Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 120

July 15, 2016

What's Going On in Turkey?

Here’s what we know:

—A group of Turkish military officers said it was taking over the country in order to restore democracy. It’s unclear who is leading the coup or how much support it holds within Turkey’s armed forces.

—President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was on vacation, returned to Istanbul a few hours after the coup began. He said its organizers would face the “highest price” and urged his supporters to take to the streets.

—Military forces took control of some state broadcasters and some airport facilities. Multiple news outlets reported gunfire and some explosions in Istanbul, the country’s largest city, as well as the capital Ankara.

—In a blow to the coup’s organizers, President Obama and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed support for Turkey’s “democratically elected government” and institutions.

—At least 60 people have died since the uprising began, local broadcasters reported.

—We’re live-blogging the major updates. All updates are in Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -4).

Updated at 12:39 a.m.

That's a wrap for our liveblog tonight. Coverage will resume here at 9 a.m. Eastern time Saturday.

Updated at 12:21 a.m.

As Erdogan and the Turkish government reassert control over Turkey, more details are emerging on the coup's toll. Agence-France Presse says at least 60 people have died during the uprising, citing a Turkish presidential official.

Multiple news outlets are also reporting at least 336 people have been arrested for allegedly participating in the plot so far, a figure that is likely to rise as the government reassumes power.

Updated on July 16 at 11:56 p.m.

It's now daytime in Turkey, and it looks like the attempted coup is unraveling.

Erdogan just addressed a massive crowd of supporters in Istanbul, where he said the coup had been defeated. The Turkish president sounded a defiant note as his forces tried to reassert control in the country’s two major cities.

“In Turkey, armed forces are not governing the state or leading the state. They cannot,” he said.

Erdogan also accused “those in Pennsylvania” of “betrayal,” an unambiguous reference to the Gulen movement and its leader Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric and preacher who resides in the Poconos.

It's been hours since the coup organizers have released a public statement or shown any semblance of control. But there are still reports of air and ground skirmishes in both Ankara and Istanbul.

“The government is not leaving the state,” Erdogan said. “We will be prepared to die.”

11:03 p.m.

In the coup’s early hours, U.S. Representative Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted what seemed to be a message of support for those overthrowing the Turkish government.

Military takeover in Turkey will hopefully lead to real democracy - not Erdogan Authoritarianism

— Brad Sherman (@BradSherman) July 15, 2016

Serdar Kilic, Turkey’s ambassador to the United States, fired back at Sherman a few hours later on Twitter.

Shame on you. You should be ashamed of yourself for supporting a coup attempt and expecting democracy out of it pic.twitter.com/bBpy6qz3Mx

— Serdar Kilic (@serdarkilic9) July 16, 2016

10:36 p.m.

At least 42 people have died in Ankara during the attempted coup, Turkish broadcaster NTV is reporting, citing the local prosecutor's office. The number is the first official death toll from the Turkish capital.

10:30 p.m.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said more than 130 people have been arrested in relation to the coup, Reuters is reporting. Yildirim also told local media outlets the parliament building in Ankara has been secured and that legislators will reconvene Saturday afternoon.

9:32 p.m.

Three of the European Union’s highest-ranking officials—European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk, and EU foreign policy high commissioner Federica Mogherini—just released a statement on the coup attempt in Turkey.

Our joint statement with @JunckerEU and @eucopresident on #Turkey pic.twitter.com/a4WdAw7gOg

— Federica Mogherini (@FedericaMog) July 16, 2016

9:28 p.m.

Erdogan is currently addressing the nation for a second time since the coup began, this time in front of a TV camera in Istanbul.

"This uprising was carried by a minority of the military that can't stand unity of the country," he said. "They are going to pay for it in the harshest way."

“It’s clear we have to cleanse the military,” he added.

Erdogan spoke alongside supporters in front of a massive portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's modern founder.

9:16 p.m.

Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has released a statement on the events that are unfolding in Turkey. Here's what she said:

Hillary on the situation in #Turkey. pic.twitter.com/WwpeKFXwX1

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 16, 2016

We'll add statements from other political leaders as we receive them.

9:10 p.m.

The Associated Press is reporting "large crowds" greeted Erdogan after he landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport. It's a dramatic reversal of fortune for the Turkish president, who was forced to address the nation through an iPhone held up to the camera by a state-television broadcaster only hours ago.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency tweeted a photograph of Erdogan with supporters, reportedly taken at the airport.

Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan İstanbul'da. Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan'ı havalimanında mahşeri bir kalabalık karşılıyor. pic.twitter.com/MLrvAv9lyU

— ANADOLU AJANSI (@anadoluajansi) July 16, 2016

9:00 p.m.

It's worth pointing out that the military, in this case, isn't a monolithic institution. Although some troops are engaged in the coup attempt, other senior officers have condemned the attempted takeover, and pledged their allegiance to the government.

"Those who are attempting a coup will not succeed," General Zekai Aksakalli, the commander of the military special forces, told NTV. "Our people should know that we will overcome this."

Others, however, fired on pro-Erdogan protesters and appear to have taken over some news organizations, including CNN-Turk.

Anadolu, the state-run news agency, also reported the deaths of two civlians in firing by those taking part in the attempt coup.

2 civilians die as coup attempters open fire in Istanbul pic.twitter.com/0LSZUNflSO

— ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) July 15, 2016

8:50 p.m.

The Turkish military is taking over CNN Turk, the Turkish-language arm of the broadcaster.

Picture on CNN Turk right now. Empty studio being broadcast. pic.twitter.com/nSSqbWOjhR

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) July 16, 2016

It's not immediately clear whether these soldiers belong to the faction staging the coup against Erdogan or those loyal to him. Hurriyet reports a group of soldiers entered its building, and took several journalists hostages.

On Facebook, the network is broadcasting a livestream of an empty studio.

8:25 p.m.

Multiple news outlets are reporting Erdogan's plane just landed in Istanbul. His location was a mystery as events unfolded over the last few hours, with some rumors claiming he was seeking asylum in Berlin or London.

Erdogan's return suggests the coup’s organizers may be losing what control of events they had, especially in Istanbul. The situation is less clear in Ankara, the nation’s capital, where press reports suggest some exchanges of gunfire and bombings are taking place.

