Tweet
NOTES FROM DAVOS
By Taha Akyol
Turkish Press
Jan 29 2008
MILLIYET- I was in Davos for the Turkish Night on Saturday. Victor
Halsberstadt, an international relations expert, compared Turkey
and Russia, saying both used to be empires, both countries are
nationalistic, the economies of both are rapidly growing, the strategic
positions and roles of both are impressive, and they~Rre both modern
countries. He said by ~Qmodern~R he meant they are governed by
elected politicians with a central, rational bureaucracy. Despite
this comparison, he said Turkey is on better ground, because it~Rs
open to postmodernism. In other words, Turkey is ahead of Russia
on such issues as the development of civil society, decentralized
administration gradually gaining ground, pluralism, openness to the
world, and a dynamic entrepreneurial class.
Hanzade Dogan Boyner of the Dogan Group touted Turkey's role as
a strategic corridor by citing figures on international oil and
gas production and consumption. As a banker, Suzan Sabanci stressed
Turkey's economic dynamism in the eyes of finance. Foreign Minister
Ali Babacan got positive reviews for his speech full of detailed
economic data and covering such issues as Armenia, the Kurds, Article
301, the military and democracy. Then I ran into UN Development
Program head and former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis and told him
Bill Gates' 'humane capitalism' was like his 'social-liberal
synthesis.' 'Yes, it's like that in terms of humane pursuit and
sensitivity towards poverty,' Dervis said. He added that but he
wouldn't use the term capitalism, because, as its name indicates,
it's pro-capital. Dervis also said that it's something good that
this humane need is felt in the capitalist world. According to Dervis,
no economic crisis should be expected either in the world or Turkey,
but stagnancy will create problems.
Meanwhile, Sedat Ergin, the Ankara bureau chief of Milliyet daily,
was talking to Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Behram Salih. I joined in
their conversation and heard that they met each other when Ergin was
a correspondent in Washington. Salih told me that Iraq's Kurds are
becoming more Iraqi and terrorism is on the wane. I told him that this
was a good development and that Turkey should support this process,
and he agreed. He believes relations between Ankara and Iraqi President
Jalal Talabani will develop. Babacan and the businessmen also showed
great interest in Israeli President Shimon Peres. I also joined them
and told Peres his presence shows the Turkish-Israeli friendship. He
told me he shared those feelings.
There was a French Night in the hall upstairs at the same time.
Everybody was going there as well and wondering which event was
better. There was French wine and music at the French Night. At the
Turkish Night, besides drinks, there was Turkish food, a whirling
dervish performance, a tabor concert by Burhan Ocal and songs by
Demet Tuncer and Kenan Dogulu. The guests flocked to scarves and ties
given out by Vakko as party favors. As the issue of religion was also
discussed in Davos this year, Protestant and Catholic clergymen from
France, whose secularism is mature, got a lot of attention. What
would happen if the head of our Religious Affairs Directorate or
high-ranking imams had come? I don't know if our young secularists
would be angry. Maybe I'm speaking too emotionally, I don't know, but
I think the more colorful and lively Turkish night was better than the
French night, and our businessmen paid $3 million to make it happen!
By Taha Akyol
Turkish Press
Jan 29 2008
MILLIYET- I was in Davos for the Turkish Night on Saturday. Victor
Halsberstadt, an international relations expert, compared Turkey
and Russia, saying both used to be empires, both countries are
nationalistic, the economies of both are rapidly growing, the strategic
positions and roles of both are impressive, and they~Rre both modern
countries. He said by ~Qmodern~R he meant they are governed by
elected politicians with a central, rational bureaucracy. Despite
this comparison, he said Turkey is on better ground, because it~Rs
open to postmodernism. In other words, Turkey is ahead of Russia
on such issues as the development of civil society, decentralized
administration gradually gaining ground, pluralism, openness to the
world, and a dynamic entrepreneurial class.
Hanzade Dogan Boyner of the Dogan Group touted Turkey's role as
a strategic corridor by citing figures on international oil and
gas production and consumption. As a banker, Suzan Sabanci stressed
Turkey's economic dynamism in the eyes of finance. Foreign Minister
Ali Babacan got positive reviews for his speech full of detailed
economic data and covering such issues as Armenia, the Kurds, Article
301, the military and democracy. Then I ran into UN Development
Program head and former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis and told him
Bill Gates' 'humane capitalism' was like his 'social-liberal
synthesis.' 'Yes, it's like that in terms of humane pursuit and
sensitivity towards poverty,' Dervis said. He added that but he
wouldn't use the term capitalism, because, as its name indicates,
it's pro-capital. Dervis also said that it's something good that
this humane need is felt in the capitalist world. According to Dervis,
no economic crisis should be expected either in the world or Turkey,
but stagnancy will create problems.
Meanwhile, Sedat Ergin, the Ankara bureau chief of Milliyet daily,
was talking to Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Behram Salih. I joined in
their conversation and heard that they met each other when Ergin was
a correspondent in Washington. Salih told me that Iraq's Kurds are
becoming more Iraqi and terrorism is on the wane. I told him that this
was a good development and that Turkey should support this process,
and he agreed. He believes relations between Ankara and Iraqi President
Jalal Talabani will develop. Babacan and the businessmen also showed
great interest in Israeli President Shimon Peres. I also joined them
and told Peres his presence shows the Turkish-Israeli friendship. He
told me he shared those feelings.
There was a French Night in the hall upstairs at the same time.
Everybody was going there as well and wondering which event was
better. There was French wine and music at the French Night. At the
Turkish Night, besides drinks, there was Turkish food, a whirling
dervish performance, a tabor concert by Burhan Ocal and songs by
Demet Tuncer and Kenan Dogulu. The guests flocked to scarves and ties
given out by Vakko as party favors. As the issue of religion was also
discussed in Davos this year, Protestant and Catholic clergymen from
France, whose secularism is mature, got a lot of attention. What
would happen if the head of our Religious Affairs Directorate or
high-ranking imams had come? I don't know if our young secularists
would be angry. Maybe I'm speaking too emotionally, I don't know, but
I think the more colorful and lively Turkish night was better than the
French night, and our businessmen paid $3 million to make it happen!