"The Sick Man Upon the Bosphorus: Déjà Vu?
On May 14, 1876, the New York Times ridiculed the Ottoman Empire, reminding its readers that 'It is now some twenty years since we began to hear about the 'sick man upon the Bosphorus,' yet the same sort of talk, under somewhat different conditions, is current today. The Ottoman Empire seems to have as many lives as the popular saying attributes to a cat, but seven or eight of those lives must have been already forfeited.' The article, which referred to the Ottoman arrogance and lack of diplomacy in dealing with a Bulgarian insurgency, signaled the beginning of the Ottoman Empire's end."
More:Haggai Carmon: The Sick Man Upon the Bosphorus: Déjà Vu?