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LA International
New Music Festival
LA International New Music Festival Blog
Sunset of the
Summer Festival at The Huntington
& Tours
Press & Multimedia
Festival ON Hiatus
We are pleased to announce that our directors, Jeff von der Schmidt and Jan Karlin, were appointed in August 2015 by the Vietnamese government as their first American artistic advisors. In this capacity, they are coaching, advising, and conducting musicians for the newly formed Hanoi New Music Ensemble. Joint projects are also in development with Japan, Hong Kong, Mexico and Europe.
Because of this exciting new activity, the LA International New Music Festival and Southwest Chamber Music are currently on hiatus. We are proud that our directors will be spending time abroad while they continue to investigate new music around the globe, providing cultural leadership that reflects 30 years successfully directing Southwest Chamber Music. We invite you to follow their projects and activities at jeffvonderschmidt.com.
We will continue to maintain the organization while on hiatus to allow for future concerts reflecting these exciting endeavors. New special projects will be announced on this website, so please check back periodically. Your support and attendance throughout the years is greatly appreciated!
Board of Trustees, Southwest Chamber Music
"Southwest Chamber Music has always programmed creatively and internationally" — Los Angeles Times
Grammy Award-winning Southwest Chamber Music presents the 2015
LA International New Music Festival with five programs of music from
Asia, Latin America and the United States.
The Grammy-nominated Tambuco Percussion Ensemble of Mexico appears with Southwest Chamber Music in exciting performances of numerous premieres by leading composers from the Pacific Rim and a final concert of West Coast premieres celebrating the last works of Elliott Carter.
From Costa Rica to Vietnam, and Cuba to Japan, don't miss this opportunity to hear what is happening today in creative music!
All concerts begin at 8:30 p.m.
Pre-concert talk begins at 8:00 p.m.
General admission is $25, Students and REDCAT members $20
Programs and artists subject to change.
REDCAT is located at:
631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Parking is available in the Walt Disney Concert Hall parking garage.
Click here for directions, metro, and parking
Tickets may be purchased at the REDCAT box office, by phone at 213.237.2800, or online at redcat.org
Click here to order tickets online
Concert one
Concert at 8:30 p.m.
Music from Latin America
Tambuco Percussion Ensemble
The Grammy-nominated Tambuco Percussion Ensemble of Mexico performs music by Central and South American composers from Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica and Argentina.
Gerardo Gandini (Argentina) (U.S. premiere)
Escuchando Pierrot Chez Madame Ocampo
Leopoldo Novoa (Colombia) (U.S. premiere)
¿Sábe Cómo é?
Jorge Camiruaga (Uruguay)
Cuarteto en Chico
Alejandro Cardona (Costa Rica) (U.S. premiere)
Las siete vidas del Gato Mandingo
Hermeto Pascoal (Brazil) (U.S. premiere)
Musica para Cacerolas
Hebert Vázquez (México)
Livre pour 4 marimbas
Tambuco
Invite a Friend Program Notes
LA INTERNATIONAL NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015
We recommend learning more about the concert's composers and performers through these links:
http://www.tambuco.org/indeng.html
Gerardo Gandini
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerardo_Gandini
Leopoldo Novoa
http://www.tembembe.org/curriculum/leopoldo_novoa.pdf
Hebert_Vázquez
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebert_Vazquez
Escuchando Pierrot Chez Madame Ocampo (1992) by Gerardo Gandini
Schoenberg's music is an insistent presence in the work of Gerardo Gandini. A chord, a string or a structure become "found objects" capable of generating new consequences within new contexts. This occurs, for example, with the chord of Farben, Op. 16, in the first movement of Paisaje Imaginario (1988) with; materials from the third of Schoenberg's Three pieces for chamber orchestra (1910) or, in one of his previous studies, for solo flute, entitled Arnold Strikes Again (1985). In this context, Pierrot Lunaire - conducted by Gandini countless times- takes a privileged place. Schoenberg's Pierrot becomes a constant source of materials repeatedly used in Listening Pierrot chez Madame Ocampo (1993) for four percussionists. The fantastic work describes an evening at the home of the famous Victoria Ocampo, Argentina dominant figure in the intellectual society of the first half of the twentieth century. Gandini describes two musics sounding simultaneously: the famous Pierrot Lunaire by Schoenberg and one of Gandini's favourite tangos intertwined with gestures jumping indistincltly from one music to the other.
Sábe como e'? (1997) by Leopoldo Novoa
This original quartet, which is dedicated to the Peace, is based in the performance of traditional instruments from Colombia called guacharacas of diverse texture. The traditional way of playing has been altered in order to incorporate a series of innovative techniques that allow us to appreciate a wide diversity of sounds coming from an instrument that at first view, would seem to have a very limited number of sound possibilities. Besides the instruments described above, a Marimbula (afro-caribbean instrument) is used in the middle and last section of the piece. The premieres of Sábe como e'? took place at the XXV Festival Internacional Cervantino, and at the Luis Angel Arango Hall, in Bogotá, Colombia, in October, 1997.
Cuarteto en Chico (2002) by Jorge Camiruaga
Cuarteto en Chico, fué compuesta pensando en cuatro tambores de timbre similar, e inspirada en la práctica musical, técnicas y estructuras rítmicas provenientes del Candombe uruguayo, el cual es interpretado por grandes ensambles de músicos, quienes tocan tres tipos de "tamboriles" diferentes, llamados Chico, Repique y Piano. Esta pieza extrae del Candombe el uso polirítmico de los tambores como plataforma sobre la cual el compositor construye ritmos que al entremezclarse tejen patrones que le dan a esta pieza un gran sentido musical. La pieza está dividida en tres movimientos contrastantes entre sí. El segundo movimiento contrasta por su tempo mas lento y por la utilización de baquetas diferentes, en este caso con punta de fieltro, lo cual cambia el timbre y suaviza el ataque contra el parche.
Las siete vidas del Gato Mandingo (1987) by Alejandro Cardona
Las siete vidas del gato mandingo or The Seven Lives of the Mandingo Cat (a character of a "disreputable background" that could be living in any neighborhood of Latin America or the Caribbean), is a percussion work based on the Genesis myths and the cosmogony of the Yoruba people. Of African origin (Benin, Nigeria), the Yoruba, who were brought to Latin America and the Caribbean as slaves, recreate their cultural and religious manifestations, many of which continue until our days. According to some of the 256 Odu of the oracle system of Ifá (which consists of a large body of literary and philosophical material), in the beginning there was total darkness, Aimá, the primeval state: the kingdom of Echu (Elegguá). Inside a transparent and microscopic "conclave" there was a nucleus of light, air, water, space, dwelling: the kingdom of Oloddumare (the principal deity or Orisha, creator and ancestor). Oloddumare ordered that the light should break out with the word "Onoyú", and in this way the dark kingdom or Echu was illuminated. Thus, the beginning of the universe was characterized by an antagonism between light and darkness, between creativity and the inability to create (Echu, owner of darkness, does not have creative abilities), between Oloddumare and Echu. They represent the dynamic equilibrium of all existence. The movements of this piece recreate certain aspects of this Yoruban cosmogony. The first two contrast Aimá (sonority with no rhythmic reference), with the breaking out of the light, "Onoyú"(rhythmic articulation). The third movement, "Mole yakaya ochunka gueikoko" (a Yoruba saying which means "when the moon comes out there is no one who can put it out"), represents the impossibility of returning to Aimá. The fourth, "Ara ode" (let the lightning come) is dedicated to the Orisha Changó, and the fifth to the Orisha Ochún Akuara, beautiful among the beautiful, who lives in the river beds. The sixth movement is for Orichanlá (or Obbatalá), Orisha who is the intermediary between Oloddumare and human beings. (The Odu Ogbe Idí says that Orichanlá was the last Orisha to be created by Oloddumare when it was discovered that Echu had infiltrated and taken possession of the minds of the first 200 deities. Orichanlá is the incarnation of Oloddumare's wishes.) The last movement, "Baribá" (Lucumí or Yoruban nation or land) represents the dynamic antagonism and, at the same time, equilibrium, between Echu and Oloddumare within the existence of the human creatures that inhabit the earth. Programatic music? Not at all. The myth, projects itself metaphorically and is part of a sound discourse that is self structured. This is nothing esoteric either. This kind of contradiction or dynamic tension is at the heart of all musical and artistic expression. ----- Alejandro Cardona
Música para caçerolas (1995) by Hermeto Pascoal
This piece is with no doubt, a very good example describing the main characteristic of Hermeto Pascoal's musical mind: his fascination towards sound, coming from any conceivable of source. At times his music is full of sounds inspired by, or found in nature, such as birds, dogs, pigs and all sorts of living creatures as well as natural sources such as logs, stones, leaves, seeds or water. He also explores the sound qualities in human-made objects, like car parts (horns, spring coils, wheels), plus plastic, glass and metal objects, or like in this case "caçerolas" (portuguese for mixing bowls) of various sizes, filled with seeds. Sound is produced by shaking, stirring and striking the instruments with various techniques. Four samba whistles and shakers join the well tempered caçerolas to offer you a real jewel of brazilian percussion music.
