Tor Kr. Birkeland
@torkristianx.bsky.social
Peacebuilding, nonviolence, democracy, arms trade regulation. Author of Turkey - The Middle Kingdom / Tyrkia - hele historien kort fortalt. English and Norwegian.
Horrible reality. Very well put.
Domestic violence claims lives of 79 women in first 5 months of Year of the Family www.turkishminute.com/2025/05/23/d...
Domestic violence claims lives of 79 women in first 5 months of Year of the Family - Turkish Minute
Seventy-nine women have been killed in incidents of domestic violence across Turkey in the first five months of this year, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing data from the We Will Stop...
www.turkishminute.com
May 23, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Horrible reality. Very well put.
Reposted by Tor Kr. Birkeland
The 220 top buyers of Trump's memecoin will have dinner with him at his golf club tonight.
The average price of admission is $1M per person.
Trump is literally selling access to government to the highest bidders.
The average price of admission is $1M per person.
Trump is literally selling access to government to the highest bidders.
May 22, 2025 at 7:00 PM
The 220 top buyers of Trump's memecoin will have dinner with him at his golf club tonight.
The average price of admission is $1M per person.
Trump is literally selling access to government to the highest bidders.
The average price of admission is $1M per person.
Trump is literally selling access to government to the highest bidders.
Good stuff indeed! If you're curious about the conclusion, the workshop identified four urgent tasks:
1. Establishing a consortium like Coders without Borders or a similar collaborative to connect AI developers with democracy movements.
1. Establishing a consortium like Coders without Borders or a similar collaborative to connect AI developers with democracy movements.
May 20, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Good stuff indeed! If you're curious about the conclusion, the workshop identified four urgent tasks:
1. Establishing a consortium like Coders without Borders or a similar collaborative to connect AI developers with democracy movements.
1. Establishing a consortium like Coders without Borders or a similar collaborative to connect AI developers with democracy movements.
This seems pretty significant, no?
AKP co-founder says İmamoğlu, others arrested on ‘vague’ charges should be tried without detention www.turkishminute.com/2025/05/19/a...
AKP co-founder says İmamoğlu, others arrested on ‘vague’ charges should be tried without detention - Turkish Minute
Bülent Arınç, a former speaker of the Turkish Parliament, deputy prime minister and a founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), has called for İstanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem...
www.turkishminute.com
May 19, 2025 at 5:57 PM
This seems pretty significant, no?
Den beste nyheten i dag, på Norges grunnlovsdag: Den svenske journalisten Joakim Medin er hjemme etter 51 dager i tyrkisk fengsel!
www.etc.se/story/joakim...
www.etc.se/story/joakim...
Joakim Medin är hemma
Efter 51 dagar fängslad i Turkiet är Dagens ETC-journalisten Joakim Medin hemma.
www.etc.se
May 17, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Den beste nyheten i dag, på Norges grunnlovsdag: Den svenske journalisten Joakim Medin er hjemme etter 51 dager i tyrkisk fengsel!
www.etc.se/story/joakim...
www.etc.se/story/joakim...
Reposted by Tor Kr. Birkeland
#FactFriday ➡️ Military spending increased in all world regions, with particularly rapid growth in both Europe and the Middle East. Explore the data: www.sipri.org/databases/milex
Accurate, dependable information matters more than ever. Invest in the facts. Support #SIPRI: bit.ly/4gI9QkX
Accurate, dependable information matters more than ever. Invest in the facts. Support #SIPRI: bit.ly/4gI9QkX
May 9, 2025 at 8:29 AM
#FactFriday ➡️ Military spending increased in all world regions, with particularly rapid growth in both Europe and the Middle East. Explore the data: www.sipri.org/databases/milex
Accurate, dependable information matters more than ever. Invest in the facts. Support #SIPRI: bit.ly/4gI9QkX
Accurate, dependable information matters more than ever. Invest in the facts. Support #SIPRI: bit.ly/4gI9QkX
Imamoğlu's lawyer was arrested. Now the lawyer's lawyer has been arrested. What could possibly happen next? 🤔
April 25, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Imamoğlu's lawyer was arrested. Now the lawyer's lawyer has been arrested. What could possibly happen next? 🤔
"So ask yourself the question: what’s the “great honour and glory” of your life? What do you hope one day to look back on?"
Inspiring by @rutgerbregman.com
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Inspiring by @rutgerbregman.com
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
April 19, 2025 at 9:10 AM
"So ask yourself the question: what’s the “great honour and glory” of your life? What do you hope one day to look back on?"
Inspiring by @rutgerbregman.com
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Inspiring by @rutgerbregman.com
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Turks feeling insulted every time Atatürk is criticized or labeled as a dictator, is one important factor keeping democracy at bay in Turkey.
Canadian school faces backlash over assignment listing Atatürk as a ‘dictator’
Canadian school faces backlash over assignment listing Atatürk as a ‘dictator’ - Turkish Minute
A Canadian high school has sparked backlash after including Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, on a list of dictators in a social studies assignment, prompting outrage from Turkish...
www.turkishminute.com
April 18, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Turks feeling insulted every time Atatürk is criticized or labeled as a dictator, is one important factor keeping democracy at bay in Turkey.
