Peter Kenyon

A Sign of Disunity? Iranian Candidates Jockey For Position

Peter Kenyon — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:57:00 +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

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

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

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

Peter Kenyon — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:05:00 +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.

Iran Nuclear Talks Set Stage For Future Bargaining

Peter Kenyon — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:19:00 +0000
Transcript
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
Today, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Iran and six world powers including the U.S. wrapped up two days of talks. No breakthroughs, but Iran is considering a proposal that would impose new restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of some economic sanctions. The two sides will return to Kazakhstan for another meeting in early April.

In Syrian Conflict, Real-Time Evidence Of Violations

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

Peter Kenyon — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:03:00 +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

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.

No Breakthrough In Sight For Peaceful Transition In Syria

Peter Kenyon — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 20:57:00 +0000
Amid continued bloodshed in several parts of Syria, international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi held another round of talks with President Bashar Assad in Damascus. But there was no sign of progress toward a peace deal.

In Istanbul, A Byzantine-Era Fleet Surfaces Again

Peter Kenyon — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:28:00 +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

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

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

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

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.