Livre pour 4 Marimbas (2002) by Hebert Vázquez
The title Livre pour 4 marimbas is inspired on the "Premiere Livre de Pièces de Clavecin" by Jean Phillippe Rameau. It is simply the gathering in a single collection of short pieces with some sense of unity. La Nancarroise I and La Nancarroise II evoke the spirit of Conlon Nancarrow's music through the use of some of his favourite compositional resources such as imitations textures, based on popular elements (mostly jazz) and the use of simultaneous melodic lines with independent rhythmic behaviour. La Nature de l'eau evokes the fluid, almost acuatic character of the marimba sound. Livre pour quatre marimbas was premiered by Tambuco in Berlin, Germany, in 2002.
Concert TWO
Gabriela Ortiz
Ayana Haviv
Music of Gabriela Ortiz
Eclipse Quartet
Ayana Haviv, soprano
The Eclipse Quartet and soprano Ayana Haviv perform music inspired by the Mayan cosmos and the Mexican Day of the Dead by Latin Grammy-nominated Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz.
Aroma Foliado
Baalkah
Altar de Muertos
We recommend learning more about the concert's composer and performers through these links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela_Ortiz
http://www.eclipsequartet.com/
http://ayanahaviv.com//
In the summer of 2005, I had the opportunity to see the work of North American visual artist Suzanne Bocanegra. I was especially intrigued by her work: All the Petals from Jan Brueghel the Elder's Sense of Smell, 1618, 2002. As its title indicates, this work uses Jan Brueghel's The Elder's Sense of Smell as its source. In his painting, Brueghel presents us with a garden where a female figure is inhaling the fragrance of a large bouquet of flowers. Bocanegra captures the essence of the flowers through a series of painted petals; the number matching the number of visible petals on the Brueghel painting. Each one of the petals is tied with a black ribbon on white wall forming a floral map, with the final effect a series of textures of great expressive and visual force.
The interesting part of this work is the way in which an artist creates her work from the appropriation, interpretation or fragmentation of images of another artist to build new units, creating new languages in quite different environments. Undertaking the writing of a piece to celebrate Mozart's 250th anniversary called for some decisions to be made, one of them whether or not to incorporate fragments of the Mozart pieces. But what was important was to have thoughts about the intersection points of his music with mine. That was the reason I decided to write my piece in a format very similar to a rondo, in which the musical language could flow with lightness and absolute freedom. So I used some fragments of the Mozart String Quartet No. 21 in D Major K. 575; these fragments link the sections, which are my memory, time and personal musical history.The process used by Bocanegra inspired me and I used it like a platform for the reinterpretation and redevelopment of another artist's material, but it gains its own life in my music without losing its essence. The main aspect is not the musical origin in itself, but how the new composition incorporates, develops and acquires new meanings and aesthetic values.
Baalkah, which means "world" or "cosmos" in Maya, was inspired by the cosmological beliefs of the Maya of the Yucatan Peninsula and of other Mexican and Central American natives. For over 5,000 thousand years, these Indian peoples have conceived the world as being divided into 4 cardinal directions: east, north, west and south. In each one of these directions stands a gigantic ceiba tree that supports the sky, and each one has its particular characteristics, such as its own ruling deity, its own color, a set of related plants animals, and, more generally, its own mood or personality. The lyrics of Balkah are taken from a 17th century Maya book, the Chilam Balam of Chumayel, a priceless depository of centuries of historical and religious wisdom inherited by Maya priests and kept hidden from the prosecution of the Catholic church. Each member of the string quartet represents one the four cardinal directions, and the center is represented by the soprano. The songs, in turn, express the moods and characteristics of their corresponding cardinal point. Chac and Ek, related to dawn and masculinity, and to dusk and femininity, respectively, are static and serene. Sac and Kan, related to death and war, and to fertility and life, are dramatic and powerful. Finally, Ak', the center, gives pride of place to the voice of the soprano, representing humankind, in an expressive melismatic chant.
The tradition of the Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico is the source of inspiration for a work for string quartet whose ideas could reflect the internal search between the real and the magic, a duality always present in Mexican culture, from the past to this. Altar de Muertos is divided into four parts, each of these describe diverse moods, traditions and the spiritual worlds which shape the global concept of death in Mexico, plus my own personal concept of death.
First part: Ofrenda
This music describes the visit of four spirits to the altar, each one singing his/her own ofrenda (offering). Towards the end of this movement, the four spirits converge in a single chant to as the end of a funeral procession.
Second part: Mictlan
Pre-Hispanic Culture conceived death as a cycle in constant movement, a cycle where life extended towards death and vice versa, when death becomes the essence of life itself. Passage of death, and the eternal struggle between night and day, recreate, and obsessive ritual music is always in continuous movement where starting and ending points are always bonded.
Third part: Danza Macabra
"Human life is like a shadow." The advent of European culture in Mexico and Mesoamerica brought an image of death which is static, motionless, where there is only place for a constant alternative between glory and hell. This music is nourished from fantastic images taking place one after another. Phantasmagoria and magic are always present.
Fourth part: La Calaca
Syncretism and the concept of death in modern Mexico, chaos and the richness of multiple symbols, where the duality of life is always present: sacred and profane; good and evil; night and day; joy and sorrow. This movement reflects a musical world full of joy, vitality and a great expressive force. At the end of "La Calaca" I decided to quote a melody of Huichol origin, which attracted me when I first heard it. That melody was sung by Familia de la Cruz. The Huichol culture lives in the State of Nayarit, Mexico. Their musical art is always found in ceremonial life.
----- Gabriela Ortiz
Concert three
Javier Alvarez
Mercado-
Toshio Hosokawa
Music from Latin America and Asia
Southwest Chamber Music
Laura Mercado-Wright
Southwest Chamber Music and mezzo soprano Laura Mercado-Wright
perform the West Coast premiere of The Raven by Japan's Toshio Hosokawa. With the Tambuco Percussion Ensemble as soloists, Southwest gives the U.S. premiere of Metal de Corazones by Mexico's Javier Alvarez. The concert opens with new percussion works from Cuba and Vietnam.
Roberto Vizcaino (Cuba)
Rumba Clave
Vu Nhat Tan (Vietnam) (U.S. premiere)
Young Rice
Javier Alvarez (Mexico) (U.S. premiere)
Metal de Corazones
Toshio Hosokawa (Japan) (West Coast premiere)
http://www.lauramercadowright.com/
Roberto Vizcaino
http://www.mediapressinc.com/pages.php?pageid=2&composer=77
Vu Nhat Tan
https://vunhattangroup.wordpress.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Alvarez_composer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshio_Hosokawa
Rumba Clave (1989) by Roberto Vizcaino
Cuban composer and percussionist Roberto Vizcaíno has developed a series of works in which Afro-Cuban poly-rhythmics are the central figure. His virtuosic performances are present in his challenging way of writing music. Rumba Clave (1989) was written by the Cuban composer and percussionist when he was a professor at CENSA Music Center, in Havana. Each performer plays a pair of claves and two conga drums from lowest to highest. Claves become both and instrument as well as beaters to strike the congas. The resulting sonic experience is quite exciting. Both sets of congas trace a pattern which becomes strongly melodic in the middle of an intricate polyphony woven by the 2 pairs of claves.
Young Rice by Vu Nhat Tan
Young Rice follows the world of my ancestors. The piece is written for undefined percussion instruments, no bars at all, and focuses on composing like a traditional Vietnamese music. My idea was to write a scoring plan (50%) and let the player do the rest of improvising (50%), as would happen in every Vietnamese old music. ----- Vu Nhat Tan
Metal de Corazones by Javier Álvarez
Percussion presents us with the widest of sonic horizons. At its most organic, percussion arises from within the natural world, and, in all its multiplicity, encloses most of the sounds that exist around us. At the other end, one closer to our own instrumental tradition, percussion reminds us of the inherent pulse of our own cyclical nature, inevitably linked to the passage of time. In Metal de Corazones, I have sought to exploit timbre, instrumental and gestural instances that move within these two conceptual boundaries, attempting to articulate a vivid discourse capable of sustaining the tension generated by moving from one to the other. Metal de Corazones thus features a constant exploration of eccentric sonic mixtures that result from decontextualizing certain instruments such as the berimbao, the marimbula, the blues harmonicas or the steel pans, instruments that are associated with other musical traditions. On the other hand, some more familiar instruments such as the strings are performed here using alternative techniques yet within conventional or even traditional contexts. It is my aspiration that this somewhat serpentine interplay may help the listener to make free associations and to establish unforeseen relationships in order to organise the work in his own imagination. The title, itself an oxymoron, further suggests this dichotomy, both organic and pulsating, and seeks to portray both the playful spirit and the sonic diversity that the work puts forward. Metal de Corazones was written for the French ensemble TM+ and Tambuco Percussion Ensemble on a commission from the Mécenat Musical Societe Generale. The work was given its premiere by both ensembles in Paris in April 2012. ----- Javier Álvarez