8:22 p.m.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency is reporting a bomb has struck the Turkish Parliament building in Ankara. It’s not clear which side is responsible, how much damage has been done, or whether there were any injuries.

A Turkish politician tweeted photos of some of the damage from within the building.

Meclis'de son durum.

Geçmiş olsun. pic.twitter.com/hmweT7wXQS

— Ali Şeker (@draliseker) July 16, 2016

7:45 p.m.

Events are still ongoing, but pro-government sources are claiming the coup's plotters have been foiled. A Twitter feed run by the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C., shared the following message:

National Intelligence Agency Spox Nuh Yılmaz : The coup attempt has been rebuffed

— Turkish Press Office (@trpressoffice) July 15, 2016

7:41 p.m.

In a statement, NATO’s top official echoed President Obama’s words of support for Turkey’s democratic institutions while also avoiding citing Erdogan by name.

“I call for calm and restraint, and for full respect for Turkey’s democratic institutions and its constitution,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. “Turkey is a valued NATO ally.”

On Twitter, Stoltenberg said he spoke with the Turkish foreign minister about the situation.

Just spoke to Turkish FM. I call for calm, restraint & full respect for Turkey's democratic institutions and constitution.

— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) July 15, 2016

7:23 p.m.

The U.S. must cut off funding to Turkey if the coup is successful. The Foreign Assistance Act outlaws the U.S. from giving money to any overthrown governments until democracy is restored. At least in theory, that’s what’s supposed to happen.

The U.S. did not follow this during the 2013 uprising in Egypt. The aid continued (with a short suspension to the military) and the $1.5 billion the U.S. sends Egypt flowed unabated. The U.S. got around this by not technically labeling what happened in Egypt a coup.

The U.S. military sends between $3 million and $5million each year in military aid to Turkey. It also sends hundreds of millions in aid each year for counterterrorism ($943,099) and for Syrian refugees ($1.5 million). In all, Turkey receives $112,197,206. That money could stop flowing if Erdogan’s isn’t restored to power. But during the successful 1980 coup in Turkey, aid not only continued, it increased.

7:16 p.m.

The Press Office of the Turkish Embassy in D.C. is describing Friday’s events in perhaps the strongest terms yet.

Gen. Dundar: Some gangs and structures in the armed forces carried out this attempt. This is directly a terror incident.

— Turkish Press Office (@trpressoffice) July 15, 2016

7:13 p.m.

A statement from the Alliance for Shared Values, the Gulen-affiliated group, condemned the coup attempt.

For more than 40 years, Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet participants have advocated for, and demonstrated their commitment to, peace and democracy. We have consistently denounced military interventions in domestic politics. These are core values of Hizmet participants. We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey.

Events on the ground are moving quickly and it would be irresponsible for us to speculate on them. We remain concerned about the safety and security of Turkish citizens and those in Turkey right now.

Erdogan has accused Gulen’s supporters of being behind the coup attempt.

7:11 p.m.

President Obama spoke with Secretary of State John Kerry Friday evening about the unfolding situation in Turkey. While Kerry agreed to keep Obama updated on the attempted coup, both men “agreed that all parties in Turkey should support the democratically elected Government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed,” according to the White House. The U.S. government will continue to monitor the safety of U.S. citizens in Turkey.

7:07 p.m.

There are reports from both Ankara and Istanbul of troops opening fire.

Here’s the AP:

BREAKING: Report: Soldiers fire on people trying to cross Istanbul's Bosporus bridge in protest of the attempted coup, some have been hurt.

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 15, 2016

And BuzzFeed:

Video appears to show helicopters firing on the ground in Ankara, Turkey pic.twitter.com/X3Dpd4xXxN

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) July 15, 2016

At least 17 people have been killed in Ankara, where the helicopters were reported to have fired on the Gölbaşı Special Ops headquarters, a police facility.

It’s worth pointing out here that these events have not been confirmed, but are being widely reported on social media by people on the ground.

6:45 p.m.

Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Al Jazeera the coup that is underway is being conducted by “illegal methods” and is “an attack against democracy.”

“Turkey is a democracy,” he said. “There was a clear democratic process. There is no question of legitimacy in Turkey.”

Davutoglu was forced out of power by Erdogan in May after the president wanted a tighter grip on power. He was replaced by Binali Yildirim.

6:32 p.m.

The coup, if successful, poses serious questions for European policy toward Turkey. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has made Turkey, and Erdogan, the centerpiece of the European Union’s refugee policy. Under a deal negotiated earlier this year between the bloc and Turkey, each refugee who entered Europe illegally would be repatriated to Turkey in exchange for a legally registered Syrian refugee in a Turkish refugee camp.

Europe, especially Germany, has buckled under the strain of the more than 1 million refugees who entered Europe last year and the tens of thousands who have done so this year. But the overwhelming majority of the more than 4 million refugees created by the Syrian civil war live in camps in Turkey, where the security condition has deteriorated in recent months due to a combination of mass-casualty attacks attributed to the Islamic State as well as Kurdish separatist groups, which Ankara regards as terrorists.

Also in question is Turkey’s long-standing request to join the EU. The bloc admits only democracies and—opposition from many European countries to Turkey’s membership notwithstanding—the country’s human-rights record has long been a stumbling bloc to admission, as has its suppression of opposition groups. No matter the outcome of the coup—whether it succeeds or Erdogan cracks down on the perpetrators—Turkish democracy seems destined to deteriorate even further.

6:25 p.m.

There are reports of gunfire on the bridge across the Bosphorous in Istanbul, the BBC reports.

Gunfire heard on bridge over Bosphorus, Istanbul as military coup unfolds in Turkey https://t.co/kmgak0Sgku https://t.co/YveH01ZF9w

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) July 15, 2016

6:19 p.m.

It is worth noting that according to the Foreign Assistance Act, the United States is legally required to cut off foreign aid to a country where the military has staged a successful coup. If this coup in Turkey succeeds, it would likely complicate the fight against ISIS, in which Turkey is a key ally, as well as other regional diplomatic endeavors.

5:59 p.m.

Twitter rejected reports that the social media site had been blocked in Turkey amid the attempted coup.

