Mehdi Unfiltered Confronting 'The Emotional Machine of Fascism' - Turkish Author on Lessons for America
Mar 18, 2026
Ece Temelkuran, Turkish journalist and author of Nation of Strangers, writes on authoritarianism and exile. She discusses being 'unhomed,' how emotional forces propel fascism, and rapid threats to democracy in the US. Conversations cover global authoritarian tactics, steps fascism takes to seize power, and how displacement reshapes belonging.
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Political Unhoming Is Not Just Exile
- Feeling unhomed can happen without exile when citizens no longer recognize their country.
- Ece Temelkuran ties this political unhoming to a global spread of fascism, saying many now feel like strangers at home.
Silence Advised Even In Exile
- Temelkuran recounts being told to lay low in Germany because her lawyer feared authorities might check her social media.
- She compares that silence-for-stability demand to what she experienced under Erdoğan in Turkey.
Speed Plus Guns Makes Authoritarianism More Dangerous
- Temelkuran identifies speed and widespread gun availability as two factors that make Trump's approach uniquely dangerous.
- She warns rapid authoritarian moves plus many guns produce unpredictable, violent outcomes like Minneapolis.
