NPR: Peter Kenyon

A Sign of Disunity? Iranian Candidates Jockey For Position

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Nearly 700 presidential hopefuls have thrown their names into the ring for Iran's June 14 presidential elections. But two last-minute entrants have altered the shape of the already-chaotic race: a former president once dismissed as a has-been and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator.

Although not exactly a free-for-all, analysts say, there's a clear sense that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has failed to unify the political elite behind a single establishment candidate.

Kurdish Militants Begin Historic Withdrawal From Turkey

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:12:00 +0000

Today marks the beginning of the pullback of thousands of militant PKK fighters from Turkey back to Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. It's an important milestone in a delicate effort to end nearly three decades of bloodshed that have killed an estimated 35,000 people since 1984.

If the withdrawal is successful, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will push for complete disarmament of the PKK, the Kurdistan Worker's Party. The party was founded as a Marxist-Leninist group to push for an independent Kurdistan comprising parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.

Foreigners At Home: Turkey Beckons Its People In Germany

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Sun, 05 May 2013 09:24:00 +0000

In 1961, desperate to increase its labor force, West Germany signed an employment agreement with Turkey and launched a wave of immigration that continues to have repercussions today.

Now, after years of being treated as second-class citizens in Europe's economic powerhouse, large numbers of Turks — descendants of the first wave of immigrants — are returning to Turkey.

In A Strange Land

Yucel Yolcu, 44, has a good life in Istanbul.

Aid To Syria Comes With Fears Of Islamist Presence

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:38:00 +0000

At an 11-nation meeting in Turkey this weekend, there was one thing the United States, European and Arab states could agree on: With more than 70,000 killed and millions of people displaced, the Syrian crisis, as Secretary of State John Kerry says, is "horrific."

In response, the Obama administration is doubling its non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, Kerry announced at the meeting.

"The stakes in Syria couldn't be more clear," Kerry said.

In Kazakhstan, No Horror At Horse Meat

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:17:00 +0000

Though the thought of horse meat in British lasagna or Ikea meatballs may be stomach-churning to some people, in some cultures the practice of eating horse meat is not just acceptable, it's a treat. NPR's Peter Kenyon just returned from the Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan and checked out the meat market at the Green Bazaar in Almaty.

Turks Desire 'Reversal' In Olympic Wrestling Move

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:39:00 +0000
Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
This week's news that the International Olympic Committee has decided to drop wrestling from the list of core Olympic sporting events has caused acute pain in Turkey. Wrestling is revered there as an ancestral sport.
In this letter from Istanbul, NPR's Peter Kenyon tells us that Turks plan to take the IOC decision to the mat.
PETER KENYON, BYLINE: The Turks don't claim either to have invented wrestling or to be the best in the world at it.

In Syrian Conflict, Real-Time Evidence Of Violations

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:25:00 +0000
There are growing calls for Syria's leaders to face war crimes charges for the fierce assaults against rebel targets and civilian areas. If that happens, veterans of past war crimes prosecutions say, Syrians will have one big advantage: The widespread gathering of evidence across the country is happening often in real time.
After visiting a Syrian refugee camp in southeastern Turkey recently, Robert Ford, the U.S.

Iran's Leader Embraces Facebook, Fellow Iranians Are Blocked

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:20:00 +0000
When Iran's supreme leader got a Facebook page in December, Iranians sat up and blinked.
Some thought it was a fake, finding it hard to believe that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be using a technology that his own government blocks. A U.S.

Prime Minister Finds Soap Opera's Turkish Delights In Bad Taste

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 08:23:00 +0000
Suleiman the Magnificent was the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire, presiding for nearly a half-century at the peak of the empire's power in the 16th century.
During Suleiman's rule from 1520 to 1566, the Ottomans were a political, economic and military powerhouse.

In Istanbul, A Byzantine-Era Fleet Surfaces Again

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:38:00 +0000
In Istanbul, major public transit projects are back under way after years of paralysis. The problem wasn't a lack of financing, but the layer upon layer of ancient artifacts that turned up every time the earthmovers started their work.
The excavation began eight years ago on projects intended to ease Istanbul's notoriously clogged traffic.
The job included building a tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait and linking it to a rail and subway network.

Israelis Ponder Likud Party's Shift To The Right

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 12:22:00 +0000
Some analysts have suggested that one impetus for the Israeli military strikes in Gaza is the upcoming election season in Israel. With elections set for January, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu changed the political landscape last month by announcing that his Likud Party would run along with a right-wing party led by hawkish Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Likud Party leaders complained that they were left in the dark before the prime minister effectively vaulted Lieberman into the No.

As Turkey Rises, 'A Real Problem' With Censorship

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 10:24:00 +0000
Nearly two years ago, Soner Yalcin and more than a dozen of his employees at the online news outlet OdaTV joined the growing list of incarcerated Turkish journalists. Yalcin, the owner of OdaTV, is one of the sharpest critics of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.
As their trial proceedings dragged on, challenges to the state's case grew, and most of the outlet's journalists were released, pending the trial's conclusion.

Among Israelis, Romney Appears The Favorite

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:25:00 +0000
Israelis view the American presidential election much the way they tend to view most issues: What does it mean for Israel?
And by a wide margin, Israelis seem to believe that Republican candidate Mitt Romney would be more attentive to Israel's interests than President Obama.
The Peace Index Poll, commissioned by Tel Aviv University and the Israel Democracy Institute, found that Romney was favored 2-to-1 by Israelis back in August.
Such pro-Romney sentiment is rare outside the U.S.

