Social Media-Salvation

What was once a rather esoteric news item now has become a regular part of hourly news programs. We hear about it so often it has become white noise only gaining our attention when something particularly horrific becomes part of mainstream news. I write about it so often on my Facebook news feed no one looks anymore. I am speaking about the refugee crisis. Most of us give it only a passing glance unless it […]

Safe

Safe, what is safe? When are you perceived to be safe versus actually safe, is safe the same for everyone? Is it safe to jump into the maelstrom or is it safer to sit quietly and accept? Should the refugee have stayed and tried to create safety or is traveling to a new perceived safety the better choice? Recently, I was presented with the idea that this world is in the process of transitioning from […]

#VO app

#VO stands for Volunteer Organizer and is a mobile application which connects volunteers and organizers of activities from all over the world. Remember the early days of the mass movement of refugees towards Europe? When there was a huge need for international aid organizations on Greek Islands and on the Balkan route? Remember when governments and well-known international organizations were incapable of providing even the basic services to them? Remember how all of us felt […]

The era of symbolic policies

I have always approved of the idea of symbolic policies and its emphasis on the symbolic power of policies rather than what their actual effect is or what any practical implication might actually be. In the case of migration studies, Massey (1999) explained that controlling migration flows is not possible for politicians due to global economic forces promoting the movement of people which lie beyond the power of national governments. In situations where popular discontent […]

Istanbul keeper of dirty secrets

Istanbul — the intoxicating crossroads of east and west; Constantinople, the Golden Horn, Imperial Capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman Empires, the only sea route from the Black Sea through the Sea of Marmara to the Mediterranean, strategically placed on the Silk Road; now named a European Capital of Culture – Istanbul, the keeper of dirty secrets. Most of us become involved in issues when they touch us personally and I am no […]

The power of the many

The pictures in the recent news show the increasing movement of refugees towards the central and northern European states. One of the questions coming to mind when seeing the pictures of people is why now and not before? What causes these increasing movements of people? What does this mean? One of the main reasons for this migration is the devastating situation in Syria, Iraq and other states. Also, many refugees have found their forced journey […]

Behind the glorious bazaar

Kapali Çarsi, the Grand Bazaar, is Istanbul’s famous shopping destination for tourists from around the world, the ultimate Oriental shopping experience. Located adjacent to Sultan Ahmet, around the corner from The famed Blue Mosque, Haggia Sophia and Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar employs around 26,000 people and hosts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. A grand cacophony of sounds, scents and colors populated by gaily dressed visitors from all corners of the earth gaily flock […]

The Dublin Convention

Anywhere but Here The Wall of Deterrence has been carefully constructed by the EU. The repercussions from this wall play out hourly on major media platforms across the EU with images of desperate refugees plucked from the waters of the Mediterranean, sitting hopeless in camps, families scaling barbed wire confronted by men with clubs, all are becoming the norm.  WHY the movement now?? The cornerstone of the wall is Dublin III – established as the […]