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Turkey Arrests Journalists, Sets Up Terrorist "Tip Line" As Currency Plunges, Violence Escalates
Last month, Turkey’s central bank had a chance to give the plunging lira some respite by preempting the Fed and hiking rates.
Only they didn’t.
And not only did they not hike, they made it clear that tightening would only occur once the Fed tightened and then made matters immeasurably worse by proceeding to stumble through a "roadmap" of how they planned to deal with DM policy normalization. That, combined with political turmoil, an escalating civil war (and yes, that’s what it is), and pressure on EM in general has led directly to further weakness for TRY:
We bring this up because Turkey, like Brazil, is a country to keep an eye on and not only because of the prominent role it will ultimately play in deciding the fate of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, but because much like Brazil, things seem to get worse by the day both economically and politically. Take Thursday for instance, when inflation came in hot, prompting Goldman to suggest that the central bank had indeed missed its window. Here’s Goldman:
Headline and core inflation accelerated sequentially in August, on broad-based price increases. This trend will likely continue, as renewed exchange rate weakness passes through to domestic prices in the coming months, and food disinflation loses momentum. We continue to forecast end-2015 CPI at 8.2% but with moderate upside risks.
In our view, the CBRT may have missed an opportunity to start normalising/simplifying its policy framework by keeping all policy rates unchanged in the August MPC meeting. This raises the risk of earlier and more aggressive rate hikes than we have been forecasting. We reiterate our long-held Conviction View to own Turkey protection, through 5-year CDS spreads.
And a bit more from Credit Suisse:
We are revising our headline inflation forecasts higher. Following the lira’s depreciation in August and the recent upside surprises to food price inflation, we are revising our end-2015 inflation forecast to 8.6% from 7.8% previously and our end-2016 inflation forecast to 7.4% from 7.2% previously.
And for a more general assessment of the growing economic malaise we got to BofAML:
Turkish macro seems to be facing a perfect storm as both domestic and external uncertainties are weighing down on GDP growth. The run rate of GDP growth has slowed down to 2%, TRY weakness keeps CPI inflation sticky close to 8%, weak FX revenues and consumption driven GDP growth keeps CAD around 6% of GDP, and CBT is unlikely to deliver market’s expectation of sharply higher TRY rates to put an end to TRY weakness. Since TRY is still not at oversold levels and further EMFX cannot be ruled out, we believe macro will not be supportive of Turkish asset prices in the near-term. In the meantime, we expect some populism in macro policies until the November elections, as stakes are high.
So all around bad. Of course one of the main drivers of the market's declining confidence in Turkey is the political turmoil that's gripped the country since June when AKP lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in over a decade throwing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plan to transform the country’s political system into an executive presidency into doubt. Not one to give up easily (especially when it comes to consolidating his power), Erdogan proceeded to launch an ad hoc military offensive against the PKK in an attempt to undermine support for the pro-Kurdish HDP ahead of new elections. Now, with elections set for November, the witch hunt has officially kicked into high gear.
Earlier this week, in a move dubbed "unsubstantiated, outrageous and bizarre" by Amnesty International, Turkey arrested three Vice News journalists (two British citizens and an Iraqi) for allegedly "engaging in terror activity" on behalf of ISIS. This is of course just the latest example of Ankara using the NATO-backed ISIS offensive as an excuse to eradicate pro-Kurdish sentiment. According to The New York Times (and according to common sense) the reporters' only real "crime" was "covering the conflict between Kurdish separatists and the Turkish state." The British journalists were reportedly released on Thursday while Mohammed Ismael Rasool (the Iraqi) was not.
But the media crackdown didn't stop there. On Tuesday, Turkish police raided Koza-Ipek Media which, as AFP notes, "owns the Turkish dailies Bugun and Millet, the television channels stations Bugun TV and Kanalturk and the website BGNNews.com and is close to Erdogan's political rival, the US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen."
"I'm worried that operations targeting the media will create great concern across the world about the state of democracy in Turkey," Turkey's new EU affairs minister and HDP member Ali Haydar Konca said.
Indeed. Perhaps even more alarming were reports that Ankara will now set up a terrorist tip hotline, complete with monetary awards. "Turkey to reward informants on tips about 'terrorists'", Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing Gazette.