The Raven by Toshio Hosokawa
When I read The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, it reminded me of the Japanese Noh play. The view of the world in the Noh is not anthropocentric. Some of the main characters in the Noh are animals and plants, and some are unearthly spirits. Poe describes the process of the collapse of the modern rational world, as a consequence of an invasion of the world by a weird animal 'raven' which lives in the other world. I considered this poem as a story of Noh and expressed it in the form of monodrama with mezzo-soprano and ensemble. ----- Toshio Hosokawa
Concert Four
Music from Japan
The Tambuco Percussion Ensemble of Mexico, winner of the prestigious Japan Foundation Award, turns its view across the Pacific towards music from young Japanese composers and the Japanese master Toru Takemitsu.
Masamichi Kinoshita (U.S. premiere)
Les enfants de la mer qui ont perdu la memoire de l'eau II
Toshiya Watanabe (U.S. premiere)
A Sign
Takumi Ikeda (U.S. premiere)
La Caverna (without allegory)
Rain Tree
Tomoko Momiyama (U.S. premiere)
Moons of Hidden Shadows
Tomoko Momiyama
http://www.newmusicsa.org.za/node/364
Masamichi Kinoshita
https://www.facebook.com/masamichi.kinoshita?fref=browse_search
Toshiya Watanabe
http://www.musicfromjapan.org/2012-bios/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toru_Takemitsu
Les enfants de la mer qui ont perdu la memoire de l'eau II by Masamichi Kinoshita
The title comes from a verse by Edmond Jabès, Francophone Jewish poet who was born in Egypt. In this piece, the bass drum plays the role of the strict timekeeper and is positioned in the center of the piece. The time, however, has various cuts and wounds, and therefore, is not regular and uniform. The low, deep sound of the drum also defines the space in which various sound images are introduced. It is in and around this space that the other instruments develop their sound images within the strictly managed time while maintaining relaxed relations with each other. But after a while the tempo slows down, and gradually a silence will start spinning, and the time and space begin to be corroded by the void, and all will vanish in the end. Beyond there faintly remains the framework of the time and space within which this piece humbly wishes to invite one to sense the world that lies beside there.
A sign by Toshiya Watanabe
When one composes for a percussion ensemble, he can either use many instruments from countless choices available in an ensemble, or somewhat limit himself in the use of instruments. For "A sign," I limited the use to several wooden and metal percussion instruments, in order to accentuate the subtle differences in timbre and texture. In addition to each performer's playing techniques, the composition asks for advanced skills in an ensemble, which works only when the performers listen to each other very carefully.
La caverna (sin alegoría) by Takumi Ikeda
This (strange) title refers to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave." However, if the residents of the cave cannot distinguish between a shadow and a reality, then, similarly, it may not matter whether if the title really refers to the Allegory or not. It is this shadow that comes to my mind whenever I think about music. The rhythmic structure of "La caverna (sin alegoría)", which provides a skeleton for this composition, was written in Japan using a computer program. My choice of instruments and playing techniques evolved in various ways, as I received a lot of advice from Tambuco and actually touched the instruments at their studio. The piece also employs my own technique for live performance, as if I would perform with Tambuco on the score.
Rain Tree (1981) by Toru Takemitsu
If we had to choose the best example in order to describe the relationship between water images and sound, the answer would undoubtedly be the music of Toru Takemitsu, who has found in rain, the ocean, or in a simple waterdrop a genuine form of inspiration which has led him to write a collection of pieces for diverse instrumental combinations titled "Waterscapes." Rain Tree belongs to this series of works, and is dedicated to Sylvio Gualda (percussionist) and Kenzaburo Oe, who wrote a novel called Atama no ii. Ame no Ki, from which Takemitsu chose an excerpt, that moved him to create a piece of fragile and mysterious beauty: It has been named 'rain tree' for its abundant foliage continues to let fall rain drops collected from last night's shower until well after the following midday. Its hundreds of tiny leaves -finger like- store up moisture while other trees dry up at once. What an ingenious tree, isn't it? Rain Tree was premiered in May, 1981, at the Seibu Theatre in Japan.
Moons of Hidden Times by Tomoko Momiyama
On one rainy morning, at a secluded riverside studio inside a rainforest off of Xalapa, my journey with Tambuco started. Surrounded by chatty instruments from all over the world, members of Tambuco and I sat down together. As the instruments listened to us with their curious ears, we told stories of our memories from the past and the future, touched on our fears and struggles, and searched for the moon in each one of us. We went on a truck in a steep mountain, swam in rivers at a temple of silence, met angels on the road and showed the way, got eaten by pigs every morning, and looked into the landscapes of our dreams. A collective narrative surfaced from this sharing, which became the basis for "Moons of Hidden Times." Composed through two weeks of dialogues with Tambuco and their instruments, "Moons of Hidden Times" is a record of our journey since that morning with the chipi-chipi rain.
Concert FIVE
Elliott Carter
John Lee Keenan
Elissa Johnston
Music of Elliott Carter
This Elliott Carter program of his works composed between the ages of 100 and 103 combines Southwest Chamber Music and the Tambuco Percussion Ensemble in the West Coast premieres of Carter's final works for voice and ensemble. Soloists are Abdiel Gonzalez, Jon Lee Keenan, and Elissa Johnston.
Tintinnabulation for 6 Percussion
A Sunbeam's Architecture (Jon Lee Keenan, tenor)
The American Sublime (Abdiel Gonzalez, baritone)
What Are Years (Elissa Johnston, soprano)
On Conversing With Paradise (Abdiel Gonzalez, baritone)
We recommend learning more about the concert and performers through these links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Carter
http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/elissa-johnston
Jon Lee Keenan
http://jonleekeenan.com
Tintinnabulation
When the wonderful percussionist, Frank Epstein, suggested I write a percussion piece for his group of six players, a section of the orchestra I had often used as an independent entity, I agreed. Deciding not to use pitched percussion (marimba, vibraphone, etc.) I chose a large range of different sounding instruments. The work is in three important sections - wood, metal and skin - each of the six players has some instruments from each group. These instruments often can be played in different ways, for example with different mallets on different surface locations. The piece was composed in New York City, begun in the Fall of 2007 and finished on April 19, 2008. ----- Elliott Carter
A Sunbeam's Architecture
The choice and ordering of these poems by E.E. Cummings was made to show the poet in a period when the telephone was still a novelty and the First World War (1914-1919) was raging. It begins with a personal expression, then goes to his calling…poetry (A Sunbeam's Architecture), that is interrupted by the war and ends returning to his personal life. It was composed in the spring of 2010 and is dedicated to my son David and Carol Parks. ----- Elliott Carter
The American Sublime
Wallace Stevens was very concerned that what Americans consider "sublime" lacks spirit. In my musical setting of his poems, I have tried to show that Stevens' many sided poetry is truly sublime. This work is dedicated to the extraordinary James Levine, who has brought my music to life. ----- Elliott Carter, December 20, 2011
What Are Years
Marianne Moore's brilliant poetry with its sharp but personal fascination with life, has held my attention for many years, so I decided to write this song cycle which shows a few of her many sides. "The Being So-Called Human" is the last stanza of The Pagolin, which she published separately wit the above title. The work was composed between February and May of 2009, and completed on June 1, 2009. ----- Elliott Carter
On Conversing With Paradise
Ezra Pound, one of America's leading poets and influences in the early twentieth century, lived in Italy during the Second World War. During that time he was occasionally allowed by the Fascist controlled radio to broadcast in English his rather fanatical ideas that the American bankers and banking system were destroying the US, a country he loved. When the American Army liberated Italy he was arrested as a traitor and imprisoned in a camp near Pisa where he continued to write Cantos that he had worked on for most of his life. Later, at his trial in Washingto, D.C. he was declared insane and interned at St. Elizabeth's Asylum, during which time he was visited by many of the most respected American Poets.
I have set parts of Pisan Canto 81 and unfinished Canto 120, where he despairs of not having written the perfect poem, which to him was paradise. My title is a quote from William Blake that Pound considered as a title for an early book of his own poems. ----- Elliott Carter
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But the problem is that the swipeGesture is never detected. How to solve the problem? Thanks!

