About Our Trip

From May 12 to May 26, 22 Globalist staff writers and members of the Editorial Board will travel to Turkey for our annual international reporting trip. For two weeks each summer, the Globalist conducts on-the-ground reporting, meeting with government officials, journalists, academics, religious and cultural figures, and civil society leaders. The results of this research appear as articles in our fall issue. In past years, the Globalist has reported from Eastern Europe (2005), China (2006), Venezuela (2007), India (2008), Tanzania (2009), and Indonesia (2010). Last year, we had the opportunity to have dinner with Indonesia’s Vice Minister of Trade in Jakarta, hike the jungles of Aceh with ex-combatants from the province’s separatist movement, and interview a Balinese medicine man made famous in Eat, Pray, Love. We look forward to equally exciting and rewarding experiences in Turkey this year!

For May 12 – 18, the Globalist will be based in Istanbul, where we will begin researching our articles. Our meetings will include a roundtable discussion at Bahcesehir University, a trip to the Israeli consulate, a tour of NTV news channel, and a visit to Bilgi University’s Kurdish language course – Istanbul’s only university Kurdish class. We’ll also take in Istanbul’s cultural sites and explore the nuances of a city that bridges East and West.

We will then split into two groups, one headed for Turkish Cyprus and one for Sanliurfa. In Cyprus, the Globalist will explore the island that is key to Turkey’s efforts to join the EU, home to the divided city of Nicosia, site of one of the longest-running UN missions, and dotted with some of the Mediterranean’s best beaches. Sanliurfa, in Turkey’s southeast Kurdish region, is a historically and religiously significant city. There,  we will research Kurdish issues and Turkey’s role in the Middle East, hike Mt. Nemrut, and take an overnight trip to cosmopolitan Gaziantep.

Finally, we will return to Istanbul for two days of final meetings to conclude our reporting. We’ll be updating this blog throughout our trip with photos, anecdotes, and glimpses into our research – check back to follow us!