5:56 p.m.

We’re getting more international reaction on the events in Turkey:

.@USEmbassyTurkey confirms shots heard in Ankara. Both bridges in #Istanbul closed. U.S. citizens in #Turkey should shelter in place.

— Department of State (@StateDept) July 15, 2016

Deeply concerned about the crisis in Turkey. Stability, democracy & safety of Turkish people are paramount. Unity & prudence are imperative.

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 15, 2016

Very concerned by events unfolding in #Turkey. Our Embassy is monitoring the situation closely. Brits should follow FCO website for advice

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 15, 2016

5:46 p.m.

News of a coup in Turkey came as a surprise to the world, but not as great a surprise as it might have been in some countries. In the second half of the 20th century, the nation fell into a pattern of semi-regular military coups, and by that rhythm, it was in fact overdue. Previous coups came in in 1960, 1971, 1980, and 1997, so that the 19-year gap between the last uprising and today was notably long.

Modern Turkey was founded by Mustafa Kemal, a general in the Turkish Army who was later formally granted the surname “Ataturk,” or father of the Turks. Ataturk set about an aggressive program of modernizing and “Westernizing” the country, pushing religion to the margins, banning certain apparel like headscarves and fezes, and converting Turkish from Arabic to Latin script. But that secularism has always remained tenuous. Many Turks, especially rural ones, are religious, and not all of the reforms have remained popular.

The military has long seen its role as safeguarding Ataturk’s secularist agenda, and when it worries the government is shifting too far away, it has tended to take action. The first coup, in 1960, was a response to two currents: Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was both making overtures to Moscow and opening up to religion, reopening shuttered mosques, allowing the call to prayer to be sung in Arabic and more. A few dozen officers launched a coup in May 1960. Menderes was executed the following year after being convicted of violating the constitution.

The military relinquished control to civilians in 1965, when Süleyman Demirel was elected. But by 1971, growing unrest had emboldened Islamists, and the military again stepped in. This time, it did not launch tanks but instead delivered an ultimatum to Demirel, demanding “the formation, within the context of democratic principles, of a strong and credible government, which will neutralize the current anarchical situation and which, inspired by Atatürk's views, will implement the reformist laws envisaged by the constitution.” Demirel resigned; the military did not directly take control.

Nine years later, amid continued instability, the military again intervened, this time seizing power and holding it for three years. There followed a period of relative political stability. But in 1997, generals decided to depose Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, the head of an Islamist party. The military again enacted a coup by memo, forcing Erbakan’s resignation and banning him from politics.

Turkey has thus occupied a strange position in world politics: Although it is prone to coups d’etat, Western governments have often cheered the coups on, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, because they are in the service of a secular agenda. Periodic deposition of democratically leaders has, somewhat paradoxically, been treated as a small price to pay for ensuring liberalism.

Already, some analysts are shruggingly embracing the latest coup as a way to rid the country of the increasingly autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But what is not clear yet in the latest coup is whether it fits the same pattern of secular Kemalists clamping down on Islamism. There is speculation that the coup’s leaders may in fact be loyal to Fethullah Gulen, an enigmatic Muslim leader who’s currently in exile in Pennsylvania—that’s certainly what Erdogan claimed in his FaceTime address to the nation. Gulen is a former Erdogan ally who was essential to his rise, but the men have since broken. Whether Western leaders would be as eager to embrace a Gulenist coup as a Kemalist coup is unclear, though concerns about how Turkish instability could affect the civil war in Syria might render that question irrelevant: For outsiders, any leaders—whether Gulenist or Kemalist—may be preferable to ISIS.

5:35 p.m.

Mahir Zeynalov, a Washington, D.C.-based reporter for Today’s Zaman, is tweeting Erdogan’s comments:

President Erdogan: I am commander in chief in this country. Those who attempted a coup will pay the highest price.

— Mahir Zeynalov (@MahirZeynalov) July 15, 2016

President Erdogan calls on everyone to take to streets. "Let them come with their tanks."

— Mahir Zeynalov (@MahirZeynalov) July 15, 2016

President Erdogan: I call on our people to gather in squares, airports.

— Mahir Zeynalov (@MahirZeynalov) July 15, 2016

5:29 p.m.

There are conflicting reports about Erdogan’s whereabouts. He was reported to be flying back to Ankara, though it’s unclear if he will be able to land there, given the airports have been taken over by the military. He was supposed to make a statement on state TV, also now controlled by the armed forces, and had to make a comment via FaceTime:

Erdogan making a statement on facetime right now. pic.twitter.com/F1Nip0C01V

— Ceylan Yeginsu (@CeylanWrites) July 15, 2016

5:22 p.m.

The White House says President Obama’s national security team has briefed him on the unfolding situation.

5 :15 p.m.

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Published on July 15, 2016 13:26

Catching Pikachus at the Movies

On Tuesday, the dream-pop band Beach House played a concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. By then, the gaming app Pokemon Go had already become a cultural sensation, setting download records after being released only a week prior. Having just started playing, I sheepishly managed to catch a few Pokemon inside the venue while waiting for the show to start. As soon as it began, I put my phone away—a practiced courtesy. Later, during an encore, I spotted a guy in front of me holding his phone high, presumably to get a photo of the band. Then I saw his screen: He was trying to capture a Zubat.

Hundreds of stories like these have surfaced in the past week: people roaming about in parks, on street corners, at somber memorials, and flouting the norms of social behavior in the name of catching fictional monsters. It’s easy to blame Pokemon Go’s augmented-reality interface—which has players explore the real world to collect critters and battle other teams—for encouraging people to stare silently at their phones while in the company of others, in public. But the nascent Pokemon Go craze is simply an extension of a challenge cultural venues have faced since the rise of cell phones.

Movie theaters, concert venues, and sports stadiums have grappled for years with the question of phones, with many choosing to restrict their use in the name of etiquette. But more and more institutions are relenting to avoid the risk of alienating their more digitally dependent clientele. The rabid public reaction to Pokemon Go, which has more than 15 million downloads so far, is serving as the latest, most robust incentive for venues to find a middle ground.