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Nishan G. Goudsouzian, M.D.; John V. Donlon, M.D.; John J. Savarese, M.D.; John F. Ryan, M.D.
Nishan G. Goudsouzian, John V. Donlon, John J. Savarese, John F. Ryan; Re-evaluation of Dosage and Duration of Action of d-Tubocurarine in the Pediatric Age Group . Anesthesiology 1975;43(4):416-425.


The British Bankers Association (BBA) has called for George Osborne to help savers by changing how the annual Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) allowance works.
Investors can put up to £11,520 into an ISA in the 2013/14 tax year. However, only £5,760 can be held in a Cash ISA, leading to claims that savers, who prefer to hold cash, are losing out to investors, who are prepared to take greater risks with their investments.
In its' submission to the Treasury ahead of next month's Autumn Statement, the BBA has called for the rules to be changed to allow up to 100% of the £11,520 allowance to be held in cash; levelling the playing field between investors and savers.
The BBA also wants to change the ISA transfer rules.
At present Cash ISAs can be transferred to a Stocks & Shares ISA but not vice versa. The BBA would like this rule changed, which would allow investors to reduce the risk they are taking, perhaps as they near retirement or come close to achieving their savings goal.
« House prices set to rise by 12% over next two years?


You can expect a lot from the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. This 4 door, 6 passenger truck stands out among competitors in its class! Under the hood you'll find an 8 cylinder engine with more than 350 horsepower, and for added security, dynamic Stability Control supplements the drivetrain. Four wheel drive allows you to go places you've only imagined. A turbocharger is also included as an economical means of increasing performance. It includes heated seats, front and rear reading lights, a built-in garage door transmitter, a rear step bumper, power windows, a trailer hitch, a bedliner, and remote keyless entry. Features such as automatic climate control and leather upholstery prove that economical transportation does not need to be sparsely equipped. For drivers who enjoy the natural environment, a power moon roof allows an infusion of fresh air. Audio features include an AM/FM radio, steering wheel mounted audio controls, and 6 well positioned speakers. Chevrolet ensures the safety and security of its passengers with equipment such as: dual front impact airbags with occupant sensing airbag, head curtain airbags, traction control, brake assist, a panic alarm, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. You will have a pleasant shopping experience that is fun, informative, and never high pressured. Please don't hesitate to give us a call.


Ultra-High Molecular Weight polyethylene (UHMW) is a high-density plastic, ideal for parts that require extremely high resistance to wear and abrasion. It has the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic and is highly resistant to most corrosive materials. UHMW is self-lubricating and performs well in extraordinarily low temperatures, but begins to soften in higher temperatures. Unlike nylon, it has a very low moisture absorption rate, making it suitable for use in wet environments.
Ultem has a machining cost factor of 0.7 when compared to steel 12L14.


text:
Q: Share a image on Facebook with facebook ID I wish that the users of my website to share pictures on their walls, with the Open Graph.
In the URL of the image to share, I include the Facebook ID person, which gives me:
<meta property="og:image" content="http://mywebsite.com/text_ID.jpg" />

It works. The image is generated, with ID, but when I test on the Facebook Object Debugger:
<meta property="og:image" content="http://mywebsite.com/text_.jpg" />

ID disappeared. I do not understand why. Someone would it be what it is due?
Thanks you in advance for your response.

