Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's one party state recently lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 2002. But that didn't phase the Islamist president who promptly blew up negotiations for a coalition government with the leading opposition party, forcing another election on November 1. Erdogan is seeking an "executive presidency" - sort of an Obama presidency on steroids. This was massively rejected by the Turkish people as Erdogans Justice and Development party barely received 40% of the vote. But to ensure a victory in the November 1 polls, Erdogan and his party have taken to going after the press, who are almost universally appalled at the president's actions. This has resulted in blood curdling threats to journalists, as well as the beat of at least one popular columnist. Referring to Hurriyet columnist Ahmet Hakan [and to Hurriyet's editor-in-chief, Sedat Ergin], Boynukalin says: "They had never...(Read Full Post)