Author & Analyst
Anonymous
Columnist
Biography
Who is the person behind this week’s headlines? Our anonymous writer, once a longtime journalist who knows firsthand how hard the profession can be in Turkey, answers in short, sharp sentences, weaving in the country’s political history.
Recent Articles by Anonymous
May 29, 2026
Portrait of the Week
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Orhan Pamuk. “The Museum of Innocence.” A television series. With its release, months later, the public agenda shifted. Justice, legal troubles, and the deepening, ever more painful economic crisis were suddenly pushed aside. This series — along with the book of the same name and its author, Orhan Pamuk — took center stage, especially on social media.
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May 29, 2026
Portrait of the Week
Hasan İmamoğlu is the father of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been jailed for nearly nine months. Ekrem İmamoğlu faces a staggering threat of up to 2,500 years in prison. Naturally, the İmamoğlu family had never, at any point in their lives, imagined facing such severe threats of imprisonment and punishment. For this reason, the family is, quite naturally, experiencing deep shock and bewilderment. As part of the case, Hasan İmamoğlu’s companies were also seized. So where does this “fear of communism,” this urge to “fight communism,” actually come from?
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May 29, 2026
Portrait of the Week
Political leadership here does not pass from father to son — at least not for the past century. Many have entered politics carrying their father’s surname; all of them sons. No daughter has ever tried. And almost none of these sons succeeded. Let’s count them.
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May 29, 2026
Portrait of the Week
In a political climate marked by constant clashes and shifting agendas — sometimes several in a single day — how did Ali Babacan manage to stand out?
He attended both the opening of Parliament and the Republic Day reception, posing for photographs with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Suddenly, all eyes were on him. “Is he returning to his old party?” people asked. Some even claimed he was poised to become a minister again. He firmly denied those claims. Yet when similar criticism came from the CHP, he shot back sharply: “Come off it.”
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May 29, 2026
Portrait of the Week
THE REDISCOVERY OF HİKMET ÇETİN
Premium
In Turkish, there is a saying: “to rediscover America,” similar to reinventing the wheel in English. It means to re-examine something that is already known and established. It carries a negative connotation. To those who act in this way, people often ask mockingly:“Are you trying to rediscover America?”
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May 29, 2026
Portrait of the Week
Altan Öymen passed away this week at the age of 93. Throughout his long life, he always carried two umbrellas—journalism and politics. He journeyed nearly 75 years under both. One could have said “he wore two hats,” but “umbrella” suits Altan Öymen’s life better. A hat is for one person alone; an umbrella is something under which many can take shelter, from the sun and rain. That’s why Öymen chose not hats, but umbrellas. And under his umbrella, there was always room for more than just himself.
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May 29, 2026
Portrait of the Week
Exactly 18 years ago — the summer of 2007. Then-Prime Minister Erdoğan raised Abdullah Gül’s hand in the air, and called him “my brother,” as he announced his candidacy for president. That summer, Gül was elected as Turkey’s 11th president — the first president to emerge from within the AKP. A new era was beginning, with the party’s two most powerful figures holding the posts of president and prime minister.
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May 21, 2026
Portrait of the Week
The pace of the Kurdish peace process, and the model it will follow have now become intertwined with Abdullah Öcalan's lifespan.
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May 15, 2026
Portrait of the Week
Burcu Köksal, the CHP mayor of Afyonkarahisar, joined the AKP this week. With her addition, the number of mayors who have left the CHP and joined the ruling party since the 2024 elections has reached 17.
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May 7, 2026
Portrait of the Week
Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş. The three clubs that come to mind when one speaks of football in Turkey. They are also known as the “Big Three.” In fact, all three are Istanbul clubs. But they have histories stretching back nearly 120 years. They are the teams with the most league titles.
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