Movie theaters have long been vocally resistant to the intrusion of distracting devices; elaborate announcements designed to urge people to silence their phones have been a mainstay of the cinematic experience for decades. The simple logic is that enjoying a movie requires silence and darkness, and smartphones tend to disrupt both. The Austin-based chain Alamo Drafthouse is famed and beloved for its strict zero-tolerance anti-phone policy. But the arrival of Pokemon Go prompted the company to ease up a bit: It now officially encourages patrons to play Pokemon Go onsite, just not in actual movie auditoriums.

“We do embrace the phenomenon, and have launched three off-menu Pokemon cocktails this week that are offered at our venues that are PokeStops,” the Alamo Drafthouse co-founder Tim League told The Hollywood Reporter. (PokeStops are designated local points where players can collect special items in the game.) “We’ve got some fertile hunting grounds in our lobbies, and hunters need fuel.” If this sudden ambivalence seems odd (or undignified), it also makes practical and financial sense. By openly encouraging people to play the game, venues can also clearly spell out their rules for conduct without seeming too stuffy, while capitalizing on Pokemon Go as a promotional tool.

This is proving particularly true for concert venues, including those that are designated as “Pokemon Gyms” in the game. (Pokemon Gyms are real-world landmarks where players must physically go to battle other teams.) The 9:30 Club, also the site of a Pokemon Gym, is one such venue taking advance of the fact that players will inevitably congregate nearby. The day after the Beach House concert, the venue announced that it would give points to members of its rewards program who claimed the 9:30 Club Gym for their Pokemon team. In recent days, other music venues in Portland, Brisbane, Detroit, and elsewhere have also used Pokemon Go to attract customers, offering free tickets to players and organizing special parties.

These new attempts to engage with, or even fuel, the public appetite for Pokemon Go seem at odds with the common resistance to concertgoers who excessively use their phones to take pictures and videos at shows. At the very least, these moves can send mixed messages. Musicians like Alicia Keys and Bjork have regularly asked fans to put away their phones, and just last month Apple secured a patent for a bit of technology that artists like them would applaud: The feature could disable a phone’s camera abilities and prevent unwanted recording at places like concerts. But, like movie theaters, music venues are trying to come up with creative ways to accommodate fans’ love of technology—perhaps recognizing that their bottom line will suffer at least somewhat from a total ban.

The nascent Pokemon Go craze is simply an extension of a challenge cultural venues have faced since the rise of cell phones.

Sports stadiums have been kinder to the use of phones and cameras at games, but even they’ve had to reckon with the blessing/curse of phone-obsessed fans. Of course, plenty of sports lovers (and music fans and cinephiles) feel that phones are disrespectful diversions. But in an attempt to lure younger sports fans from the comfort of their homes, where they can browse leisurely on their phones while watching a game, the NFL is now trying to bring wifi to its stadiums. This move to cater to patrons feels echoed in sports venues responses to Pokemon Go: The likes of the Kansas City Royals as well as college football stadiums have called on fans to play during games. The biggest sports event of the year could also be overrun by Pokemon Go players: The Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes has expressed hope on his Facebook page that the game is available in Brazil before the summer Olympics begin in August.

Museums have, understandably, been even more averse to cellphone use than music or sports venues. When selfie sticks became popular, many museums (including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and D.C.’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden) imposed bans. But as Nikki Enstein has explored for Bloomberg, plenty of museums and galleries—especially smaller, more overlooked ones—are embracing Pokemon Go. Arkansas’ relatively young Crystal Bridges Museum saw attendance jump by 30 percent after urging visitors to catch Pokemon on its grounds, and Florida’s Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (home to several PokeStops) saw similar success. Different museums have also seen greater social-media engagement after posting Pokemon-related content. (The natural exception is spaces intended to honor the victims of tragedies. The 9/11 Memorial and the Holocaust Museum are among the organizations that have asked visitors to refrain from playing the game onsite, out of respect for the memory of victims and survivors.)

The irony of so many cultural institutions joining the Pokemon madness is that they’re actively enabling the (simultaneous) consumption of a form of entertainment different than the one they provide. But thanks to cell phones, these spaces have had some practice negotiating the extent to which new technology can exist alongside more traditional aesthetic experiences, without diminishing them. Pokemon Go, depending on the commitment of its players and the consistency of its popularity, could well become a nuisance that drives museums and theaters to regret their initial displays of good will. But right now it’s become a test of relevance—and a bizarre invitation for venues to experiment with ways to maintain or grow their influence. In this light, it should be less surprising that even the Hirshhorn, which banned selfie sticks just last year, has eagerly tweeted about Pokemon Go.

Gotta catch 'em all! Wayne Thiebaud “Balls” 1963, oil on canvas #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/82A3va7mm4

— Hirshhorn (@hirshhorn) July 12, 2016

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Published on July 15, 2016 12:36

The Nice Attacks and the Meaning of Bastille Day

Apart from the visceral horror of the carnage in Nice, France, Thursday night, the attack takes on additional symbolic weight because of the date: July 14, the holiday popularly known as Bastille Day abroad and La fête nationale inside France.

The natural analogy for an American audience is to July 4, the U.S. observance of independence and the major celebration of patriotism and the nation. The analogy is useful, but only as far as it goes. July 4 marks the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence from Britain, and while scholars debate the causes and results of the American Revolution, the occasion is near-universally celebrated and fondly remembered by the U.S. population. Bastille Day, by contrast, celebrates a pivotal event in the French Revolution—a civil war, and one whose righteousness and meaning remain hotly debated even today.

As most American high-school students can recount, July 14 marks the day in 1789 that a crowd in Paris stormed the Bastille, an arsenal and prison where political enemies of the monarchy were often held. They freed the inmates (there were only seven) and plundered the munitions. It was one of the earliest and most important moments in the revolution.

Of course, the legacy of the revolution remains controversial. As reviled as the ancien regime may have been, what followed included the Reign of Terror, the rise and emperorship of Napoleon Bonaparte, the revolution of 1848, the rise of Napoleon III … you get the idea. Herbert Tuttle wrote in The Atlantic in 1872, “The essential fact is that not one of those dynasties has made a sincere and intelligent effort to deal with democracy as something which can be fostered and utilized, but cannot be exterminated. Each has sought by its own method do destroy the indestructible.”

