What’s Noteworthy?
- Turkey`s PM threatens theatres after actor `humiliates` daughter (May 19, 2012)
Arts organisations described the attacks as a "pointless witchhunt", pointing out that the theatre is subsidised in almost every developed country and that Turkey`s state theatres are the fullest in Europe, thanks to low prices and a mostly traditional repertoire that appeals to conservative and religious audiences in the governing AK party`s Anatolian heartlands. More
- Questions about Turkey as a democracy and military model (May 19, 2012)
When NATO meets in Chicago this weekend, intervention in Syria is sure to be discussed – perhaps by Syria`s neighbor, Turkey, which presents itself as a democratic model for the Middle East with a strong military. But questionable investigations of its military undermine those claims. More
- Turkey Seeks to Revive Its EU Bid (May 19, 2012)
Turkey is showing renewed interest in reviving its stalled bid to join the European Union now that Nicolas Sarkozy, one of its key opponents, is no longer the president of France. The 27-nation bloc also seems keen to put life back into Ankara`s membership aspirations. More
- Kurd leader gives Turkey crisis sign (May 19, 2012)
Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, has informed the Turkish government about an ongoing political crisis in Iraq which has caused further polarization between the country’s Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish groups, Turkish President Abdullah Gül said. More
- Turkey warns gas speculators to stay away from Cyprus waters (May 19, 2012)
Turkey on Friday called on major international oil and gas companies seeking licenses to search for gas deposits off Cyprus to withdraw their bids, saying it will not allow exploration to go ahead and threatening to ban them from Turkish energy projects. More
Selected News and Commentaries
- Turkey Aims to Damp Drone-Report Furor (May 19, 2012)
Turkish drones were responsible for the initial intelligence footage that prompted a deadly strike against civilian smugglers, Turkey`s armed forces said Thursday, seeking to damp a furor sparked by a Wall Street Journal article that described the role played by a U.S. drone. More
- Kurdish Leaders Struggle to Remain United in Dealing with Baghdad (May 19, 2012)
PUK leader Talabani met with officials of his party in Erbil this month and said that Kurds have already decided to stay with Iraq. “The right of self-determination does not mean declaring independence,” Talabani said. “When we voted for the Iraqi constitution and chose federalism for Kurdistan, it was a form of self-determination for the Kurds. Those who ask for self-determination only through announcing Kurdish statehood are mistaken." More
- Turkey warns Israel over airspace violations (May 19, 2012)
The dispute between Turkey and Israel over major natural gas fields under the eastern Mediterranean escalated sharply after Ankara scrambled F-16s to intercept an Israeli aircraft over Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus, where Ankara has started exploratory drilling. More
- Iran will not relinquish one iota of its nuclear rights: Jalili (May 19, 2012)
he secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has said that the country will not back down an inch in the face of Western pressure to relinquish its rights to advance its peaceful nuclear program. More
- Spat with Iraq bares Turk plunge into regional power game (May 19, 2012)
Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and now chairman of the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies think-tank, said Erdogan’s increasingly strident approach was aggravating strains in ties between Ankara and its neighbors. “It is his posturing that has led to crises with our neighbors. If he hadn’t approached matters in a polarizing, black-and-white fashion, we wouldn’t have lost the ability to manage these relationships,” Ulgen said. More
Chart of the Week
There is no improvement whatsoever in inflation expectations (April second survey) -- they suggest that more than the 5% medium term target, 7% or so is a more plausible working number for medium-term inflation. Make Image Larger
Join our Network
About Us
Istanbul Analytics is an information platform on Turkish economy and politics run by two veteran economists, Murat Üçer and Atilla Yesilada.
They teamed up a few years ago to start a small research enterprise in Istanbul specializing on Turkish macroeconomic and political analysis. Their primary engagement is to advise international clientele, as part of LatinSource/GlobalSource network of advisors, but they wear several hats... Murat is a co-founder of Turkey Data Monitor serves as adjunct faculty at Koc University while Atilla regularly writes in his web site Bilge Ekonomist and hosts finance programs in media.
Our Activities and Associates
- Murat Ucer gave a presentation in a Deloitte event (14 Dec 2010)
- We contributed some articles to local journals (both in Turkish; 10 Dec 2010)
- Atilla Yesilada was quoted in WSJ (11 Nov, 2010)
- We gave a presentation on the Turkish economic outlook and challenges (11 Nov 2010)
- Recently, we were quoted in NYT, WSJ, and FT...
- You can access a presentation on the Turkish economic and political outlook here (in Turkish; 23 Sep. 2010)
- We shall be giving two training seminars in the coming weeks...
-
Our Associates
-
Global Source Partners
-
Turkey Data Monitor
-
Bilge Ekonomist