It also looks like Erodgan will station soldiers at the polling stations when Turkey goes back to the ballot box in November - you know, for "security" purposes. Here's Hurriyet:
Security forces will take all necessary measures to ensure election safety on Nov. 1 in a bid to avoid the repetition of problems that allegedly occurred in the June 7 polls, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has said.
Yes "the problems", namely that AKP lost its parliamentary majority. But that's nothing the military can't solve. Here's Erdogan himself (note the chilling passage in bold):
"I believe our government, our Armed Forces and Interior Ministry will take all measures for election safety so that we’ll get through [the polls] with minor damage. I presume that what happened in the June 7 [elections] will not be repeated on Nov. 1 as part of election safety."
And because that still isn't enough, Turkey is now arresting the relatives of its own (dead) soldiers for criticizing Erdogan:
From Bloomberg, citing Anadolu Agency:
Turkey arrests relative of killed soldier on Erdogan insult. Man allegedly insulted President Tayyip Recep Erdogan during memorial ceremony for Turkish soldier killed in roadside bombing last month.
In this type of environment - that is, in a country where the President is not only willing to start a civil war to regain an absolute majority in parliament on the way to forcibly changing the constitution, but also willing to throw journalists in prison for attempting to cover said civil war - it becomes difficult to distinguish real escalations from potential false flags. After all, the more "attacks" blamed on PKK, the less voter support for HDP, which is why it's easy to cast a wary eye towards Wednesday's Molotov cocktail attack on an AKP district branch, an attack which was promptly blamed on "a group of PKK supporters" by AKP mouthpiece Daily Sabah:
A goup of PKK supporters have attacked an AK Party district branch with Molotov cocktails on Wednesday night in the eastern Bitlis province's Hizan district. No one was injured in the attack but the branch office was reportedly left unusable.
The district firefighters immediately intervened and managed to extinguish the fire in the building.
AK Party Provincial Head Nesrullah Tanglay told the state-run Anadolu Agency reporters: "Through these attacks, they are trying to downbeat our party's organizations before the elections on November 1."
Bear in mind that this is all being carried out with the explicit blessing of Washington and NATO thanks to the fact that Erdogan has managed to trade a brutal crackdown not only on his political rivals (on the way to negating the results of a free election and thereby completely undermining the democratic process), but now also on the press (who are apparently only allowed to cover the story if they're willing to parrot the AK Party line), for a promise to assist in the campaign against ISIS which is of course really nothing more than a thinly veiled effort to invade a sovereign country and overthrow its government. And as if that weren't enough, Anakara will now pay the public for terrorist "tips" dialed in to a dedicated hotline.
What absolutely must not be lost in all of this is that this is i) a NATO member and ally of The White House, and ii) an investment grade country.
And because, when taken together, all of the above is somewhat disconcerting for all kinds of reasons, we'll close with a bit of comic relief, via Bloomberg:
Erdogan to set up Presidential TV channel before election. 24-hr news channel to broadcast Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s speeches and events Zaman reports, without saying where it got the information.
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LOL, Turkey should stop supporting ISIS first.
Article 301 of the Turkish penal code makes it a crime to "insult the Turkish nation". As we all know, the government is the nation. Just obey, OK? Peak obedience.
What do you expect??
Turkey is for . . .
(drum roll here . . .)
TURKEYS!
Losing your heads every Thanksgiving.
Well then Mr. Panos better not go there for vacation.
Turkey is looking to be the head of the new caliphate
not hard to see syria western Iraq, and perhap lebanon, swallowed.... I think they want to keep shipping europe refugees before they make the move. to "stabilize" the area.
They have a lot of leverage and have been around long enough to know how to use it; this is just a strongman starting to lose control and clamping down as a result because he can get away with atrocity.
It's just his method of "winning minds and hearts."
Sounds like Turkey would make a very suitable candidate to join the Euro.
Reserve currency forced globally.
But every past US prez closed their speech by saying "God Bless America" just for the hell of it?
So anyone still believe that the US exporting inflation is not intentional? Never heard "God Bless the Globe".
Selfish, hypocritical, arrogant. Its days are numbered.
Turkey has water.
Water to hydrate the Syrian kibbutz.
Always find an enemy or a bogeyman to divert the public's attention from mounting problems
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
H. L. Mencken
Be warned, if Turkey slips into chaos, then the migrant crisis will explode like a nuclear weapon. And my frineds, as the western media puts a news black out on it, Ukraine, with 40 million people is slipping into economic collapse and chaos! Imagine EU, another 10 million migrants rushing to enter the UK and Germany! It could start this winter! Already, more than 1 million have fleed Urkaine and crossed into Russia. That figure is very old, and probably misses another 1/2 million!
