Saudi Arabia is trying to strangle American shale oil. They’ve been going at it for months now, and American shale has resisted. Forced into greater efficiency, production is up and American producers look better equipped to face low prices in the future. The Saudis are a bit surprised, but the battle is far from over. […]
In a small group, on-the-record meeting with Japanese Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae just days before Prime Minister Abe’s Washington visit, I was able to glean some insight into not only Japan’s goals for the trip, but its long-term strategy for getting more from the US than it wants to give as well. Success is by no […]
Something interesting is happening now. Energy insiders and OPEC officials are saying publicly and privately that the days of OPEC managing the market is over, and it certainly seems that OPEC’s cohesion is breaking down. In truth, OPEC may already be a thing of the path, and Saudi Arabia appears to be in the midst of creating […]
We talk a lot about how geopolitics affect economic performance, and vice-versa. But we miss the importance of the overlap between the two policy sets. With American economic and foreign policy barely containing crises, it is time to consider the two, together, in the same conversation. We talk a lot about how geopolitics affect economic […]
Like my friend Esther’s father Jamie, I am a Charles Dickens fan because of the novelist’s exquisite use of the English language. I recently realized that I should also read Dickens to understand today’s Turkey. Here is the intro. to my latest Hurriyet Daily News (HDN) column. The title, which summarizes the column well, should dispel any […]
It is no secret that the top priority of the new Greek government will be to negotiate a reduction in the country’s debt – as well as to broker softer terms on the austerity conditions forced by its creditors. Until as recently as the wee hours of Thursday, I thought that this would be unethical. Here is the […]
The Charlie Hebdo attack has led many to claim that – or at least question why – Islam is associated with terrorism. I would reverse the order of causality the question implies. We must first try to answer why there are so many terrorist organizations linked to radical Islam. The attack led me to read, […]
I had very high expectations from “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, the latest Wes Anderson movie which was nominated for nine Oscars on Jan. 15, four days after winning the best musical or comedy at the Golden Globes on Jan. 11. Not only because I am big Anderson fan, but also because the movie is inspired […]
After revealing the first nine on Nov. 6, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu unveiled seven more transformation programs of the government’s ambitious reform strategy at a press conference on Dec. 18. In my latest Hurriyet Daily News (HDN) column, I explain why it is a complete waste of time to discuss the second part of the […]
The politician formerly known as PreSinister (President Prime Minister), and currently self-proclaimed Sultan, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave a great speech this week that summarized two key issues of the Turkish economy better than I could have in a dozen columns. Speaking at the “Women and Justice Summit,” hosted by the Women and Democracy Association (KADEM), […]