Turkey

In late November, Turkey dropped the word “independence” from its central bank mandate.

Although a few analysts and strategists attempted to downplay the omission by advising the market to “focus on the meaning rather than individual words” and despite assurances from Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, who said “speculation over wording on central bank independence in the new government program doesn’t reflect the truth,” there’s reason to be concerned.

German TV station Tele5 has changed its logo to represent German and Turkish solidarity in the face of the recent terrorist attacks in Istanbul which killed 10 German tourists.  The new logo shows the Islamic star and crescent of Turkey’s flag superimposed on the national tricolor. The change in logo comes just two weeks after the New Year’s Eve sexual assaults on revelers in Cologne by newly arrived migrants, that led to a rise of anti-immigration sentiment in Germany and other European countries.

More evidence has emerged that reveals how Turkey directly aids ISIS, with help from Washington and other NATO-allied countries.  Foreign support lets terrorist groups in Syria, Iraq and Libya thrive. Without it they’d become a spent force, unable to operate effectively on their own – what media scoundrels never explain, perpetuating the myth of US war on ISIS.

From the time AKP lost its absolute majority in parliament in June of last year, Turkey has been a hotbed for violence.

A suicide bomber killed more than two dozen people in Suruc the month after the elections, setting the stage for six months of turmoil including a deadly blast in Ankara that left more than 100 dead in October. Some have suggested the Erdogan regime staged the attacks in an effort to show Turks why a “strong” AKP government is necessary to keep the "peace".

According to a new report issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Obama administration are very concerned following Turkish President Erdogan’s public praise of Nazi Germany.  The report states that Erdogan has requesting to become a “super president” by increasing the executive powers available to him, looking at Hitler’s Germany as inspiration for a constitutional reform in Turkey.