The EU, unless it closes it's borders and asserts soverign rights over it's own land, will collapse in a wave of migrants. All the while the liberals of Europe will cheer this on, they are traitors to their nations, ethnic groups and race. They want to end Whites as a people, even though they are white. Stupid fucks.
It is too late for Europe
Every Single Country
Gets
The Government They Deserve.
Read it and weep.
Ed Milliband's brother and Soros want 80,000 Syrian muslims for America versus 8,000. What are Miliiband and Soros? Tribesmen.
Who is in the background in the Ukraine? Soros. These people thrive on chaos and mass murder.
so whats the problem?
chaos in the EU will breed the ultimate solution - ending the hegemony of the Empire of Chaos - The USA - the German & French Vassals deserve what they get as will all of NATO
let the advance of refugees descend like an endless wave
Putin has already said he has 3 million Uk several weeks ago - enough for a huge military force of exiles who have deserted the Uki army and draft - the game is set for reentry
You believe Putin? You know Russia invented the Potemkin Village.
Truth is crime to those in power.
I only have two evil words to say to this: Lloyd Blankfein.
Isn't the G20 going on in Turkey?
Yes, they are the government cheerleaders. Go, Erdy baby, go. Rah, Rah.
.....or maybe they are there for on the job training?
Mr. Erdogan here's a tip, ready ? Your a fucking terrorist!
Here is all the proof you need:
The following examples show the extent of Turkish involvement in the war on Syria:
–Turkey hosts the Political and Military Headquarters of the armed opposition. Most of the political leaders are former Syrians who have not lived there for decades.
–Turkey provides home base for armed opposition leaders. As quoted in the Vice News video “Syria: Wolves of the Valley”: “Most of the commanders actually live in Turkey and commute in to the fighting when necessary.”
–Turkey’s intelligence agency MIT has provided its own trucks for shipping huge quantities of weapons and ammunition to Syrian armed opposition groups. According to court testimony, they made at least 2,000 trips to Syria.
–Turkey is suspected of supplying the chemical weapons used in Ghouta in August 2013 as reported by Seymour Hersh here. In May 2013, Nusra fighters were arrested in possession of sarin but quickly and quietly released by Turkish authorities.
–Turkey’s foreign minister, top spy chief and senior military official were secretly recorded plotting an incident to justify Turkish military strikes against Syria. A sensational recording of the meeting was publicized, exposing the plot in advance and likely preventing it from proceeding.
–Turkey has provided direct aid and support to attacking insurgents. When insurgents attacked Kassab Syria on the border in spring 2014, Turkey provided backup military support and ambulances for injured fighters. Turkey shot down a Syrian jet fighter that was attacking the invading insurgents. The plane landed 7 kilometers inside Syrian territory, suggesting that Turkish claims it was in Turkish air space are likely untrue.
–Turkey has recently increased its coordination with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
more at:
https://consortiumnews.com/2015/06/25/turkeys-troubling-war-on-syria/
This is why dear leader called him first.
The Buried Canadian State Connection to ISIS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlDDpt65Tuo (11:18)
"Obviously we do what we can do to help." ...says one of Satan's minions
Hidden in plain sight:
International Security Intelligence Service.
anyone who says "i presume" is an asshole
Presumably not because they fail to capitalize "I".
i assume e.e. cummings meant tinky
Behold the glory of an Islamic nation. Attaturk's dream is over. Heading into the head and hand chopping phase.
Long as I remember the rain been comin' down
Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages tryin' to find the sun.
And I wonder still I wonder who'll stop the rain.
I went down Virginia seekin' shelter from the storm
Caught up in the fable I watched the tower grow
Five year plans and new deals wrapped in golden chains.
And I wonder still I wonder who'll stop the rain.
Heard the singers playin', how we cheered for more.
The crowd had rushed together tryin' to keep warm.
Still the rain kept pourin', fallin' on my ears
And I wonder, still I wonder who'll stop the rain.
-- CCR, Who'll Stop the Rain
Zion is a scheme, not an ethnicity..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIPan-rEQJA
It is reputed that some members of CCR are Zionists. You can never be too careful about what you like.
And for God's sake don't EVER quote Bob Dylan.