Qatari Emir First World Leader To Visit Gaza In Years

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:19:00 +0000
Transcript
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
And I'm Melissa Block.
The Emir of Qatar visited the Gaza Strip today. He's the first world leader to do so since 2007, when the Islamist movement Hamas seized control of the Palestinian territory and Israel responded with a blockade. The emir called on Hamas to reconcile with the rival Fatah movement.

In A Ravaged Syrian Village, Planning For The Future

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:51:00 +0000
The rebels of the Free Syrian Army recently retook the small farming village of Khirbet al-Joz, just across the border from Turkey. Soon after, Syrian men who had been in Turkish refugee camps returned to the village to see what had happened to their homes.
Activists from a group called the Syrian Emergency Task Force also visited Khirbet al-Joz and filmed video of villagers as they toured the charred ruins.
One man points to a hole in the wall: "Look, this is where the rocket entered.

Turks Fear What Syria's War Will Bring

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 07:03:00 +0000
In Turkey's southern Hatay province, it is harvest time — the second harvest since the uprising began in neighboring Syria.
In the village of Hacipasa, Turkey, located right along the Syrian border, children play alongside tents on the edge of the farm fields.

U.S. Naval Exercises Send Message In The Tense Gulf

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:51:00 +0000
The U.S. military, along with more than 30 allied countries, has just launched a new round of naval exercises in the Persian Gulf at a time when tensions in the region are running particularly high.
But U.S. officials say the aim is not to increase anxiety, but rather to ensure stability. More specifically, the exercises are designed to deal with mines that could hamper shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil supply transits.
Iran has said if it is attacked, it will close the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Cmdr. Jason Salata, spokesman for the U.S.

Famed Barcelona Footballers Will Only Fly With Female Flight Attendants

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:23:00 +0000
For the past few years, Turkish Airlines has been the official airline of soccer's FC Barcelona, home to such famous footballers as Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta.

Istanbul, A City Of Spies In Fact And Fiction

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 09:39:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OErGKw_3o6Q

United Nations Urged To Help Syrian Refugees

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:56:00 +0000
Turkey's foreign minister plans to ask the U.N. Security Council to establish a safe zone inside Syria for refugees fleeing the war there. With close to 100,000 refugees already in camps on Turkish territory, the foreign minister says his government lacks the capacity to host more.

Is Assad Carving Out A Haven For Syria's Alawites?

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:32:00 +0000
As fighting between the Syrian military and rebel fighters rages, concerns are growing about how the regime of President Bashar Assad might react if it becomes convinced it's about to lose power.
One theory involves the establishment of a breakaway region dominated by Syria's Alawite minority — which includes the Assad family — in the northwestern coastal mountains.

Fight For Syria's Big Cities Intensifies

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:28:00 +0000
Transcript
LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Linda Wertheimer.
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
And I'm Renee Montagne.
A big counterattack is brewing in Syria's most important city after Damascus. Rebel fighters had taken control of parts of Aleppo and say they're still holding on to some areas of the city, but they say heavy reinforcements from the Syrian army are now arriving.

In Egypt, Clinton Promotes Dialogue With Military

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 11:22:00 +0000
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm David Greene.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads for Israel today. This, after leaving Egypt where she met with that country's new Islamist president and also the head of the powerful military council. Secretary Clinton said Egypt needs to continue its transition to a civilian-led democracy.

With Problems Egypt, Will Morsi Play Role In Region

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:33:00 +0000
Transcript
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
The election of Egypt's first Islamist president could alter alliances across the Mideast.

Despite New President, Egypt's Military Wields Real Power

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:13:00 +0000
Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm Renee Montagne.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And I'm Steve Inskeep.
The next leader of Egypt promises he will be president of all Egyptians. That's a vital promise for Mohamed Morsi to make and it addresses an issue on which he will be closely watched.
MONTAGNE: Morsi was the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood. And yesterday the Islamist was declared the winner of a close election.

Main Syrian Opposition Group Tries To Unify Factions

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:16:00 +0000
The main opposition group in Syria is making a renewed push to unify various strands of the anti-regime movement. The new head of the Syrian National Council wants to broaden the group's appeal, and combat fears that it is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Heading Into Iran Nuclear Talks, A Diplomatic Slump

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 11:28:00 +0000
Transcript
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The up and down Iran nuclear talks appear to be in a down cycle as negotiators prepare to meet tomorrow in Moscow. Difficult talks in Baghdad last month were followed by contentious comments on both sides. And all this as new oil sanctions against Iran are due to take effect July 1st.

Ignoring Critics, Iraq's Leader Consolidates Power

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently held one of his traveling Cabinet meetings in the disputed city of Kirkuk in an effort to show Iraqi Arabs on the edge of the Kurdish-controlled north that he's working on their behalf, too.
But the fact that he felt obliged to bring in large numbers of heavily armed troops for the event illustrated the tension plaguing Iraqi politics.
Iraq's political situation seems to be lurching from crisis to crisis, amid growing fears that Maliki is intent on destroying the opposition and perpetuating his rule.

Lessons For Egyptian Elections From Turkey

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:39:00 +0000
When Egyptians go to the polls on May 23, many will be looking to celebrate the end of military rule that began some 50 years ago. Observers warn that it won't be easy to send a deeply entrenched military back to its barracks, and they point to Turkey's experience as an example. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Istanbul.

In Turkey, Debating A Women's Right To Bear Arms

NPR: Peter Kenyon — Sat, 19 May 2012 09:56:00 +0000
In Turkey, hundreds of women die each year at the hands of a husband or family member, in a society that critics say too often ignores violence against women.