It was not until nearly a century after the storming of the Bastille that July 14 became a national holiday. In 1870, Napoleon III was deposed following defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and exiled, leading to the establishment of the Third Republic. While some French republicans had called for making July 14 a major national holiday, the government did not do so until 1880, following a large, unofficial celebration in Paris the year before. (For comparison, it was not until 1870 that the U.S. government officially established July 4 as a holiday, and even then it was unpaid for government employees.) The establishment of a national celebration was intended in part as a salve to the nation after the humiliating defeat at German hands. Even at that time, the decision to create the holiday was controversial, challenged by monarchists and conservatives.

But the holiday took hold, and remains widely celebrated. There are fireworks, parties, and a major military parade—in short, it is a celebration of national prowess, including military might. As the legacy of the French Revolution fades in French society, however, does that really hold? The French historian Christian Amalvi asked that question in 1998:

To the extent that, “here and now,” the French Revolution is no longer a major stake in a battle for the collective memory, the national holiday has been drained of its historical and political substance. To the extent that the republican idea, best symbolized by the Bastille Day celebration and Jules Ferry’s secular public schools, is now universally embraced, no one in France today feels compelled to do battle over the wisdom of commemorating the “revolutionary saturnalia,” as Bastille Day used to be called by its enemies under the Third Republic. A recent poll by the magazine L’Express found that “the Revolution is seen [by seventy percent of the French public] as the founding myth of the national consciousness.”

If the July 14 attack in Nice was an assault on French identity, it comes as France stands at a potentially defining political moment. The European Union is showing signs of fracturing. President Francois Hollande’s approval ratings are almost impossibly low. France is flexing its military muscles abroad in a way unseen for many years. Tens of thousands of immigrants and refugees from the Middle East and elsewhere have entered the country in recent years. The country still has not solved the problem of how to assimilate disaffected Muslim youths in outer cities. Far-right parties, including Marine Le Pen’s National Front, are on the rise. The Nice attack represents the third major apparently Islamist terror attack in the last 19 months—after the Charlie Hebdo massacre last January and the Paris attacks in November—in addition to smaller incidents.

July 14, 2016, could therefore ultimately serve to re-enliven the holiday, to fill it back up with the historical and political substance of which Amalvi wrote it had been drained. But if La fête nationale is a celebration of French identity, the question is what identity France might choose to adopt next.

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Published on July 15, 2016 12:17

The Missing 28 Pages

Some 9/11 hijackers had links to officials in the Saudi government, according to 28 formerly classified pages released Friday from the joint congressional investigation into the attack.

View note

In 2002 a joint congressional investigation looked into possible intelligence failures that led to the attacks, but these 28 pages were kept classified, leading to speculation that they possessed details about Saudi links to the hijackers.

U.S. lawmakers had wanted to release the documents, but the FBI wanted the pages to remain classified—and indeed many details in the pages are redacted. As our colleague David Graham reported, former Senator Bob Graham of Florida, who chaired the Senate side of the congressional investigation, has tried to get the pages released for years. He has said there is no security reason for the U.S. government to keep them secret. And while he hasn’t been able to discuss what is in the pages because they were classified, he had promised “a real smoking gun.”

The pages that were released Friday appear to fall short of that promise—though they do raise questions about senior Saudi officials and their connections, sometimes tenuous, to some of the hijackers. The pages allege that while some of the hijackers were in the U.S., they were in contact with, and at times received assistance from, people in the Saudi government, including two Saudi intelligence officers. Officials in the Saudi government, including members of the royal family and embassy staff, at times provided large sums of money, fake passports, and information to people assisting the hijackers while they were in the U.S., the pages allege.

Here’s an example:

View note

Bandar, a close family friend of the Bushes, was Saudi ambassador to U.S. from 1983 to 2005.

The pages also criticize the intelligence shortfalls on the Saudi issue, saying:

In the view of the Joint Inquiry, this gap in U.S. intelligence coverage is unacceptable, given the magnitude and immediacy of the potential risk to U.S. national security.

Here’s more:

View note

One reason for this, the report explains, may relate to Saudi Arabia’s status as a U.S. ally. Indeed, Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, said Friday the Obama administration does not think the release of the 28 pages “change conclusions about the 9/11 attacks.”

In a statement, the Saudi Embassy in Washington, said:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the release of the redacted pages from the 2002 Congressional Joint Inquiry. Since 2002, the 9/11 Commission and several government agencies, including the CIA and the FBI, have investigated the contents of the ‘28 Pages’ and have confirmed that neither the Saudi government, nor senior Saudi officials, nor any person acting on behalf of the Saudi government provided any support or encouragement for these attacks.

But the 9/11 Families in response said: “The Saudis are exerting extreme pressure on the Administration to protect themselves and to cajole Congress in hopes of avoiding the restoration of the long-held understanding of our law and setting good policy. And this very exercise of unacceptable leverage by the Saudis over our Government is precisely what the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act was meant to prevent.”

The 9/11 Families also called for Congress to pass the Justice Against Sponsor of Terrorism Act, which would allow families of terrorist victims to sue foreign governments for damages in U.S. courts. The Saudis are opposed to the legislation and the White House has said the president will veto any attempt to pass it.

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Published on July 15, 2016 11:57

Katy vs. Britney: Can Either Redeem Pop in 2016?

On Thursday night, the first new song from Katy Perry in two years descended from the ether onto Apple Music in a mist of self-realization, wafting vague promises of strength and victory over non-specific opponents. Titled “Rise,” it’s a languid anthem of determination that uses an echo machine and aggressive use of metaphor to evoke icons as diverse as Katniss Everdeen, Maya Angelou, and Jesus. “When you think the final nail is in, think again,” Katy wails, “Don’t be surprised, I will still rise.”

Amid all this certainty and belief in self, it seemed almost inevitable that “Rise” would do just that, ascending gracefully to number one on the iTunes chart. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. Perry was thwarted by the first new solo song from Britney Spears in three years (at least if you choose to forget 2015’s “Pretty Girls” with Iggy Azalea, which I recommend you do). So “Rise” had to sit at number two for much of the morning beneath Britney’s “Make Me...”, a song that eschews complex narrative for a simpler sentiment found in so many great works of art: lust.

