News archive of December 2014

The main purpose of year-end reviews, of course, is to hold the ads apart. But they can also serve as a kind of annual check-up on the political health - and also on the economic, demographic and even physical health - of the planet and its teeming human population.

My first article appeared in Hürriyet on Oct. 23, 2010, with the headline; “Do we have any other choice but to be optimistic?”

What is being reflected in this sentence is my essential conviction in life.

Obviously all of us get into the downward spiral of pessimism, but this feeling cannot go on for a long time; its continuation is not healthy.

The war in Afghanistan came to a formal end on Dec. 28, 2014, with a flag-lowering ceremony in Kabul. The symbolic act, which was held under heavy security measures due to threats of an attack, marked the conclusion of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom and the start of Operation Resolute Support.

One does not need a crystal ball to see that 2015 is going to be a tough year for Turkey. Elections, corruption allegations, the Kurdish peace process, Syria, to name a few cases, will ensure that tensions remain high.

The year we have left behind was the 50th anniversary of the deportation by the Turkish government of one of the most ancient populations of Anatolia, the Istanbul Rums. The year we entered marks the 100th anniversary of another tragedy of another of Anatolia’s ancient population, the Armenians.

Millions of people in Turkey celebrated the arrival of the New Year with dances and drinks yesterday despite calls from the country’s top religious body to totally ignore the tradition.

The parliamentary elections scheduled for June is likely to be the major political issue of Turkey in 2015.

It is also likely that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) will stay in power for another four years, since no major shift in the political spectrum has been observed in the from two elections last year; the locals in March and presidential in August.

As 2014 continued with instability in the Middle East, Turkey remained surrounded by tensions in the region. Turkey remained embroiled in frozen conflicts with Israel, Egypt and Syria, while opening a new page with the new administration in Iraq.

Deals regarding Iraqi oil were some of the most significant developments in the last year for Turkey's economy.

Sacrificing your own life to rescue others was the ultimate heroism of 2014, as seen in the death of a Turkish woman in Germany. Putting in an effort to save lives, risking one's self to inform others and standing up to protect a park were other actions lauded in Turkey this year. Here is our list: 1) Tuğçe Albayrak