A: I think this is because the Facebook Object Debugger is not logged to your app when it scrape the page, so there is no user ID.
A solution would be to get the user ID from the URL.

A: To be more clear on @Yassine' answer,
You're generating an image for a specific user which is surely a dynamic way of getting ID and placing the respective ID in the OG meta tag.
Facebook object debugger is no way going to recognize the ID from the meta tag because it is not logged into your app which means your app doesn't have the ID and thus no ID is set in the meta tag.


text:
Q: Modelling explicitly lower and upper bound in summation I have a problem modelling the following linked sum with Pyomo.
Sum
Notation:
Index s: periods

dt_f: Parameter

X^{FD}_{f,s}: Variable

Normally, I would use for instance
sum((model.XFD[f,s])/(model.dt[f]) for f in model.F).

However, this is not possible in this case, because I just want to sum up over last dt_f periods. Is there a possibility to define the lower and upper bound in a sum explicitly, instead of summing up over all elements?


SYUNEW3A.DLL free download - What is SYUNEW3A.DLL files?
Start to repair SYUNEW3A.DLL now!
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"Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: Windows\system32\SYUNEW3A.DLL. Please re-install a copy of the above file."
"Windows\System32\SYUNEW3A.DLL missing or corrupt: Please re-install a copy of the above file."


Enjoy shopping with Timberland coupons and promo codes. Through applying these vouchers are you sure to benefit from large discounts and savings on high - quality outdoor footwear, clothing, glasses, sunglasses, watches and other goods. Timberland operates a lot of retail stores in different countries as well as sells online. The merchandise from this brand is designed to highlight your individuality and is inspired by the passions of those fond of outdoor activities. Whether you need quality, stylish streetwear or sportswear, Timberland has got it in stock for you. Enjoy a huge selection of goods, affordable prices, customer - oriented service, free shipping and free return policy.
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text:
Apple to End iTunes Support for Apple TV 1st Gen, Windows XP/Vista in May
Apple says starting on May 25, 2018, iTunes Store availability will end for the first generation Apple TV, along with Windows XP or Vista PCs.
The company says new "security changes" will prevent Windows XP or Vista PCs from using the iTunes Store, which means users won't be able to make new purchases or redownload old purchases on these computers.
As for Apple TV first generation users, the same goes for this device, which is already an 'obsolete' Apple product. Users seeking iTunes access will have to upgrade to a newer model, such as Apple TV 2 or later. The first gen Apple TV debuted back in January 2007.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In order to clarify Microsoft's steps that you can take to help identify and to help protect yourself from deceptive (spoofed) Web sites, an MVP called Bill James has created a Bookmarklet for confirming whether a site is real or spoofed.
Bill James' bookmarklet sets up a link in the IE links bar that will make a box pop up and compare the real address to the visible address.
Create a new Internet shortcut on the desktop, point it to any legitimate web address, and name it Check Address or something descriptive.
Save, then drag the shortcut from Desktop to the Links bar in IE (ignore the "may not be safe" warning).
Now from any page you can click that link to check the address of the current web page you are viewing.
1I fired up Internet Explorer to test this out and except for a few minor modifications which I will ignore, the bookmarklet works.
2This bookmarklet screws my layout; I will be changing it once I get the chance.


text:
New York Medical Marijuana Providers…
New York Medical Marijuana Providers May Miss Dispensary Deadline
ALBANY— With roughly three months left until the state's medical marijuana program is supposed to be fully operational, several companies awarded a license to grow and distribute the drug aren't sure where they will locate some of their dispensaries, calling into question whether the program will be up and running by January, as Governor Andrew Cuomo promised.
Five of the 20 dispensary locations, which the state sanctioned, have not been finalized yet by the local governing body, meaning that patients in large areas of the state could be left without access to the drug.
POLITICO New York called every municipality or community board where a dispensary is scheduled to open. In some cases, local officials and representatives were adamantly opposed. In others, they outlined zoning and permitting concerns. And in still others they were surprised to learn a dispensary would soon come to their neighborhood, even though the state announced locations in August.
The apparent lack of readiness alarmed patient advocates, who were already concerned that the state's program was too limited to provide statewide access.
Julie Netherland, Drug Policy Alliance Deputy State Director, New York
The failure of any of them to open changes the game in terms of access just because there are so few.
Read "With deadline approaching, medical marijuana locations still unsettled" by Dan Goldberg and Josefa Velasquez: http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/10/8580074/deadline-approaching-medical-marijuana-locations-still-unsettled
Bloomfield Industries, Columbia Care, Empire State Health Solutions, Etain, New York, PharmaCann, Politico
6 Reasons to Be Excited by Illinois Cannabis Legalization and 9 Stories from New Cannabis Ventures
Columbia Care Raises $35 Million with Sale/Leaseback Transactions in Three States
Cannabis Earnings Season Kickoff Reveals Mixed Trends


text:
Cell Cure Neurosciences Receives Grant of $1.33 Million From Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist
Macular DegenerationOphthalmologyResearchStem Cell Research 12 August, 2012
Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd., whose Chief Scientific Officer is Hadassah University Medical Center's Prof. Benjamin Reubinoff–Director of its Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center–received a 1.3 million-dollar grant from Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) to help finance its development of a treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Cell Cure, established in 2005, manufactures diverse cell products, sourced from clinical-grade human embryonic stem cells. Its current programs include developing cells for the treatment of macular degeneration, Parkinson's disease, and cells potentially useful in treating multiple sclerosis. Cell Cure's plan for its cell-based product, OpRegen(R) includes filing an application to commence human clinical trials in 2013.
"We wish to thank the Office of the Chief Scientist for their participation in advancing this important new application of regenerative medicine," said Charles Irving, Chief Executive of Cell Cure. "We anticipate that OpRegen(R) will make a real difference in the quality of life of the aging population in many industrialized countries," he noted, "and hence it is a strategic investment for not only Israel, but the world as a whole."
AMD is a severe form of acute vision loss and the leading cause of blindness in older people. It affects that part of the retina which is most critical in everyday tasks, such as reading and recognizing faces. "I join with Dr. Irving in thanking OCS for its generous support in accelerating these advances in stem cell biology into the clinic," said Prof.


