Ackerman, who first saw the Middle East as a Marine infantryman, now lives in Istanbul as a journalist covering the Syrian Civil War and the sharp turn towards authoritarianism in Erdogan's Turkey. This is a collection of his observations around the 2015 elections, particularly the connection between Turkey's foreign policy decisions about Syria and US access via Turkey and the constitutional rules about the seating of parties in the Ankara parliament (when Kurdish parties get above 10%, they must be seated and can jam up the majority, but if they drop below, they can be removed). As a side note, Ackerman is there with his family, and he has to weigh whether it is safe or a good idea for them to live there with him, a debate well known to military people and others posted to dangerous places.