"Behind the Turkish Prime Minister's Outburst at Davos
Behind the Turkish Prime Minister's Outburst at Davos
By PELIN TURGUT / ISTANBUL Friday, Jan. 30, 2009
When Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan dubs himself a 'Kasimpasa man,' he is not referring simply to the drab, otherwise unremarkable middle-class Istanbul neighborhood in which he grew up, but instead to the macho code of honor for which it is famous. Kasimpasa men are notoriously quick to anger, painfully proud and blunt in word; they're often called local cowboys. Erdogan's blustery Kasimpasa bravado accounts for much of his popularity among Turkey's conservative, male-dominated society, whose electorate last year returned him to power with 47% of the vote."
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