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The AKP's Foreign Policy as Populist Governance
Evren Balta In: 288 (Fall 2018)
Turkish foreign policy throughout the Cold War was limited and largely predictable: narrowly focused on national security and preserving the sanctity of its borders while hewing to a predominantly Western orientation.[1] Turkey's foreign policy reflected the constraints of the bipolar international system, which granted little room for smaller powers to adopt independent policies. As such, Turkey pursued membership in key Western multilateral frameworks (the Council of Europe 1949, the OECD 1948 and NATO 1952) in order to improve its negotiating capacity; to enhance its security and status; and to compensate for its relative lack of an independent foreign policy.[2] Membership in these Euro-Atlantic institutions also enabled Turkish policymakers to assert their affiliation with Western culture.[3]
The end of the Cold War in 1989 granted Turkey the opportunity to pursue a more independent policy, yet it remained predominately Western-oriented until the late 2000s, including the first five years of rule by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government led by Prime Minister Erdoğan—a party with roots in an anti-Western tradition of political Islam. The AKP initially followed a liberal internationalist path, seeking European Union (EU) membership and adopting reforms aiming to democratize Turkey's political system in conjunction with the EU's "harmonization packages." The party also remained committed to the NATO alliance, the defining feature of Turkey's relationship with the West since World War II.
Beginning with the AKP's second term in 2007, however, Turkey veered sharply away from its Western orientation, as asserting a hegemonic role in the Middle East replaced integration with the West as the central goal of Turkish foreign policy. AKP foreign policy, moreover, became activist, controversial and unpredictable. To date, the AKP's foreign policy framework has evolved through three distinct phases: the phase of liberal internationalism characterized by a commitment to the EU and multilateralism (2002–2007); the phase of civilizational expansionism characterized by an overly confident, pan-Islamist and expansionist foreign policy (2008–2014); and the current phase of ultra-nationalism, anti-Westernism and the reprioritization of containment regarding the Kurdish issue.[4]
Such dramatic reorientations and abrupt policy shifts in a country that once was firmly embedded in Western multilateral institutions and Western cultural identification, nevertheless, defy readings of AKP foreign policy as simply reflecting its pro-Islamist ideology or simple pragmatism. The dramatic shifts and abrupt reorientations of AKP foreign policy over the past decade, rather, illustrate the subordination of Turkish foreign policy to the AKP's and, increasingly, Erdoğan's populism: foreign policy deployed as tool of governance to mobilize popular support for the AKP, tarnish its enemies, divert attention from its failures and adopt whatever policy is necessary at the moment to keep the AKP in power.
Turning from the West
Turkey's turn away from its historic Western orientation was triggered by a combination of global, regional and domestic factors that came together following the AKP's rise to power in 2002, culminating in a more revisionist foreign policy after 2008.
A major factor in this turn was the souring of Turkish Europhilia after the EU formally initiated accession negotiations with Ankara in 2005, partially as a result of the 2004 Greek Cypriot rejection of the Annan plan to settle the long festering Cyprus problem, coupled with a firmer anti-Turkish stance taken by some European politicians to block Turkey's full membership after EU constitutional referendums in France and the Netherlands.[5] As Turkish expectations of swift approval for EU membership declined, Western economies were hit by the economic crisis of 2008, which challenged the Western-dominated model of globalization, revived national initiatives and made smaller powers like Turkey less concerned about engaging with multilateral institutions.[6]
In addition, the relative withdrawal of the United States from the Middle East under the Obama administration—removing its ground forces from Iraq at the end of 2011 and curtailing its overseas commitments—created a power vacuum, giving rise to greater Turkish state interest in regional competition and reshaping alliances. Transatlantic membership in institutions such as NATO began to be questioned by some members of the political elite.[7] Finally, the EU harmonization process eliminated the military's constitutional prerogatives, which had given it an oversized influence in the country's politics. A series of trials of high-profile army officers for alleged coup plots following these constitutional changes effectively ended the army's influence over the formulation of foreign policy, transferring full authority to the ruling AKP by 2008.[8]
Now firmly in control, the AKP adopted a more independent and revisionist foreign policy that became known as the Davutoğlu Doctrine after AKP foreign minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, which outlined a vision of Turkey as an independent global power asserting influence in its own neighborhood, the previously neglected Middle East. Davutoğlu's successive tenures as foreign minister (2009–2014) and then prime minister (2014–2016) were characterized by an increasingly assertive foreign policy and a pan-Islamist vision.[9] Turkey dramatically increased its regional initiatives, adopted a "zero problems with neighbors" policy and increased its trade with the region, while at the same time more frequently employing a populist anti-Western rhetoric.[10]
Fueled by appeals to both nationalist and religious sentiments among the electorate, highlighted by President Erdoğan's confrontation with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Davos and national outrage over the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010, when Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists on a state-owned aid ship bound for Gaza, Turkey began to assert itself more forcefully as an active and independent regional power in the Middle East.
Along with Turkey's drift to authoritarianism, personal relationships between leaders now play a crucial role in determining its policies. One can argue that the most powerful determinant of Turkish alliance behavior has become the calculation as to which outside power is most likely to do what is necessary to keep the current regime in power.
The period after 2009 was the golden era for the AKP's new foreign policy, as the government enhanced mutual economic and political cooperation with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and signed bilateral agreements with Syria, Libya, Yemen, Lebanon and Jordan.[11] After withdrawing its long-held opposition to the formation of an autonomous Kurdistan in Iraq, relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) flourished and Iraq became Turkey's second-largest market for exports.[12] Turkey also played an active role in solving regional disputes, becoming a mediator between Syria and Iraq as well as between Syria and Israel; promoting conflict resolution in Lebanon, Iraq and Sudan; and initiating development assistance programs, becoming the third largest donor after the United States and Great Britain in 2013.[13] The AKP administration also strengthened its transnational links with the Muslim Brotherhood as it involved itself deeper in regional politics.
This newly assertive foreign policy has been described variously as "neo-Ottomanism," "Islamic Realism," the "trading state," or as "sub-hegemony."[14] Some contend that this new policy orientation was a "non-colonial, non-formal empire," in which Turkey's active engagement in the Balkans, Caucasus and Middle East would enable the transformation of the country into a key regional power.[15] Others argue that in this vision, Turkey is positioned to act as an "order setting agent" because of its shared historical, cultural and religious ties to the Middle East and Balkans, dating back to the Ottoman Empire.[16] This shared history legitimized the imperial engagement of Turkey with these regions by making a non-coercive appeal of "like us" rather than "part of us," which has been dubbed "civilizational geopolitics."[17]
An undeniably attractive byproduct of this new orientation for the AKP was that it opened up new markets to Turkish capital, making foreign policy a backbone of its economic success story.[18] Turkey became one of the most attractive emerging economies for foreign investment after the 2008 financial crisis. Surging global liquidity boosted economic growth and allowed the government to launch ambitious projects to improve the country's aging infrastructure and social services.[19] Moreover, its foreign policy became a major instrument for gaining a competitive edge in domestic politics, enhancing the AKP's popularity. The government also sought to resolve the country's perennial Kurdish conflict by initiating several peace processes with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), realizing that in order to enhance its regional role and attract investment, it needed to resolve its domestic disputes.
