AGENDA OF THE MONTH
If everyone is discussing about a certain topic, you are most likely to see an article regarding that topic in this section. This section usually contains the current situation of the world and significant events happening during the month.
World Environment Day
Hülya Afat & Duygu Bayram
07.06.2021
Each year on June 5th; governments, businesses, and citizens all around the globe celebrate the World Environment Day. The tradition started in 1974 to draw attention to urgent environmental issues. The main goal set for this year is to restore the ecosystem to combat climate change and the loss of biodiversity
World Press Freedom Day
İdil ÇAKMUT
03.05.2021
When we distribute 7 billion people into 195 countries and put them all on a geoid-shaped planet, we are left with a world that never sleeps. While one hemisphere gets ready for bed, the other half is already done with breakfast. Naturally, this system of ours forms a never-ending event cycle that never spoils itself with a break. When scientists are done developing a vaccine in Europe, a businesswoman in South America initiates a new company, while in the Middle East, politicians ratify new treaties.
23rd of April: A Day Dedicated to the Children
Ümit Altar BİNİCİ
05.04.2021
23rd of April is a special day known by every single people living in Turkey. It is a day to commemorate the establishment of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in Ankara on the 23rd of April 1920, which also marked the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. However, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal - later to be given the surname Atatürk, which means "father of Turks," wanted this day to be dedicated to the children. As a result, from that point onwards, the 23rd of April has been celebrated as Children's Day.
Global Water Crisis
Kaan ERTAN & Mert CENGİZ
08.03.2021
22nd of March is a special day: Global Water Day. On that day, the importance of water will be taught to kids by singing songs, drawing paintings at schools, while water resources are being poisoned. Special clothes for water will be bought, while cotton wastes water a lot. Considering these facts, today, a celebration of that day is not more than a birthday celebration.
The COVID-19 Vaccines: 2 Main Questions Addressed
Kaan Ertan & Mert Cengiz
01.02.2021
COVID-19 vaccines that have been waited worldwide are just ready. Five main vaccines’ tests are just finished or currently undergoing the last phase. Now, everyone asks the same two questions: “Will the vaccines protect us from this disease?”, and “Will our country get vaccines as soon as possible?”. It can be seen as complicated as too much information circulates on the news and the Internet. Nevertheless, the answers are quite simple. Let us see what the answers are.
New Sheriff in Town but the Rules Stay the Same: The Path of Joe Biden
Alp Ünal AYHAN
07.12.2020
After 4 long and gruelling days of counting and projecting and worrying (on both sides), the 2020 presidential election is finally over. Joe Biden is going to be the 46th President of the United States, ending 4 long (and brilliantly covered by our writers last month) years of the Trump Administration.
COVID Response Friend or Foe? The Tricky Gamble of Reopening Schools
Alp Ünal Ayhan & Ümit Altar Binici
02.11.2020
Even though Turkey managed to reduce its COVID-19 cases throughout the last summer, as of September 2020, the number of cases began rising again. While the number of cases is tied back to the early-May statistics, and as the published cases not being all patients, perhaps there are hundreds or thousands more COVID-19 patients around. Amid these events and the relentlessly escalating number of COVID-19 cases all over the country, the Turkish Minister of Education lighted the spots over the reopening of the schools.
Flu Season and Coronavirus: Confronting the Double Threat
Boran Göher & Enes Ovalı
5.10.2020
In the current state of our world, one can only consider one disease when talking about health problems: the novel coronavirus. In the span of half a year, COVID-19 has pushed away all the old discourse about health and healthcare to the side and recreated it from the scratch. Nowadays, experts seem to only talk about respiratory failures, social distancing norms, the virus spread curves and ICUs. Although with a disaster of this magnitude no one can truly be blamed for forgetting other threats still exist, this still does not absolve the world of its traditional duties and responsibilities.
Agenda of the Month: Yesterday and Today of the Beirut Explosions
Kaan ERTAN
07.09.2020
Lebanon has always had a unique place in the Middle East, for being the most religiously diverse country in the region. It has 18 recognised religious groups. Roughly 60% of its population is Muslim, 33% is Christian and 5% is Druze. To sustain peace and provide representation in the country, Lebanon has a sectarian rule.
Vacation Psychology and Coronavirus
Begüm GÜVEN & Şebnem YAREN
07.09.2020
It goes without saying that the current state we are living in is an unusual time for all of us. Although we all hoped that this pandemic would be over by now, it is still going strong and infecting more people as we speak, even six months after its outbreak. If there is one thing we can be sure of in these uncertain times, it is that this summer was and still is different to any other we have experienced before.
Coronavirus and Children’s Mental Health
Enes OVALI
03.08.2020
Passing by the abandoned and neglected schoolyards on their way to work could have people recall how crowded and noisy these schools were and ask themselves how children would spend their time at their home. The COVID-19 has brought social and economic upheaval to our lives and changed our normalcy over the last six months, but it may be overlooked how children’s and teenagers’ lives undergo an extensive and rapid change throughout this pandemic.
COVID-19 Normalization Results
Kaan ERTAN
06.07.2020
The times we are going through are anything but normal. Many people lost their loved ones, their health, their jobs, their freedom, and their overall well-being to the COVID-19. Everyone has a common wish to return to normalcy. In some successful -or as some may suggest lucky- countries, the normalization process is undergoing. Despite being welcomed by most people, the normalization process carries a huge risk of causing a second wave.
Coronavirus Everywhere: The Unknown Scale of the Crisis
Egemen BÜYÜKKAYA
06.04.2020
In the last few weeks, after it has been declared as a “Pandemic” by World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, the novel coronavirus has managed to invade all aspects of our life. This global emergency has forced countries to close their borders, to suspend schools and universities, and even to utilize wartime measures of curfew.
Humanity vs Capitalism: Political Economy of Coronavirus
Hülya AFAT
04.05.2020
Political economy is the study of the interaction of politics and economics, which asks the question “How can optimal policies be achieved given the existing political constraints?”. Calculating what is best to do is in the field of economics, and implementing those calculations according to the political landscape in the most efficient way is the political economy’s work.
The “New Normal” in International Politics: Clash of Globalization and Authoritarianism
Egemen BÜYÜKKAYA & Yasemin DURMAZ
01.06.2020
From the earlier days of coronavirus pandemic, there have been discussions of whether this pandemic could possibly alter the world order. This question does not have an answer yet, however, scholars argue that this shift could reverse some patterns of international and national politics and everyday life for the better or worse and arguably could be connotated a “critical juncture”.