This is, at least for fans of pop music, big news. With the exception of songs on Beyoncé’s outstanding, genre-busting Lemonade, 2016 so far has limped out the gate when it comes to pop singles, offering up Meghan Trainor, Fifth Harmony, and a song Justin Timberlake recorded as the theme to an upcoming animated movie about troll dolls. (2016 also killed American Idol.) Britney fans have been waiting for a single since it was announced that she’d perform at the Billboard Awards in May, but she ultimately decided to work more on her new music before debuting it. It seems to have paid off: “Make Me...” is a sultry, sparse work that feels perfectly attuned to its time, punctuated with off-key moans and sighs (and a remarkably bland rap interlude from G-Eazy).

What’s mostly noteworthy about “Make Me...” is its provenance: The song is co-written and produced by Burns, an English musician and DJ, and Joe Janiak, a composer, neither of whom is particularly well-known beyond occasional work with Ellie Goulding and Adam Lambert. “Rise,” by contrast, comes courtesy of Max Martin, the Swedish impresario behind most of Katy’s greatest hits (“Part of Me,” “Teenage Dream,” “Roar”), who’s also a long-time Britney collaborator. It bears some of the hallmarks of Martin’s work, including odd emphasis on certain syllables, but it comes across as dreary for the most part, like a cluster of inspirational Instagram memes cobbled together in a minor key. (Martin also produced the aforementioned JT troll song “Can’t Fight the Feeling,” so it’s possible he’s having an off year.)

“Rise” was written as the theme song for the 2016 U.S. Olympics team, and it fits perfectly with NBC’s promotional video of American athletes preparing to climb all the way to the podium. (The cover photograph, which depicts Katy sitting face-deep in a pool of water, only makes you hope it wasn’t taken in Rio.) Britney’s “Make Me...” doesn’t seem intended to inspire anything other than a general feeling of “let’s make sex together,” compounded by the outfit she’s wearing on the cover, which looks like something Party City might market as a “sexy Elvis costume.” The random, distorted howls on “Make Me...” seem directly appropriated from Justin Bieber’s “Sorry.” But “Make Me...” is distinctive enough that it makes you excited for what Britney might do next. Helping redeem the year in pop music would be arguably a better service to the people than lip syncing her greatest hits at Planet Hollywood for eight quadrillion dollars a year.

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Published on July 15, 2016 11:44

The End of Deflategate

NEWS BRIEF Tom Brady will not appeal his four-game suspension from the NFL to the U.S. Supreme Court, effectively ending the legal process in the 18-month Deflategate scandal.

The NFL found that the New England Patriots quarterback was complicit in the underinflating of footballs before the 2015 AFC Championship, which may have given the Patriots an edge in their win against the Indianapolis Colts. In the months that followed the NFL’s ruling, Brady took his objections to the courts.

Brady, in a statement Friday, said:

I’m very grateful for the overwhelming support I’ve received from Mr. Kraft, the Kraft family, coach Belichick, my coaches and teammates, the NFLPA, my agents, my loving family, and most of all, our fans. It has been a challenging 18 months and I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process. I'm going to work hard to be the best player I can be for the New England Patriots and I look forward to having the opportunity to return to the field this fall.

The Second Court of Appeals on Wednesday denied Brady’s request for an appeal hearing to the suspension, one of Brady’s last hopes in the legal process. The NFL Players Association on Friday, though, did not rule out an appeal to the Supreme Court.

NFLPA does not rule out appeal to Supreme Court: "We reserve our rights to petition for cert to Supreme Court." Would not affect suspension.

— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) July 15, 2016

Jimmy Garoppolo will start as quarterback for the Patriots in their games against the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills.

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Published on July 15, 2016 10:48

Lèse-Majesté in the Netherlands

NEWS BRIEF There appears to be a limit to just how liberal the Dutch are: This week a court sentenced to 30 days in prison a 44-year-old man who “intentionally insulted” King Willem-Alexander.

The man’s name was not released, but he called the king a murderer, rapist, and a thief. He then posted a photo of an ISIS beheading with Willem-Alexander’s head superimposed over the victim’s. Defaming the king or the royal family is illegal, based off a centuries-old law.

As the Dutch News reported, the man was found while police searched:

… social media posts while carrying out an investigation into people who could form a risk to the royal family prior to their King’s Day visit to Zwolle on April 27. The writer, said to be of Turkish origin, was arrested for ‘lèse-majesté’, which means the crime of ‘offending the dignity of the monarch’.

Lèse-majesté laws are rare in Europe, though a few countries still have them on the books, including Denmark, Norway, and Spain.

Spain used its law in 2007 to prosecute a cartoonist and editor at El Jueves for a cartoon the paper put on its front page that depicted then-Prince Felipe (now the king) and his wife having sex. In it, Felipe tells his wife, “Do you realize, if you get pregnant this will be the closest thing I’ve done to work in my whole life.”

Police pulled the papers from news stands, and a judge fined the cartoonist and editor about $3,000.

The maximum penalty in the Netherlands for disparaging the king is five years. The man who was sentenced this week had already spent 14 days in jail after his arrest, and because 16 of his days were suspended, he will not serve more time. The man, reportedly, did not express remorse.

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Published on July 15, 2016 09:43

July 14, 2016

Attack in Nice: What We Know

What we know:

—At least 80 people died late Thursday after a truck drove into the crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, a city on France’s southern coast.

—Another 20 people are in critical condition, French President Francois Hollande said in a national address. Among the dead are an unspecified number of children.

—Hollande said the attack was an act of “Islamic terrorism.” No organizations have yet claimed responsibility.

—An interior ministry spokesman said the truck’s driver had been killed. His identity is currently unknown. Grenades and firearms were also reportedly found in the truck.

—France’s state of emergency has been extended three more months. Hollande had announced earlier today before the attack it would end on July 26.

—We’re live-blogging the major updates. All updates are in Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5).

12:50 a.m.

That’s a wrap for updates tonight. Our coverage will resume here Friday morning at 8 a.m. Eastern time.

Updated on July 15 at 10:28 p.m.

At least 80 people have now died in the attack, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve just announced. 18 more people are gravely injured.