A thriller of a 1984-type story from China, very well written by @murongxuecun.bsky.social.
A shorter version is available at The Guardian with the title " ‘Why would he take such a risk?’ My censor and me"
madeinchinajournal.com/2025/04/03/m...
A shorter version is available at The Guardian with the title " ‘Why would he take such a risk?’ My censor and me"
madeinchinajournal.com/2025/04/03/m...
Me and My Censor | Made in China Journal
When Liu Lipeng first contacted me in July 2020, I was still in China. I initially wanted to write this as a fictional short story, but I didn’t have the courage to do it at the time because it would ...
madeinchinajournal.com
April 17, 2025 at 9:25 AM
A thriller of a 1984-type story from China, very well written by @murongxuecun.bsky.social.
A shorter version is available at The Guardian with the title " ‘Why would he take such a risk?’ My censor and me"
madeinchinajournal.com/2025/04/03/m...
A shorter version is available at The Guardian with the title " ‘Why would he take such a risk?’ My censor and me"
madeinchinajournal.com/2025/04/03/m...
There are weekly, nonviolent protests in Slovakia, against the Russia-leaning prime minister. They build on the successful ousting of a neo-Nazi governor in 2017.
"Our key message since December 2024 is simple: 'Slovakia is Europe. We are Europe'."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
"Our key message since December 2024 is simple: 'Slovakia is Europe. We are Europe'."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
In Slovakia, our grassroots movement helped oust a neo-Nazi. We can do it again | Alexandra Bitušíková
Professor Alexandra Bitušíková explains how face-to-face local activism was crucial in bringing down the neo-Nazi People’s Party Our Slovakia
www.theguardian.com
April 11, 2025 at 11:14 AM
There are weekly, nonviolent protests in Slovakia, against the Russia-leaning prime minister. They build on the successful ousting of a neo-Nazi governor in 2017.
"Our key message since December 2024 is simple: 'Slovakia is Europe. We are Europe'."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
"Our key message since December 2024 is simple: 'Slovakia is Europe. We are Europe'."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Her omtales Kongsberg Gruppen som en av de mest omsatte aksjene på børsen. I en verden hvor normale folk ønsker å unngå krig, er det samtidig mest normalt å tjene penger på krig.
Dette kunne vi endret på hvis vi ville.
e24.no/boers-og-fin...
Dette kunne vi endret på hvis vi ville.
e24.no/boers-og-fin...
Oslo Børs raser etter tollsjokk: – Litt krisestemning
Global børssmell og kraftig oljeprisfall sender børsgiganter rett ned.
e24.no
April 7, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Her omtales Kongsberg Gruppen som en av de mest omsatte aksjene på børsen. I en verden hvor normale folk ønsker å unngå krig, er det samtidig mest normalt å tjene penger på krig.
Dette kunne vi endret på hvis vi ville.
e24.no/boers-og-fin...
Dette kunne vi endret på hvis vi ville.
e24.no/boers-og-fin...
Turks are leaving X for Bluesky because X is censoring users upon requests from the Turkish authoritarian government.
🔴 Sansür nedeniyle X’i terk eden kullanıcılar Bluesky’a geçiyor
👉 Ekrem İmamoğlu’nun tutuklanması ve boykot çağrılarının ardından X’te artan erişim engelleri, kullanıcıları Bluesky’a yöneltti.
bianet.org/haber/sansur...
👉 Ekrem İmamoğlu’nun tutuklanması ve boykot çağrılarının ardından X’te artan erişim engelleri, kullanıcıları Bluesky’a yöneltti.
bianet.org/haber/sansur...
Sansür nedeniyle X’i terk eden kullanıcılar Bluesky’a geçiyor
Ekrem İmamoğlu’nun tutuklanması ve boykot çağrılarının ardından X’te artan erişim engelleri, kullanıcıları Bluesky’a yöneltti.
buff.ly
April 5, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Turks are leaving X for Bluesky because X is censoring users upon requests from the Turkish authoritarian government.
So, will it be a pro-democracy movement in Turkey or simply a CHP or frustration movement? I'm thinking demanding the release of Demirtaş would be a sign that it's pro-democracy.
April 3, 2025 at 10:37 AM
So, will it be a pro-democracy movement in Turkey or simply a CHP or frustration movement? I'm thinking demanding the release of Demirtaş would be a sign that it's pro-democracy.
There are 35 billionaires in Turkey whose combined wealth is almost three times that of the poorest 42.5 million in the country (i.e. the bottom 50%.)
Which puts the current protests in a broader context than simply anti-Erdoğan.
Which puts the current protests in a broader context than simply anti-Erdoğan.
Forbes'in milyarderler listesinde Türkiye’den 35 kişi var
Servetleri, Türkiye'nin en yoksul yüzde 50'sinin yani 42,5 milyon kişinin toplam servetinin neredeyse 3 katı.
buff.ly/IDwPx46
Servetleri, Türkiye'nin en yoksul yüzde 50'sinin yani 42,5 milyon kişinin toplam servetinin neredeyse 3 katı.
buff.ly/IDwPx46
April 2, 2025 at 4:26 PM
There are 35 billionaires in Turkey whose combined wealth is almost three times that of the poorest 42.5 million in the country (i.e. the bottom 50%.)
