In Istanbul, and Turkey in general, there was a small scale civil war going on. This was on the debate of whether Turkey should join the West, and join the EU, or side with the East. Pamuk, after visiting America, was a proponent of the Western side, while the government was siding with the East.

 

Also, the human rights were not up to standard, at least for Orhan, especially in regard to the freedom of speech. This is shown when he talks about the Armenian genocide that happened in Turkey, which the government refuses to admit that it happened.

 

 

The following is an interview with Orhan Pamuk that touches on both of the above topics.

(The quality is not the best, but is is interesting to listen to)