Archivo de la etiqueta: Turkey

Turkmenistan to buy eight warships in Turkey

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Dearsan New Type Patrol Boat, by DEARSAN

Turkmenistan to buy eight warships in Turkey


Published on Monday, 17 June 2013 Written by The Times of Central Asia

ASHGABAT (TCA) ―Turkmenistan will buy eight new well armed naval vessels from Turkey that significantly strengthen the naval fleet of the country, said the publication eurasianet.

The order will be implemented by the Turkish producer Dearsan, from which Ashgabat has already bought two high-speed patrol boats.

The eight new ships will be of the same size, but with better weapons. Each will be equipped with four anti-ship missiles, two anti-aircraft missile systems “surface-to-air” with remote control, six mortars, one 40mm gun, two 25-mm machine guns with a remote control and two 12.7-mm machine guns with remote control.

In addition to the above vessels, Turkmenistan has purchased five rocket launches from Russia.

These vessels seriously increase the Navy of Turkmenistan, which is becoming a serious competitor to Azerbaijan and Iran on the Caspian Sea.

Battle of Trees in Istanbul, Spring 2013

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GeziPark4“Gotta love the creativity of Turkish people clashing with tear gas shot by the police in Istanbul”/@Selintifada – BoingBoing

Appel from E. Erdinc Gülbas, Assist. Prof. dr. at Istanbul Gelisim University / via  Linkedin

Dear friends all around the world,

Something brave and significant is happening in Istanbul, Turkey.

A late blooming Occupy wave one might call it.

Citizens tired of a bullying government with its corrupt management of public spaces and reckless abuse of land are coming together to protect a public park in the heart of the Istanbul which is under the threat of being demolished so the 94th shopping mall can be built in its place. People are holding in spite of the brutal attacks by the police (today’s attack was at 5am in the morning one shall point out! including tear gas bombs, burning the tents, hospitalizing a person…). It is the 3rd day now, more than 10,000 people have gathered in the park!

Meanwhile, public spaces are being sold to hotels, precious ecosystems are being wasted for more industry, power plants, 3rd bridge over Bosphorus!

This has become a matter about more than just saving trees. This is an ‘I can do whatever I damn well want’, fascist mentality that not only supresses but attacks its own people

To make matters worse, media channels are being censored so as not to display the news.

#direngeziparki is now the 2nd worldwide trending topic on Twitter.

Please help us to share this message and stop prime minister Erdogan’s ruthless, inhumane acts.

What you can do:

- Send your support messages through twitter with the #direngeziparki hashtag
- Tag @bbc @cnn @reuters and other large media channels in these posts
- Let your local and national media channels know

Please help spread the news globally.

We need all the support we can get now !!!!

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The US In Central Asia: Still An Important Balancer?

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NDN2

The US In Central Asia: Still An Important Balancer?

By Azad Garibov, JTW-USAK, May 28, 2013

For more than a decade after the 9/11 attacks, the war in Afghanistan has been the point of reference for U.S. policy toward Central Asia. American military bases in the region and the region’s role in facilitating the supply chain for U.S. and NATO troops were the chief concerns of U.S. policy throughout period. On the eve of the U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan, Central Asian countries seem worried that the withdrawal will downgrade their importance for Washington. It is argued both in and outside the region that U.S. engagement in Central Asia will be weakened, leaving regional countries exposed to extremist threats from south as well as the influence of powerful neighbors such as Russia and China. Despite their efforts to maximize their economic and military gains from the withdrawal process, Central Asian countries would still prefer to benefit from ongoing U.S. commitment to the region.

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Asian Nations Are Not Popular Worldwide: BBC Poll

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comic map of east asia

LF Cartoons, by Luke Farookhi, 07/04/2013

Asian Nations Are Not Popular Worldwide: BBC Poll

By Zachary Keck, The Diplomat, May 29, 2013

Asia is not very popular around the world and the popularity of many countries in the region is trending downward, according to an annual poll by the BBC.

The 2013 edition of the BBC World Service’s Country Ratings Poll ranks the popularity of 16 countries and the EU based on whether over 26,000 respondents in 25 countries viewed their influence around the world as “mostly positive” or “mostly negative.”

After ranking as the most popular country in the world in 2012, Japan fell to fourth place this year as positive views of it declined by 7 percent while negative views were up by 6 percent. Overall, however, 51 percent of respondents said they viewed Tokyo’s influence as positive whereas just 27 percent viewed it negatively. This still made it the top ranking Asian country and the only one to be included in the top half of the poll.

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The Gulenists fight back

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Gülen_Erdogan Founder of the Gülen movement, Muhammed Fethullah Gülen (L) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R). Read more: “The Coalition Crumbles: Erdoğan, the Gülenists, and Turkish Democracy”

Turkey’s political imams

The Gulenists fight back

A Muslim cleric in America wields surprising political power in Turkey

May 18th 2013, NEW JERSEY

IN A recent sermon Fethullah Gulen, Turkey’s most powerful Muslim cleric, preached against hubris. Delivered in rural Pennsylvania, where Mr Gulen lives in self-imposed exile, it was broadcast from his website with an electrifying effect. Was the holy man alluding to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s increasingly authoritarian prime minister?

Mr Gulen is the spiritual leader of a global network, the Hizmet (meaning service), that includes media outlets, schools and charities. These have spread his pacifist, modern-minded Islam, often praised as a contrast to more extreme Salafism. Much of the network is financed by Anatolian businessmen.

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