Which puts the current protests in a broader context than simply anti-Erdoğan.
Which puts the current protests in a broader context than simply anti-Erdoğan.
Will we see a peak participation higher than 3.5% of the population in Turkey at a key event?
Lately I've seen many references to the 3.5% rule. A few years ago I pulled together this Q&A on potential uses and misuses of this statistic. www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/defaul...
April 2, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Will we see a peak participation higher than 3.5% of the population in Turkey at a key event?
They're active in construction and energy because that's where the real money is. They use their media ownership to provide regime-friendly news in exchange for huge government contracts in construction and energy.
Turkish media, who owns what?
A very useful map showing the concentration of media ownership in #Turkey, where 90% of media outlets are owned by pro-government groups (Demirören, Doğuş, Kalyon, etc) which are themselves active in the construction and energy sectors. graphcommons.com/h/mulksuzles...
A very useful map showing the concentration of media ownership in #Turkey, where 90% of media outlets are owned by pro-government groups (Demirören, Doğuş, Kalyon, etc) which are themselves active in the construction and energy sectors. graphcommons.com/h/mulksuzles...
April 2, 2025 at 9:46 AM
They're active in construction and energy because that's where the real money is. They use their media ownership to provide regime-friendly news in exchange for huge government contracts in construction and energy.
"the presidency said Medin was 'known for anti-Turkey news,'"
but also added
“This arrest decision has no connection whatsoever to journalistic activities."
So...known for news, not journalistic activities. Makes perfect sense.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
but also added
“This arrest decision has no connection whatsoever to journalistic activities."
So...known for news, not journalistic activities. Makes perfect sense.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
Turkey says Swedish journalist detained on terror charges and for ‘insulting the president’
Joakim Medin, who works for the Dagens ETC newspaper, was arrested on Thursday when his plane landed
www.theguardian.com
March 30, 2025 at 10:17 AM
"the presidency said Medin was 'known for anti-Turkey news,'"
but also added
“This arrest decision has no connection whatsoever to journalistic activities."
So...known for news, not journalistic activities. Makes perfect sense.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
but also added
“This arrest decision has no connection whatsoever to journalistic activities."
So...known for news, not journalistic activities. Makes perfect sense.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
Reposted by Tor Kr. Birkeland
1/7. In case you haven’t been following, here is a short summary of the misnamed Russian-American "peace process" regarding Ukraine.
March 28, 2025 at 4:08 PM
1/7. In case you haven’t been following, here is a short summary of the misnamed Russian-American "peace process" regarding Ukraine.
Reposted by Tor Kr. Birkeland
CHP officially names jailed mayor its presidential candidate
CHP officially names jailed mayor its presidential candidate - Turkish Minute
Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has officially declared Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed mayor of İstanbul, its candidate for president. The decision was made unanimously during...
www.turkishminute.com
March 27, 2025 at 5:03 PM
CHP officially names jailed mayor its presidential candidate
Reposted by Tor Kr. Birkeland
Har deltagit i ett informativt heldagsmöte på Utrikespolitiska institutet om Syrien. Nästa alla Syrienexperter jag hör säger samma sak: Lyft sanktionerna igår! Syrien behöver massivt stöd nu! Al Sharaa är ingen ängel men alternativen är värre. Sverige & EU bör agera omedelbart. Det är sent.
March 26, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Har deltagit i ett informativt heldagsmöte på Utrikespolitiska institutet om Syrien. Nästa alla Syrienexperter jag hör säger samma sak: Lyft sanktionerna igår! Syrien behöver massivt stöd nu! Al Sharaa är ingen ängel men alternativen är värre. Sverige & EU bör agera omedelbart. Det är sent.
There's a lot of humor in the current protests in Turkey. I'll post some of it in this thread.
This poster says "The elves and dwarves didn't like each other, but together they defeated Sauron."
This poster says "The elves and dwarves didn't like each other, but together they defeated Sauron."
March 24, 2025 at 9:19 PM
There's a lot of humor in the current protests in Turkey. I'll post some of it in this thread.
This poster says "The elves and dwarves didn't like each other, but together they defeated Sauron."
This poster says "The elves and dwarves didn't like each other, but together they defeated Sauron."
To my Turkish brothers and sisters who might need it these days: Ten tips for keeping your protests nonviolent when some in your group get violent:
1. De-escalate Immediately – Speak calmly to the individual(s) and urge them to stop, reminding them that the protest is nonviolent.
1. De-escalate Immediately – Speak calmly to the individual(s) and urge them to stop, reminding them that the protest is nonviolent.
March 21, 2025 at 2:47 PM
To my Turkish brothers and sisters who might need it these days: Ten tips for keeping your protests nonviolent when some in your group get violent:
1. De-escalate Immediately – Speak calmly to the individual(s) and urge them to stop, reminding them that the protest is nonviolent.
1. De-escalate Immediately – Speak calmly to the individual(s) and urge them to stop, reminding them that the protest is nonviolent.