Today I speak with Alex Christie Miller about his experiences covering the tragedy in Soma. The conversation begins with a discussion about the quality of the response to the tragedy, before asking what the response says about the state of the Turkish government. Alex and I then discuss the appalling conditions in the mine, the way in which the miners were paid, and we contextualize these two things within a broader narrative about local patronage in AKP run municipalities far from Istanbul and Ankara. The conversation then moves to Prime Minster Erdogan’s disastrous handling of the event, the Yusuf Yerkel controversy, and ends with a more general discussion about Erdogan’s political future.
Alex and discussed the following articles during the podcast:
Alexander Christie-Miller, “Hopes fade of finding more survivors of Turkey mine explosion,” The Christian Science Monitor, 14 May 2014.
Alexander Christie-Miller, “Miners say safety declined after Turkey privatized Soma mine,” The Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 2014.
Alexander Christie-Miller, “Rescuers ‘descend into hell’ in search for hundreds of miners,” The London Times, 15 May 2014.
Alexander Christie-Miller, “Fury as ‘murderer’ Erdogan appears,” The London Times, 15 May 2014.
Alexander Christie-Miller, “Turkish PM’s aide beats up grieving protester at disaster mine,” The London Times, 16 May 2014.
Alexander Christie-Miller, “Turkey mine disaster: ‘I cut off all hope when the poison entered my throat’,” The London Times, 17 May 2014.
Alexander Christie-MIller, “Toxic gas ignored at Turkish death mine,” The London Times, 20 May 2014.
Alexander Christie-Miller, “Grief and Fury in Soma,” (Times article reposted on Alex’s blog Turkeyetc.)
Turkey Wonk: Nuclear and Political Musings in Turkey and Beyond 