Societies that have trouble meeting the basic needs of their citizens certainly can't afford to make the world aware of their culture and values by investing in soft power, educational exchange or cultural diplomacy. They end up ignored, unknown, misunderstood and demonized. They are misrepresented in mainstream media, but they lack the resources to push back, to tell their stories, to challenge biases.
Turkey is wealthier than many Muslim countries, but it's still not as central to the global imagination as Paris, as Brussels, even Orlando. So even if Istanbul suffers the same kinds of violence that we do, it doesn't generate the same kind of sympathy.
Read Full Article »