Blog
Page 13 / 164
A German-Turkish Revolution
Rapprochement is in the air. I think this newly developing partnership is inevitable. Why? It’s almost like that 1969 hit by Thunderclap Newman, the old British rock…
Clueless in Crisis
It was around 2001. I was at the American University of Beirut, and the discussion was on Turkey’s efforts to stabilize its economy. The currency crisis at the time led…
No UNRWA, no Nakba?
The Trump administration has decided to cut all US funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This is the…
Turkey is no Egypt
Just before Turkey’s holiday week, the Emir of Qatar was in Ankara for a short visit. The news eagerly reported that at the hour of Turkey’s need, the Emir pledged to…
With a friend like Trump, who needs enemies
There are two types of countries in the world. Countries that have current account surpluses and countries that have current account deficits. The former lend money to…
Turkey is part of Europe
What surprised me most this week was not the depreciation of the Turkish lira against the US dollar. That was to be expected. What surprised me was the simultaneous…
Eat that frog now
Mark Twain once said “if it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning.” Why? Because then you can go through the day knowing that the worst…
Something wicked this way comes
Remember Act 4 Scene 1 of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare? That’s where the witches gather round a smoky black cauldron. “By the pricking of my thumbs/something wicked…
Desperately looking for positive signs
“Tell me something positive” said a western friend entering my office, “so that I may tell it to my superiors, for them to make a more informed decision about Turkey.” I…
The Indian moment in Turkish democracy
This Sunday, voting stations across Turkey are going to set up two ballot boxes: one to choose the president, the chief of the executive, and another to choose…
What recent protests in Jordan mean
There were nationwide protests in Jordan recently. People were out on the streets against plans for a new law to broaden the tax base, as well as high oil prices. The…
What’s the matter with the Turkish Lira?
The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) surprised markets this week with a 125-basis point (bp) rate hike. The bank had already hiked the rate 300-bp two weeks…