terms of type and color) and their goggles to protect their eyes from the pepper gas and other such niceties we will all have to deal with later and into the night. Others still are carrying various types of supposedly protective head gear...so many days of this has made both protesters and those simply standing by better prepared to deal with the onslaught or so we think.... The sounds of helicopters making their reconnaissance flights are heard overhead. The streets are slowly filling up and now the now the air is inundat...