The death toll rises as Turkey searches for survivors of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake

The death toll rises as Turkey searches for survivors of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake

Rescue efforts continue after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Turkey injured 1,140 people and claimed over 265 lives. The earthquake was the most powerful in a decade and has been followed by over 200 aftershocks, many nearly as strong. The worst damage was felt in the Van province in the predominantly Kurdish region of southeastern Turkey, where populations are particularly marginalized and vulnerable. Visiting the region, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed concern over a raising death toll stating, “because the buildings are made of adobe, they are more vulnerable to quakes. I must say that almost all buildings in such villages are destroyed.” More than 1,270 in rescue teams have gathered to provide assistance, however there is concern over supplies particularly considering the near freezing temperatures. Israel has offered aid, however Turkey has declined due to recent deteriorating relations.

Headlines  

• The United States has pulled out its ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, as prolonged contact with anti-regime protesters has threatened his security.
• In Tunisia’s first free and fair election, the Islamist Ennahda party has taken an early lead and official results are expected to be released on Tuesday.
• After the death of Muammar al-Qaddafi and the fall of Sirte, Libyans celebrate as the National Transitional Council declared liberation and looks toward elections.
• Many Iraqis, particularly politicians, welcome the departure of U.S. troops, while some fear instability.
• In Yemen’s capital of Sana’a, fighting worsened between President Saleh’s regime and military defectors after Friday’s U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a peaceful transfer of power.
• It is uncertain who Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah will choose as his successor after Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, the defense minister and heir to the throne, died following illness.

Daily Snapshot

A Tunisian woman shows her inked finger after voting on October 23, 2011, in a polling station in Ettadhamen, a working class part of Tunis. Voter turnout in Tunisia’s first-ever democratic election was nearing 70 percent, elections chief Kamel Jendoubi said Sunday, with just over two hours of polling to go (LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images).

Arguments & Analysis

‘Yet again, Tunisia can show Arab nations the way forward’ (Issandr El Amrani, The Guardian)

“There is nervousness about the election’s results, of course. It is likely that Al-Nahda, an Islamist movement that leads in the polls, will do well, disturbing the strongly secular tradition of Tunisian politics since 1956. But, significantly, there are signs that Tunisian politics are maturing: today’s al-Nahda seems far from the much more conservative and illiberal Islamist movement of the 1980s, and secular parties are grudgingly recognising that their presence on the political scene is legitimate. Indeed, al-Nahda’s popularity appears to be as much based on the recognition of its leaders’ ordeal — killings, torture and exile- – as their religious ideas. In exchange for its political acceptance by secularists, al-Nahda has largely endorsed the relatively liberal social consensus instilled by Bourguiba.”

‘Tunisia: an election full of surprises’ (Larbi Sadiki, Al Jazeera English)

“Nine months after the popular uprising that ended the authoritarian rule of Zine El Abidine Bin Ali, Tunisians have voted in the first free and fair elections, and the voter turnout has been surprisingly and emphatically high. A few international observers who have made it to nearly a dozen polling stations in the Sousse region — are generally happy with the conduct of the elections. There were electoral indiscretions, including vote buying and using ideological propaganda to queuing voters. In some stations, there were irregularities having to do with lack of training…It is going to be a long day here in Sousse and the rest of Tunisia. But the ambiance of a celebratory mood is modest. No one is claiming to be teaching other Arabs democracy. To the contrary, young representatives of the country’s EU trained and funded first electoral observation NGO, Muraqiboun, say they are happy to cooperate with Libyans and Egyptians to consolidate democratic learning. Congratulations, Tunisia.”

‘Tawakkul Karman as cause and effect‘ (Stacey Philbrick Yadav, Middle East Report online)

“In retrospect, despite the fractiousness of the partisan sphere (and, arguably, Yemeni society) regarding the rights and roles of women, it should not be entirely surprising that a woman activist has played such an essential role in mobilizing the post-partisan revolutionary movement. As the opposition parties became mired in internal debates over women’s rights (among other issues), many Yemeni women — again, including Tawakkul Karman — shifted some of their energies to the associational sector, taking up the cause of reform through their work as journalists or through various civil society organizations, and building dense networks of personal and professional alliances. Growth in the number of women leading such organizations helped to shift the substantive focus of “women’s rights” work: Whereas, in the 1990s, this work strove for reforms that would improve the lot of women as wives and mothers, the new activities sought to frame women’s rights as human rights or to expand the reach of civic and economic freedom in general.”