X's ai chatbot Grok is now blocked in #Turkey. Amazing how Erdoğan's prosecutors still find time to ban Grok, even while working overtime targeting the CHP. Multitasking authoritarianism at its finest.
Posts by Wolf Piccoli
Almost 2 years into #simsek 's 'stabilization' program (built on 2 pillars: tight monetary policy & fairy tales about reforms etc) and the déjà vu is getting hard to ignore.
Failure is in the air.
#Turkey #sameold
Disgraced former #TCMB Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan just landed a job at the Presidency, heading some kind of investment and finance office -on the taxpayer’s dime, of course. #Erdoğan always takes care of his people." You can’t make this up.
Source: www.paramedya.com/devami/12962...
@financialtimes.com , you can do better than ⬇️ "well respected" by whom at this stage? Simsek has been in his parallel reality over the past 2y. Zero reforms, fiscal not supportive of disinflationary efforts. #Turkey
In its press release, the #TCMB stated, "Going forward, increased coordination of fiscal policy will also contribute significantly to this [disinflationary] process." I am sceptical – my view via ft.com/content/1271... by @aylajean.bsky.social
#Turkey
Amid recent prosecutions of #TÜSİAD leaders, this new case highlights growing scrutiny of corporate figures in Turkey.
The trajectory of the business environment in #Turkey is increasingly negative.
Köksal’s reply—criticizing the greeting and warning against future messages—was copied to employees (a mistake?). Now, Zorlu CEO faces a prosecutor’s investigation for obstructing freedom of belief.
When corporate comms go wrong: a simple Ramadan greeting sparks a legal storm.
#Vestel CEO Ergün #Güler sent a company-wide Ramadan message, but #Zorlu Holding (which controls Vestel) CEO Cem #Köksal wasn’t pleased.
The imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah #Öcalan, has called on the group to disarm and disband. This could mark a historic turning point. #Turkey ⬇️
The message is clear: In Erdoğan’s Turkey, dissent is criminal
Meanwhile, the AKP’s Gezi narrative does double duty: rallying its hardcore base while deflecting attention from real crises—soaring living costs, institutional decay, and deadly disasters like the Bolu hotel fire.
By arresting people over the 2013 #Gezi protests, the regime isn’t just settling old scores—it’s sending a warning shot. With talk of a political ban on İmamoğlu, is this a pre-emptive strike against future unrest?
And the targets? Broader than ever. Politicians from across the political spectrum, journalists, society figures etc
But unlike past crackdowns, this time, the regime isn’t even bothering with pretense—no elaborate justifications, no legal fig leaves. Just raw, unfiltered authoritarianism and laughable accusations
The arrests are now coming so fast and from so many directions that it's getting hard to keep track
Who’s next? That’s the chilling question in #Turkey as #Erdoğan’s judiciary is carrying out yet another wave of repression. A thread🔽
Fast forward to 2025, Tassoulas is set to become Greece’s next president—but Menendez has been handed something entirely different: an 11-year prison sentence for bribery and corruption.
In Aug 2021, Parliament Speaker K. #Tassoulas told then-Sen. B. #Menendez, “We are handing over #Greece to you.”
youtu.be/MWNx_JztG0U?...
2025 Predictions for Turkey’s Economic Policy
With contributions by:
@iriscibre.bsky.social
@wolfpiccoli.bsky.social
@sinanulgen.bsky.social
www.turkeyrecap.com/i/153969325/...
#Turkey is well positioned to reap rewards from #Assad 's ouster but there is a big IF -- my comments via ekathimerini.com/politics/12557… by @nstamouli.bsky.social
#Syria #Turkey #Erdogan
A pleasure to join Thanos Davelis for a conversation on Prime Minister Kyriakos #Mitsotakis’ bold and risky move to expel former prime minister and lawmaker Antonis #Samaras from New Democracy: thegreekcurrent.simplecast.com/episodes/mitso…
#Greece