Even though the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has a population of merely 326,000, it boasts 21 universities which are largely only recognised by itself and by its big brother, Turkey.
The universities try to attract foreign students with degree programs, which often only serve as a pretext to get people much closer to the external borders of the EU.
Turkey’s online community has been rocked by a scandal surrounding Twitch after it was revealed that Amazon’s live streaming service is used to launder money worth millions of dollars. The scheme was noticed by Twitch streamers after a massive data leak on Oct. 6, which showed thousands of streamers’ payouts. Upon a close inspection, Turkish …
In his 2013 speech in Tusványos, PM Viktor Orbán mentioned Turkey as an example of an illiberal democracy. Since then, Hungary has not only moved closer to Ankara in ideological terms, but trade between the two countries has also increased significantly. More recently, the Turks have also been involved in the development of the Hungarian …
A new investigation has focused on Turkey’s use of missiles as part of its operations in Syria. These are missiles fired from Turkish drones. Conflict Armament Research (CAR), a European Union-funded organization that helps trace munitions and other items in conflict, has done important work over the years documenting weapons in other countries of the region. …
Turkish missiles used in Syria included items meant for ambulances – The Jerusalem Post Read More »
“Since the 1960s, Turkish traffickers have dominated the global heroin trade, establishing both deep corruption webs at home and a criminal tapestry of port contacts, logistics networks and distribution gangs across Europe,” the report said. “By the 1980s, this had consolidated into the so-called “Balkan Route”: a modern multi-branched Silk Road that transported opiates from Afghanistan and Iran, through the Turkish land mass and into Europe via the Balkans.
A second factor is their connections. After the Balkan route coalesced in the 80s, Turkish organized criminals came into contact with their Latin American equivalents, building a flourishing barter economy of heroin for cocaine.
Above all, the regime in Ankara has violated the constitution and the existing domestic and international laws so many times that it does not have the luxury of losing the elections and simply handing power to its successor. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his proxies could face multiple life sentences.
Thus the regime has a multilayer strategy to win the elections.
The arrest and release of a Turkish businessman close to the government on drug trafficking charges, only after an alert from German authorities, appears to follow classic stalling tactics often used by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to deflect international criticism.
Time and again the Erdoğan government has “sandbagged” efforts to effectively investigate criminal conduct when the investigation incriminated or implicated senior government officials, members of the ruling Islamist elite or their associates.