.@BCazeneuve annonce un nouveau bilan de 80 personnes décédées et 18 blessés en urgence absolue et de nombreux blessés #Nice

— Ministère Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) July 15, 2016

9:48 p.m.

President Francois Hollande in a televised statement confirmed that 77 people had been killed in Nice, include several children.

“It’s France in its entirety that is being targeted by Islamic terrorism,” he said.

He said the state of emergency, which was scheduled to end July 26, will be extended by three months. That state of emergency was imposed after last November’s Paris attacks.

“We will intensify our airstrikes in Syria and Iraq,” he said. “We will continue to strike those who threaten us.”

9:40 p.m.

Christian Estrosi, the Nice mayor, tweeted that flags in the city will fly half-staff Friday. He also announced the cancellation of a scheduled concert by Rihanna, as well as of a jazz festival that was set to begin Saturday.

9:31 p.m.

News of the Nice attack is dominating the Friday editions of the French newspapers.

Here’s Le Figaro:

EN DIRECT - "L'horreur, à nouveau" à la une du Figaro >> https://t.co/2F6oHpGeRM pic.twitter.com/5CbE3VlzDj

— Le Figaro (@Le_Figaro) July 15, 2016

9:27 p.m.

Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, told CNN: “Clearly, what is happening is terrorist groups are seeing that they have opportunities inside France for both home-grown terrorism and importing terrorists.” She added:

Assuming this was a group like ISIS or somebody who is sympathetic to ISIS, whether they have had any direct contact with the organization, from everything we have learned about what’s happening in Iraq, there have been a number of victories on the battlefield recently by Iraqi forces and coalition partners against ISIS. they are losing territory and yet, that does not seem to have any impact on the number of attacks we’re seeing in other countries. if anything, it seems like those attacks are escalating. … But i think it’s also clear that as a result, of these advances against ISIS, and their main headquarters in Raqqah, their urgent desire to inflict terrorist attacks elsewhere has led them to accelerate, reaching out not only directly but indirectly through the radicalization online.

It’s worth pointing out here that no one has yet claimed responsibility—nor have French officials publicly described it as a terrorist attack.

9:24 p.m.

Several witnesses have come forward to describe what they saw tonight in Nice.

Hali McField of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, told CBS News, said she “watched a bunch of people running away” from the scene, screaming. Wassim Bouhlel, a Nice native, told the AP, he saw the truck drive into the crowd. “There was carnage on the road,” he said. “Bodies everywhere.”

Colin Srivastava, a Briton, told the BBC he saw several hundred people running toward him “looking panic-stricken.” He ran along with them, he said, until the police came by and said: “Run, now.”

Katie Shaw, an Australian tourist, told the Australian Associated Press: “We had no idea what was going on. Then all we could hear was gunshots. My friend just grabbed me and we all went out the back stairs and had to sprint out staying low with guys ushering us away from the foreshore.”

8:41 p.m.

Christian Estrosi, the former mayor of Nice and current regional president, says 77 people are dead in the "terrible attack."

Le dernier bilan de ce terrible attentat s'élève à 77 victimes décédées.

— Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) July 15, 2016

8:40 p.m.

Last week, as we reported, a French parliamentary inquiry examining the 2015 Paris attacks recommended that the country’s many intelligence agencies be merged to create a single agency. Georges Fenech, the commission’s president, said all the suspects involved in the two sets of attacks had been known to authorities. The commission also found the state of emergency imposed after the November attacks had a “limited impact” on security.

8:24 p.m.

The Associated Press reports the Paris prosecutor's office has opened a terrorism investigation into the incident in Nice. French media outlets are also reporting the country's anti-terrorism department is also investigating the incident.

7:55 p.m.

President Obama has issued a statement condemning "what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France" and pledging U.S. assistance in the investigation.

On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and other loved ones of those killed, and we wish a full recovery for the many wounded. I have directed my team to be in touch with French officials, and we have offered any assistance that they may need to investigate this attack and bring those responsible to justice. We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack.

On this Bastille Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world, and we know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life.

7:15 p.m.

Citing events in France, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump says he will delay his previously scheduled announcement of his running mate.

In light of the horrible attack in Nice, France, I have postponed tomorrow's news conference concerning my Vice Presidential announcement.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2016

7:03 p.m.

French news organizations, including France 24, are reporting that the truck’s driver got out of the vehicle and began shooting. The driver has been killed, the Interior Ministry’s spokesman said. Pierre-Henry Brandet also said an investigation will determine if the truck’s driver acted alone.

6:49 p.m.

President Obama’s national security team briefed him Thursday evening about the incident in Nice and he will continue getting updates, the White House said.

6:48 p.m.

France 24, the English-language French broadcaster, is reporting that the death toll in Nice is 60. Its source is a police prefect.

6:45 p.m.

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, called it “a horrific attack” in a tweet.

Another horrific attack, this time in Nice, France. Many dead and injured. When will we learn? It is only getting worse.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2016

We’ll add other political reaction as we see them.

6:42 p.m.

Thursday’s attack coincides with an announcement by Hollande that France was lifting its state of emergency on July 26. It was imposed shortly after last November’s Paris attacks.

6:38 p.m.

Facebook has activated its Safety Check for users in Nice, allowing them to tell friends and family they are safe.

Facebook a activé le Safety Check pour rassurer les proches des personnes présentes à #Nice06 pic.twitter.com/pkd4dB248T

— Nice-Matin (@Nice_Matin) July 14, 2016

The social media site launched this service in 2014 in the case of natural disasters and crises, including terrorist attacks. Once a person checks in, it notifies all Facebook friends with a notification.

6:35 p.m.

Officials have asked everyone in Nice to remain indoors. Users on Twitter have begun using the hashtag #PortesOuvertesNice, or #OpenDoorsNice, to open their doors to those who are seeking shelter.

Si vous êtes dehors sur #Nice et que vous avez besoin d'un abri, utilisez #PortesOuvertesNice

— Florent Mester (@OctoSheik) July 14, 2016

6:25 p.m.

France was the scene of two major terrorist attacks in 2015. The attack in January of that year on Charlie Hebdo magazine, a supermarket, and other locations killed 17 people. In November, attacks across Paris killed 130 people.

6:23 p.m.

