Mending Israel-Turkey ties
Güven Sak, PhD
30 March 2013
I was in Israel last week, right after Israel’s apology for any wrongdoing during the Mavi Marmara incident. Indeed, Turkey deserved an apology for the incident long ago, but ultimately it was the Obama factor that made it come through. It was under the watchful eyes of President Obama himself that Prime Minister Netanyahu finally read the text to Prime Minister Erdoğan over the telephone. His voice did not sound happy, but he finally did the right thing. The apology text was agreed on over a year ago but only now, after the Israeli elections, did Netanyahu finally give in and read it. There was a sense of relief; not only in political but also in business circles, not only in Israel and the U.S. but also in Turkey and Palestine. However, without Obama in action, I believe that w
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Turkey’s fertility rate is now same as that of Sweden
Güven Sak, PhD
29 March 2013
Forty years ago, the fertility rate of Sweden was two while it was five in Turkey. Sweden has maintained the fertility rate of four decades ago while that of Turkey has decreased to two. What do you think is the chief determinant factor that affects our lives? Technological change, if you ask me. More precisely, the rapid diffusion of technological change throughout the world. It used to be a concern for some in the West, at the center of our civilization. Today, however, it has become popularized. The access to innovations has become democratized. Our civilization is a technical one and technology has spread throughout the world. Engineers raise buildings in the same way everywhere. Surgical operations do not have a language, religion, or race. If you are a doctor, you are so everywhere.
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Turkey had a chamber of commerce before it had tea
Güven Sak, PhD
26 March 2013
Each province and town in Turkey has a state house, a military headquarters, and a chamber building. Drinking tea all day is an integral part of our tradition. If a foreigner who comes to Turkey makes a list of what he or she remembers, drinking tea is definitely in the top five if not in the top three. We drink tea at every opportunity. We drink it during meetings. We offer it to our guests. We order it immediately when we meet with our friends. We drink it alone for the sheer joy of it. We drink it at every opportunity. Tea is an integral part of our tradition. So are chambers of commerce and industry. In fact, these organizations predate tea in Turkey. I think I started to get to know Turkey better after I met the chamber community. My experiences refute the argument in Turkey that what
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Diyarbakır’s changing skyline
Güven Sak, PhD
23 March 2013
Like the rest of the country, my attention was focused on Diyarbakır for yesterday’s Newroz celebrations. Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan, both Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) MPs, read the historical message of Abdullah Öcalan, the captive founder of theKurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), to a festive gathering of tens of thousands. The man who started the Kurdish uprising announced that the era of armed struggle was now over and declared the beginning of a new era of democratic and political struggle. Note that this is the end of a resort to arms, not the end of the Kurdish cause. We are at a crossroads now. How did we come here? First, thanks to the democratization process in Turkey. There are ups and downs to it of course – just look at the recent press freedom issues. Where we are n
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Why did the founders of Gittigidiyor.com switch to the construction sector?
Güven Sak, PhD
22 March 2013
It seems that in Turkey it is impossible to do anything that is not somehow related to or connected with construction. But why? Gittigidiyor.com is the pride of the Turkish Internet history. It will always be remembered as one of the pioneers. Launched in 2001, it was the first online auction and shopping website. In 2011, 93 percent of the company was sold to the American corporation Ebay. The site declared the sales price as $217.5 million, then a historic record for Turkey. Do you know what the founders of Gittigidiyor.com did with the money? According to a recent story in Sabah newspaper, they launched a construction company and bought one previously affiliated with Tekfen. It appears that the Zorlu Group is not an atypical example. When in Turkey, you do as the Turks do, just as when
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I understand Nicosia’s point, unlike Ankara’s
Güven Sak, PhD
19 March 2013
I believe that Ankara played to the crowds. I do not understand the meaning of the decision. I want to talk about two decisions made about the banking sector, the first by the Competition Authority of Turkey, based in Ankara, and the second by the government of Southern Cyprus. The Competition Authority of Turkey fined banks for their violation of competition rules. The government of Southern Cyprus, upon the European Union’s demands, decided that depositors would share the cost of the national banking crisis. I believe that Ankara played to the crowds. I do not understand the meaning of the decision. On the other hand, Nicosia made a tough call and I can see why. Let me tell you what I think.
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Let the sun shine in on Turkey’s Constitution process
Güven Sak, PhD
16 March 2013
Slowly but surely, Turkey is crafting its new Constitution. The Conciliation Commission of 12 MPs from four political parties and the Speaker of Parliament are currently coming together every day to work on drafts. Meanwhile, the Syrian refugee crisis is on our southeastern borders, NATO patriots and radar stations are installed on Turkish soil, non-linear confidence building measures (CBM) to end a 30-year armed insurgency in Kurdistan are under way, and whatever remains of the Arab Spring is blocking Turkish access to MENA markets. Despite everything, these 13 individuals are still sitting around a table, calmly negotiating the future of Turkey. That is fortunate for us.Turks are still patiently waiting for their new Constitution. A recent national poll showed that more than 70
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Boarding from Stockholm Airport is not the same as boarding from New Delhi Airport
Güven Sak, PhD
15 March 2013
We are at the outset of a new era in which it is hard to make a good life for ourselves without having any skills. I had a small panic attack when I was boarding at the Stockholm Arlanda Airport the other day. I got out of the cab and entered the airport. The screen that is supposed to show the flight and gate information as well as where you can get your boarding pass only showed the former. There were people lined up in queues and a number of counters, but I didn’t know which one was for my flight. So, I went to the information desk and asked where I could get my boarding pass. He pointed at the self-service boarding pass machines. He told me that I also could get my luggage tag and then leave my luggage at the counter. The boarding machine was unattended. It gave a single boarding pass
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How did Markafoni overtake Yeni Karamürsel?
Güven Sak, PhD
12 March 2013
In the past, large stores threatened my grandfather’s business. Today, Markafoni has overtaken YKM. It appears that the online shopping company Markafoni is worth more than Yeni Karamürsel, one of Turkey’s most prominent and rooted chain stores. It was rumored in July 2011 that one of the group companies of the global online shopping giant Naspers paid $200 million for a 70 percent share of Markafoni. We don’t know the value precisely as the transaction was private. Markafoni was one of the first online shopping clubs in Turkey. At $200 million for 70 percent of its shares, the total value would have been 320 million TL based on the exchange rate back then. Recently, the Boyner Group declared that 63 percent of the shares of Yeni Karamürsel had been sold for 190 million TL. Then, the prese
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The future of El Socialismo Bolivariano after Chavez
Güven Sak, PhD
09 March 2013
Only in Caracas did I ever see moto-taxis. You hail one, put on the spare helmet, sit behind the driver and watch him sail you through the heavily congested traffic. That, at least, is what it was like a few years ago: Large American cars and congested roads.
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