The Fall of Neo-Ottomanism
The 2011 Arab uprisings presented an ideal opportunity for AKP-led Turkey to shape the economic and geostrategic make-up of the new Middle East, while also affirming Turkey's new role with the West as a major power. Two critical developments in the region, however, undermined Turkey's assertive "neo-Ottoman" policy, eventually leading the AKP to adopt a new, much darker and inwardly focused foreign policy.
The coup against the Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt on July 3, 2013 struck a major blow to Turkey's regional ambitions by undermining the AKP's reliance upon the transnational Muslim Brotherhood network as an ally and proxy, as well as its alignment with Qatar in the rivalry with Saudi Arabia for regional influence after the Arab uprisings. The coup damaged Turkey's influence not only in Egypt but also in Syria, allowing other regional actors to gain ground.[20] Prime Minister Davutoğlu described how the new regional alignment fostered by the coup, and the subsequent embrace of the Saudi-led coalition by Egypt's new leader General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, undermined their Syrian policy:
There are three forces in the international community. First there are those that favor a democratic transition and support democratic groups: Turkey and several moderate democratic forces. Second are those political actors that are scared of democracy. These states prefer autocrats to govern their country: Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the Gulf Countries, except for Qatar. The third group is countries that are sectarian, like Iran. Before, the first two were united against Iranian influence, so they worked together against Assad. However, after Sisi, that coalition has collapsed.[21]
The second development undermining Turkey's hegemonic ambitions was the rise of ISIS and the surge of transnational Kurdish activism resulting from the collapse of Syria. Syrian government forces withdrew from its Kurdish region early in the Syrian civil war, enabling the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) to transform itself into a major regional actor, introducing the possibility of a second autonomous Kurdish region, ruled by the PYD, which the Turkish state believed to be organically linked to the PKK. Initially, Turkey tried to counter this development by supporting anti-Assad opposition forces and Kurdish factions who opposed the PYD—a strategy Ankara believed to be complementary to its regional hegemonic aspirations.
However, the rapid territorial gains and atrocities ISIS subsequently perpetrated against populations under its control in Iraq and Syria put into question Turkey's anti-PYD strategy, while strengthening the transnational ties of Kurds.[22] Kurdish opposition to ISIS spilled over into Turkey in early October 2014 during the ISIS assault on the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane. Tens of thousands of Kurds in Turkey's Southeast protested AKP's Syrian policy by proclaiming that "Kobane is Diyarbakir," demanding the government open its border to the refugees and allow Iraqi Peshmerga forces to cross through Turkey to assist Syrian Kurds. Protests then spread across the country, including Ankara and Istanbul, leaving 42 people dead.[23] What had been perceived as an external problem that could be contained in Syria thus became an internal problem. More importantly, the mobilization of Kurds against ISIS received support from the United States, leading to active cooperation between the PYD and the US military, further heightening Turkish security concerns.
By the beginning of 2015, then, the coup in Egypt and the trans-nationalization of the conflict in Syria made it impossible for the AKP government to advance its hegemonic vision for the Middle East or even maintain a consistent regional policy, while also jeopardizing the country's alignment with the US. More importantly, the visibly Islamic bias of the government both in domestic and foreign politics fueled anti-government opposition, most notably the Gezi movement of 2013.
Embracing Ultra-Nationalism
Facing a major crisis of governance, an ultra-nationalist discourse resurfaced within AKP government circles, pushing aside Turkey's neo-Ottoman aspirations and imperialist dreams of muscling into new markets. The official demise of Turkey's neo-Ottoman period was formally recognized when President Erdoğan asked Prime Minister Davutoğlu to resign in May 2016, two months before the July 2016 coup attempt that would significantly damage Turkey's relations with the West.
At the time of the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, the government was already on an ultra-nationalist path, with a steep decline in democratization. The coup attempt accelerated those tendencies. What proved most unsettling for Turkish foreign policy was the intensification of the Erdoğan government's anti-Western rhetoric, already a prevalent discourse after the Gezi protests of 2013. Erdoğan accused Western countries of meddling in Turkey's internal affairs, promoting a crisis of governance and even staging the July 15 coup attempt. The government's conspiratorial thinking projected the causes for the crisis (whether economic or political) onto external, primarily Western, actors.
The decline in Turkish-Kurdish relations was both a cause and effect of this broader decline in AKP fortunes and its adoption of a more stridently nationalist foreign policy. In early 2015, representatives of the AKP government, led by Davutoğlu and Kurdish politicians, announced a short-lived ten-point peace plan.[24] In the June, 2015 elections, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) received 13.1 percent of the vote, contributing to the AKP government losing its majority in the assembly, and disrupting its ability to form a single-party government. A week after the June 7 elections, moreover, PYD/YPG forces seized Tell Abyad in Syria, establishing a security corridor from the Iraqi border to Manbij on the eastern side of the Euphrates river, which Ankara had previously declared to be its red line.[25] As a result of these developments, in June 2015 the AKP government abruptly shifted its Kurdish strategy, once again completely securitizing the Kurdish issue as violent clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK were renewed, concentrated along the Syrian border provinces and aiming to cut the links between Kurds in Turkey and in Syria.[26]
As relations with the West soured further, Turkey advanced economic and military relations with Russia. The two countries established and formalized their cooperation in Syria, together with Iran, through the Astana peace talks. In exchange for Turkey's promise to cut its support to opposition groups in Syria, Russia gave a green light to Turkey's direct military operations in Syria, such as Euphrates Shield, undertaken to limit PYD influence.[27] The active cooperation with Iran and Russia put Turkey further at odds with the US. The government's deal to purchase Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems was further interpreted as a sign of Turkey's orientation away from the trans-Atlantic alliance and its declining commitment to Western security institutions.[28] The picture worsened after Washington sanctioned two AKP ministers involved in the detention of US pastor Andrew Brunson, who was charged with supporting the failed coup.
A Populist Foreign Policy
Since coming to power in 2002, the AKP's foreign policy has been flexible and shape-shifting, driven less by the party's stated ideology than by its opportunistic adaptation to changing international and regional dynamics, domestic constraints and intense elite conflict. Throughout the AKP's three phases of liberal internationalism, civilizational expansionism and ultra-nationalism, Turkey has exhibited the key social and political elements of a populist vision. Populism is a thinly centered ideology which typically construes politics as a contest between two homogeneous and antagonistic groups, "the pure people" and "the corrupt elite," and populist political parties often display greater flexibility and pragmatism in their adoption of various ideological orientations.[29]
Not unexpectedly, as a populist political party, the guiding factor driving AKP's foreign policy has been its flexibility and opportunism.[30] Like other populist parties, the AKP engaged with multilateral institutions when party elites saw immediate material benefits, and became pro-Western when positive relations with Europe favored their interests. Foreign policy has played an important role in the growing popular appeal of the AKP as Erdoğan was able to present the country's international status in terms of other states' perception of it. AKP supporters believe that the government has restored the country's status and honor in the West, which was damaged during the republican era. They further cite jealousy as the main reason why foreign countries might oppose Turkey.[31] Moreover, the party emphasizes that the country's international status is explained not on the basis of values and norms such as human rights and democracy, but on the basis of its infrastructure investments, such as bridges, roads and airports.