French President Francois Hollande condemned the attack as a “criminal act,” according to FranceTVinfo.

6:18 p.m.

This isn't the first time someone has driven into crowds in France, causing casualties. There were at least two such events in 2014—one in Nantes and the other in Dijon. Those incidents occurred within days of each other in December of that year and injured several people. The method has also been used by Palestinians in Israel, injuring dozens.

6:17 p.m.

The Associated Press, citing a French official, is calling it an attack.

BREAKING: French official: Truck smashing into crowd in Nice was "an attack," several hurt.

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 14, 2016

6:02 p.m.

Agence France-Presse, the French news agency, is citing an official as saying 30 people are dead.

#BREAKING Up to 30 feared dead after van rams into crowd in Nice: local official

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 14, 2016

It’s still unclear why the truck drove into the crowd.

5:58 p.m.

The city on the French Rivera had been celebrating Bastille Day, the day the infamous prison in Paris was stormed in 1789. A mere half hour before the reported fatalities, Christian Estrosi, the mayor, had tweeted images of the celebrations.

Depuis la Promenade des Anglais devant feu d'artifice de #Nice06, je vs souhaite une bonne fête nationale #14juillet pic.twitter.com/mClRigE8iG

— Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) July 14, 2016

He later reported “dozens of deaths” in the city.

5:43 p.m.

A local official is tweeting that there are “dozens of deaths.”

Cher niçois, le chauffeur d'un camion semble avoir fait des dizaines de morts. Restez pour le moment à votre domicile. Plus d'infos à venir

— Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) July 14, 2016

These are initial reports, and the numbers may well change.

5:22 p.m.

Images posted on Twitter appear to show casualties at the scene.

5:20 p.m.

People in Nice, France, can be seen running in panic after a vehicle reportedly crashed into them.

BREAKING: Panic in #Nice, France after #truck drives into crowd at promenade https://t.co/g4CNC7nYUu pic.twitter.com/uu0Jthjlfh

— RT (@RT_com) July 14, 2016

This is a developing story and we'll update it as we learn more.

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Published on July 14, 2016 21:50

Boris Johnson Mocked Foreign Countries, and Now They're Getting Their Revenge

Boris Johnson, the tenuously United Kingdom’s new foreign secretary, has made his feelings about many foreign countries and their leaders well known over his decades as a journalist and politician. Now the world is getting its chance to strike back, and it is showing that it can be just as acerbic as BoJo.

One might divide the world into West and East—Lord knows Boris would—in terms of reaction. The single most telling reaction from the West has to be that of U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, who, upon learning the news during a press conference, broke into a broad, Cheshire Cat grin before snapping back to a blank poker face with preternatural quickness and delivering an anodyne answer. TL;DR: We don’t love him, but we’ll deal with him.

Johnson’s French counterpart, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, took much the same route. “I have no worries about Boris Johnson, but you know well what his style is,” he told Europe 1 radio. “He lied a lot during the [Brexit] campaign.” Johnson visited the French ambassador’s residence in London to celebrate Bastille Day on Thursday, but despite exercising his French skills to sing “La Marseillaise” in its original tongue, Boris was booed.

A Short History of Boris Johnson Insulting Foreign Leaders

In Germany, TV presenters openly laughed at the news of Boris’s appointment. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s initial reaction was worthy of Boris: He mocked Johnson for having skipped out on his duties to lead Britain after the Brexit vote and having “instead played cricket,” which he called “outrageous.” Later, he took a more diplomatic, if still dim tone: “Boris Johnson is a shrewd party politician who knew how to use the Euroskeptic mood for himself. But now there are completely different political tasks in the foreground.”

Former Swedish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt went to the photo archive to belittle Boris, using an image from the moment when the then-mayor of London was trapped on a zipline:

I wish it was a joke, but I fear it isn't. Exit upon exit. pic.twitter.com/8qmlSkQNRj

— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) July 13, 2016

Czech Member of European Parliament Pavel Telička quipped that although Prime Minister Theresa May was said to lack a sense of humor, “By appointing B. Johnson she proved the opposite.”

And those are just the putative allies.

What about Russia, whose president, Vladimir Putin, Boris called “a ruthless and manipulative tyrant,” despite “looking a bit like Dobby the House Elf”? (It’s a legit comparison.) Actually, the Kremlin seemed ready to welcome Boris, a reaction conditioned less by the familiar first name and more by Russian officials’ singular loathing for his predecessor, Philip Hammond, who has been named chancellor of the Exchequer.

Less pleased were the Turks. Although Johnson’s great-grandfather was a Turk, he’s no fan of current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and in fact won a vulgar poetry contest about Erdogan this spring. Prime Minister Binali Yildrim took the high road, saying of Johnson’s appointment, “May God help him and reform him.” A Turkish official suggested to the BBC that Ankara, too, would suck it up and deal with Boris—even though he rhymed its name with “wankerer” in his limerick. “His negative comments on Erdogan and Turkey are unacceptable,” the official told the BBC. “However we're sure of one thing, that British-Turkish relations are more important than that and can't be hostage to these statements.”

Johnson has reserved some of his most racist and reprehensible comments for Africa. In 2002, for example, he wrote that “it is said that the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies,” adding that then-Prime Minister Tony Blair would enjoy a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo because “No doubt the AK47s will fall silent, and the pangas will stop their hacking of human flesh, and the tribal warriors will all break out in watermelon smiles to see the big white chief touch down in his big white British taxpayer-funded bird.”

It’s fitting, then, that the sickest burn on Boris should come from that continent, which he has argued would do better if still under colonial rule. Asked about the Johnson appointment, Ugandan government spokesman Ofwono Opondo was dismissive.

“Boris Johnson’s opinion that countries like Uganda would be better off as a colonies is inconsequential,” he said. “We would be more concerned if the U.S. or Russia appointed someone like Boris. But Britain no longer wields much power globally, that’s why they have run away from the EU.”

Opondo’s jibe underscores the ironic situation in which Johnson finds himself: Having advocated staunchly for British retrenchment and divorce from the European Union, he now gets the task of dealing with a world in which that advocacy has complicate the work. Perhaps Theresa May really does have a sense of humor.

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Published on July 14, 2016 14:28

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