Atilla's Musings

How Turkey is courting Russia’s oligarchs

Source:The Economist Date:08Apr2022

An article by the Economist, driven by prejudice, rather than facts.   Few oligarchs parcking their yachts in Turkish marinas doesn’t present sufficient cause  top claim Ankara is already

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Opinion: Why Russian negotiators, oligarchs and exiles are flocking to Turkey

Source:Washington Post Date:31Mar2022

At the outset of the war, Ankara’s balancing act between Russia and Ukraine seemed like a risky gambit, with Turkey selling armed drones to Ukraine while trying to preserve its uneasy partnership

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Turkish opposition presents ‘historic’ pact to defeat Erdogan

Source:Financial Times Date:01Mar2022

Seren Selvin Korkmaz, executive director of the Istanbul-based think-tank IstanPol, described the declaration as “a historic day for Turkey”, adding that the fragmentation and polarisation of

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Erdogan Ally Set to Benefit From Planned Turkey Election Change

Source:Bloomberg Date:16Feb2022

Bloomberg has got this story wrong. It is possible that after numerous delays, the amendments to the Electoral Law may be introduced–though I still have my dobuts. But, it has no effect

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Why Turkey’s economic resilience has defied worst fears

Source:Financial Times Date:11Feb2022

The warnings back in 2011-2013 were ominous: “If the Turkish lira breaks through 2 against the dollar, the economy will implode.” Once the 2 was reached, the new implosion target moved to 3, then

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Turkish lira steadies after tumbling 44% in tumultuous 2021

Source:Financial Times Date:28Jan2022

  Laure Pitel has done an excellent job of tracking the developments that led to the stabilization of Turkish Lira. Her interviewees suspect CB intervention, albeit at a modest scale.  I

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Turkey Has a Message for Wall Street Doomsayers About Inflation

Source:Bloomberg Date:14Jan2022

Our finance minister is officially the laughing stock of the world. Yet, his inflation optimism may spell early elections by September-October.   Consumer-price growth won’t accelerate after

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Turkey’s tumbling foreign assets hint at ‘aggressive’ lira intervention

Source:Financial Times Date:23Dec2021

Erdogan’s new-new economic model, too, is not working. CB hopes people converting FX to TL will replenish its rapidly declining reserves. Such reserve burn could cause problems with

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WHAT WOULD A POST-ERDOĞAN TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY LOOK LIKE?

Source:War on the Rocks Date:12Dec2021

The author raises many legitimate questions about the flexibility of Turkish foreign policy in the post-Erdogan Era. However, he gets several points wrong. For instance Turks don’t trust

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Turkish opposition leader helps shape unlikely alliance to challenge Erdogan

Source:Financial Times Date:06Dec2021

A score of years after he became CHP chairman, a reputable Western publication acknowledges Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s accomplishments. Better late than never. With the country gripped by

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