The AKP has utilized foreign policy, particularly after the setbacks of 2013–15, as a governance technique to project blame onto external actors for it failures on both the international and domestic front. More recently, the AKP expanded its populist notion of fighting against a corrupt elite to include financial centers, foreign governments and international institutions—virtually any external actor that challenges or criticizes the AKP government. Coupled with nationalism, a populist rhetoric of blame attribution upon "corrupt outsiders" has allowed the AKP to ask its base to tolerate policies that fail to improve their own quality of life, and to forgive government failures.
Erdoğan has been especially skillful in reframing who is "them" and who is "us," and who is an "enemy" and who a "friend"—which has become an increasingly effective strategy in the face of Turkey's economic crisis, questionable interventions in Syria's civil war and rising Kurdish transnationalism. As Turkey has faced sharp reversals in its foreign policy positions, the electorate has responded rapidly and emphatically to Erdoğan's charismatic leadership. According to results of a survey on foreign policy conducted by Kadır Has University, those who stated that "Turkey has no friends" increased from 17.2 percent to 22.5 percent in one year.[32] In the same period, those who think that the United States is a hostile country increased from 10 percent to 16.2 percent, while those who define relations with Russia as positive and cooperative increased from 18.1 to 46.5 percent.
The AKP's populist vision has also rested on a direct connection between the leader and "the people" without a need for intermediaries. Parallel to the restructuring of domestic politics, the executive branch and Erdoğan's personality now dominate foreign policy decision-making. Prior to the AKP, foreign policy was largely determined by its powerful armed forces and foreign ministry professionals. Currently, reflecting both the structural transformation of the international system and the loosening of domestic constraints, Ankara's foreign policy has grown ever more executive-oriented with few oversight mechanisms that would give more room to inter-agency consultation. Along with Turkey's drift to authoritarianism, personal relationships between leaders now play a crucial role in determining its policies. One can argue that the most powerful determinant of Turkish alliance behavior has become the calculation as to which outside power is most likely to do what is necessary to keep the current regime in power.
In the last decade, Turkey has gone from being promoted as a model Islamic democracy to a model for authoritarianism; from Westernization to anti-Westernization; from "zero problems with neighbors" to a crisis-prone foreign policy. The concept of a populist foreign policy is the most useful tool for explaining these dramatic transformations and abrupt shifts under the rule of the same party. Foreign policy is not what makes a political party populist, but populist political parties use foreign policy more aggressively as a technique of governance to remain in power, thereby creating a more unstable, unpredictable and conflict prone foreign policy, with grave consequences for regional and global stability.
[1] Mustafa Aydin, "Determinants of Turkish Foreign Policy: Changing Patterns and Conjunctures During the Cold War," Middle Eastern Studies 36/1 (2000).
[2] Aydın, "Determinants of Turkish Foreign Policy"; Şuhnaz Yılmaz, "Turkey's Quest for NATO Membership: The Institutionalization of the Turkish–American Alliance," Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 12/4 (2012).
[3] Eylem Yilmaz and Pinar Bilgin, "Constructing Turkey's 'Western' Identity during the Cold War: Discourses of the Intellectuals of Statecraft," International Journal 61/1 (2006).
[4] For a discussion on periodization see Gencer Ozcan, "2000'li Yıllarda Türkiye Dış Politikası (2002–2016)," TUSİAD Dış Politika Formu Araştırma Raporu (2018).
[5] Evren Balta Paker, "The Ceasefire This Time," Middle East Report Online, August 31, 2005.
[6] Ziya Öniş, "Multiple Faces of the 'New' Turkish Foreign Policy: Underlying Dynamics and a Critique," Insight Turkey 13/1 (2011), p. 15.
[7] Serhat Güvenç and Soli Özel, "NATO and Turkey in the post-Cold War world: between abandonment and entrapment," Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 12/4 (2012).
[8] Gencer Ozcan, "The Changing Role of Turkey's Military in Foreign Policy Making," UNISCI Discussion Papers 23 (2010); Evren Balta and İ. Akça, "Beyond Military Tutelage: Analyzing Civil-Military Relations under the Justice and Development Party," Ebru Canan Sokulu, ed., Rethinking Security (New York: Lexington Books, 2012).
[9] Behlül Özkan, "Turkey, Davutoglu and the Idea of Pan-Islamism," Survival 56/4 (2014); Ümit Kıvanç, Pan-İslamcının Macera Kılavuzu (Istanbul: Birikim Yayınları, 2015).
[10] Bülent Aras, "Turkey and the GCC: An Emerging Relationship," Middle East Policy 12/4 (2005), Bill Park, "Turkey's 'New' Foreign Policy: Newly Influential or Just Over-Active?," Mediterranean Politics 19/2 (2014).
[11] Ioannis N. Grigoriadis, "Turkey's Foreign Policy Activism: Vision Continuity and Reality Checks," Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 14/2 (2014).
[12] Henri J. Barkey, "Turkey's Syria Predicament," Adelphi Papers 54/447–448 (2014), p. 106.
[13] Bruce Gilley, "Turkey, Middle Powers, and the New Humanitarianism," Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs 20/1 (2015), p. 38.
[14] Faruk Yalvaç, "A Historical Materialist Analysis of Turkish Foreign Policy: Class, State, and Hegemony," Uluslararası İlişkiler 13/52 (2016), p. 14.
[16] Karabekir Akkoyunlu, Kalypso Nicolaïdis and Kerem Öktem, The Western Condition: Turkey, the US and the EU in the New Middle East (Oxford: SEESOX Book Series on Current Affairs, 2013), p. 10.
[17] Pınar Bilgin, "A Return to 'Civilizational Geopolitics in the Mediterranean? Changing Geo-political Images of the European Union and Turkey in the Post-Cold War Era," Geopolitics 9/2 (2004); Pınar Bilgin and Ali Bilgiç, "Turkey's New Foreign Policy Towards Eurasia," Eurasian Geography and Economics 52/2 (2011).
[18] Yalvaç, "A Historical Materialist Analysis."
[19] Ziya Öniş and Mustafa Kutlay, "Rising Powers in a Changing Global Order: The Political Economy of Turkey in the Age of BRICs," Third World Quarterly 34/8 (2013).
[20] In March 2014, Saudi Arabia officially designated the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda and its affiliates, and ISIS as terrorist organizations. In the same month, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain increased pressure on Qatar to reduce its support for the Brotherhood by staging a coordinated withdrawal of their ambassadors from Doha. F. G. Gause III, "Beyond Sectarianism: The New Middle East Cold War," Analysis Paper 11 (2014), p. 17.
[21] "Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in conversation with Richard Falk," Open Democracy, December 17, 2004.
[22] Gareth Stansfield, "The Unravelling of the Post-First World War State System? The Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the Transformation of the Middle East," International Affairs 89/2 (2013), p. 280.
[23] "6–7 Ekim'in Acı Bilançosu," Radikal, November 12, 2014.
[24] "Turkish Government and Kurds in Bid to Revitalise Talks," Financial Times, February, 2015.
[25] Ozcan, 2000'li Yıllarda Türkiye, p. 37.
[26] Evren Balta, "Hendek Savaşı Değil, Sınır Savaşı," Birikim Online (2016).
[27] Evren Balta, "Kirpi İkilemi: Türkiye ve Rusya İlişkileri," Al Jazeera, 2017.
[28] Kemal Kirişçi, Turkey and the West: Troubled Alliance (Washington DC: Brookings Institution, 2018).
[29] Yunus Sozen, "Politics of the people: hegemonic ideology and regime oscillation in Turkey and Argentina" (PhD diss., New York University, 2010); Cas Mudde "The populist zeitgeist," Government and Opposition 39/4 (2004).
[20] Burak Bilgehan, Özpek and Nebahat Tanriverdi Yaşar, "Populism and foreign policy in Turkey under the AKP rule," Turkish Studies 19/2 (2018).
[31] A. B. Çelik and Evren Balta, "Explaining the Micro Dynamics of the Populist Cleavage in the 'New Turkey,'" Mediterranean Politics (2018).
[32] Research on Public Perceptions on Turkish Foreign Policy: http://www.khas.edu.tr/en/news/289, accessed July 21, 2017.
Evren Balta "The AKP's Foreign Policy as Populist Governance," Middle East Report 288 (Fall 2018).


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Within this gated community lies this modest townhome with all of the comforts of home; great room, dining area and enclosed patio. HUD home sold in 'as is' condition; all information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed; selling agent to verify all information. FHA Insured with Escrow. Case#105-237419. Equal Housing Opportunity.
I-85 S; follow signs for Domestic Airport/Montgomery; take exit #66 (Flat Shoals Rd); turn right onto Flat Shoals; Shannon Villas subdivision will be on the left.
I am interested in 4701 Flat Shoals UNIT 1D, Union City, GA 30291.