Turkiish democracy.
One man, one vote, one time.
Hashisheen dictatorship, one man, one vote for Erdogan, or one bullet; they never should have let Kennedy put those Jupiter missiles there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udo_FF_IXIE
This is the problem with overflight arrangements when you want to be "everywhere", even not so nice guys must end up appeased.
Dumb Nato/Neo-Liberal governments of Europe getting what they deserve, yet they won't admit this is all a consequence of the Pentagon's war policy. The Yanks are laughing their tits off, keep Europe and the middle east in ruin, then move in and pick up cheap assets and contracts. The Chinese with their warships off Alaska's coast are finally playing the game, all according to script. If you want employment, the intelligence agencies are screaming out for people; they have big plans for Turkey and Central Asia.
You guys better have that gold in a deep, deep lake. And not a soul can know.
Those in-laws will snipe you in a flash. Well, maybe a 5% finders fee will entice them. Hide your cash.
LOL
The whole organism of corruption often functions as a single psychopath, when they are not gaslighting they are using your empathy against you. As stated above Turkey is a mass migration nuke and naturally people are going to want to defend their nations and persons from the potential chaos.
Its absolutely sickening how the European portion of the organism is using this dead toddler as a tool to manipulate peoples empathy in the hopes that they will slit their own wrists. Those that are not willing to go along will be called racists, heartless and conspiracy theorists.
Amount of misinformation and ignorance about Turkey is really incredible. This articles claims are wrong on so many levels I dont know where to begin.
Totally BS Western propoganda No 1 : Erdogan nullify the election results
Erdogan has no influence or anything on election results. the reason why Turkey is going to re-election is a systemic error which requires a party to get 50% or more of the public votes. This is nonsense because there is really no example in developed democracies that one party gets more than 50-60% of the public votes. Most of them wins the election by 28-35% of the votes. In Turkeys case, AKP got the 41% of the public votes -by far the most clear election victory in Europe- yet system does not allow them to form a goverment. Coalitions are not an option also because 4 parties currently represting 96% of the turkish public can not come together in any circumstence due to very high political tension. So it is a mere system error, Erdogan has nothing to do with it.
Totally BS Western propoganda No 2 : Turkish democracy, 1 man ,1 vote,1 time
Believe it or not, there is no democracy in USA or EU. Freedom of choice is just an illusion because all of the choices serve to the interests of certain people behind the curtains. That is why no election outcome can change anything significant in USA or EU. They are all same parties with different make-ups. Where as at Turkey, there is a real democracy. Fundementally very different -even extreme- parties entering elections. All of them have their own media sources. Did you know there are more anti-AKP media channels,newspapers etc. than there is pro-AKP ? Every political tendancy is represented in every way without any restricition. I doubt there is anyway more democratic election system out there comparing to Turkey.
Totally BS Western propoganda No 3 : Nato backed ISIS offensive as an excuse eradicate pro-kurdish sentiment
This is also very much paradoxial claim that western media pumps everywhere. If that claim was true, then why have AKP goverment started the "Çözüm Süreci" meaning the resolution of problems of kurdish citizens 3 years ago. This has been on going since 2011 and every action taking has been pro-kurdish, giving back the fundamental human rights, encourage them to spread their own culture/language political beliefs. AKP goverment even funded TV channels that broadcast only in Kurdish language. So backing up ISIS to erdicate pro-kurdish sentiment is nonsense, why would they try to destroy everything that they build so difficultly and carefully ? This makes no sense. On the other hand, stability in that region is very much an undesireable outcome for western countries. So turning kurds to turkish goverment by using falseflag terror attacks and disgusting misinformation throughout media does make sense.
These are just from top of my head, there is a lot more. I still do not understand why ZH is so way way off about Turkey. It is hard not to think malevolence. Within the millions of photos why Erdogans most vicious and terrible agressive looking pictures are selected ? It is obvious that somebody is trying to paint Erdogan as another boogeyman.
The Kurds love Israel. Shouldn't every right thinking ZHer be against them?
The Kurds are ISIS in drag, but when you balkanize Iraq you need to deal with all the resulting tentacles to git er done; all part of the "keep em fightin'" routine of the puppetmasters, and why they'd even suggest backing their old pals Al Qaeda again. They are dependent upon chaos being sown and the no-bid deals to clean up to boot.
Smedley was so fuckin' right.
Payback for meddling in Ukraine.