Academic Economists to Consider Ethics Code

By SEWELL CHAN

WASHINGTON — When the Stanford business professor Darrell Duffie co-wrote a book on how to overhaul Wall Street regulations, he did not mention that he sits on the board of Moody’s, the credit rating agency. 

As a commentator on the economy, Laura D’Andrea Tyson, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton who teaches in the business school at the University of California, Berkeley, does not usually say that she is a director of Morgan Stanley.

And the faculty Web page of Richard H. Clarida, a Columbia professor who was a Treasury official under President George W. Bush, omits that he is an executive vice president at Pimco, the giant bond fund manager.

Academic economists, particularly those active in policy debates in Washington and Wall Street, are facing greater scrutiny of their outside activities these days. Faced with a run of criticism, including a popular movie, leaders of the American Economic Association, the world’s largest professional society for economists, founded in 1885, are considering a step that most other professions took a long time ago — adopting a code of ethical standards. 

read full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/31/business/economy/31economists.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimes

Türkiye'nin Enerji Durumu ve Geleceği

23 Aralıkta Yusuh Hazar'ın kaleme aldığı ve SETA tarafından yayınlanan "Türkiye'nin Enerji Durumu ve Geleceği" başlıklı rapor Türkiye'de enerji sektörünün bugünkü durumuna ve geleceğine ilişkin perspektif sunan güzel bir çalışma olmuş.Enerji sektöründe çalışan uzman, akademisyen ve sektör temsilcilerinin yanısıra konuya ilgi duyanlarında beğeneceği özet bir çalışma olmuş.

Rapora kısaca göz atacak olursak:
"Bölgeyle ilgili geliştirilen uluslararası projelerde belirleyici bir tutumla rol alan Türkiye, ken­disini enerji alanında bir aktör olarak kabul ettirmiş durumdadır.


Gelişmekte olan bir ülke olarak Türkiye’nin giderek artan enerji talebini karşılamada bilinen hid­rokarbon kaynakları açık bir biçimde yetersizdir. Türkiye, bir taraftan yerli kaynakların aranma faali­yetlerini yoğunlaştırırken, bir taraftan da yenilenebilir enerji kaynaklarının devreye alınması, enerji verimliliğinin artırılması, ülkenin coğrafi konumundan yararlanılması gibi diğer mümkün potansiyel­lerini harekete geçirmenin çabası içinde bulunmaktadır.

2001 yılından bu yana Türkiye enerji sektörü, sektörün liberalizasyonunu hedefleyen reform ça­pında çok ciddi bir yeniden yapılanma sürecinden geçmektedir. Piyasalara ilişkin yasalar çıkartılmış, ilgili ikincil mevzuat düzenlemeleri büyük ölçüde tamamlanmıştır. Böylece, rekabetçi ve şeffaf bir enerji piyasası için atılabilecek adımların önemli bir bölümü atılmış bulunulmaktadır.

Türk enerji politikası bugün yenilenebilir enerji kaynaklarından elektrik üretimi ve enerjinin üre­timden tüketime kadar her safhasında verimliliğin artırılmasına önem ve öncelik veren, enerji kay­nağı ve ithalatta kaynak ülke çeşitlemesini ön plana çıkartan, ‘enerji koridoru’ rolüne özel bir vurgu yapan ve olmazsa olmaz olarak piyasa liberalizasyonunun altını çizen bir tutumu yansıtmaktadır.

Bölgeyle ilgili geliştirilen tüm uluslararası projelerde belirleyici bir tutumla rol alan Türkiye, ken­disini enerji alanında bir aktör olarak kabul ettirmiş durumdadır. Özellikle petrol ve doğalgazın kay­nak ülkelerden kaynakları yetersiz ithalata bağımlı Batılı ülkelere taşınmasını hedefleyen boru hattı projeleri, karşılıklı bağımlılığa da vurgu yapan bugünkü Türk dış politikasında destek bulduğu kadar ona destek de vermektedir.

Türkiye hem arz güvenliği ve kaynak çeşitliliğinin sağlanması, hem de uluslararası kamuoyunda iklim değişikliği bağlamında öngörülen hedeflere yakın bir hedefi gerçekleştirebilmek için nükleer enerjiye ihtiyaç duymaktadır. Nükleer elektrik santralı kurma girişimlerinin Türkiye’de nükleer tekno­lojinin diğer alanlardaki (tıp, ziraat, vd.) kullanımlarında da yararlanılabilecek bir birikimin oluşması­na katkı yapması beklenmektedir.

raporun tamamını okumak için aşağıdaki adresten pdf olarak indirebilirsiniz:
http://setav.org/ups/dosya/58085.pdf

What can the US learn from Turkey in the Middle East?

WikiLeaks’ release of US diplomatic cables, needless to say, will have an enormous impact on relations between the United States and the rest of the world.

Turkey, like other countries in the region, was affected by the release of documents although President Barack Obama called Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday and told him some of the comments in the cables do not reflect the view of the current US government and that the US-Turkish alliance is vital, Erdoğan’s office said in a statement on its website. However, earlier this month, Erdoğan reacted furiously to claims relayed in a 2004 diplomatic memo. Tony Karon is currently a senior editor at Time magazine and an accomplished journalist who has been focusing on the Middle East for many years. I interviewed Karon about the so-called shift in Turkish foreign policy and how Turkey was portrayed in the US documents. read full article: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-230692-what-can-the-us-learn-from-turkey-in-the-middle-east.html

2010: A difficult year in Turkish-American relations

As we approach the end of the year, it is time to take stock of 2010 and offer some predictions for next year in Turkish-American relations. Overall, 2010 proved to be a challenging year for the Washington-Ankara axis. From of the point of view of the Obama administration, the most disappointing part was no doubt Ankara’s Iran policy, culminated with the “no” vote at the United Nations Security Council. Particularly frustrating for Washington was that the Turkish vote came at a time when all P-5 (permanent five) countries -- including Russia and China -- voted in favor of sanctions against Iran. President Barack Obama reportedly tried to convince Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a 45-minute phone conversation the night before the vote and pleaded at least for abstention if voting “yes” would not prove feasible. The fact that Turkey opted for a “no” came as a bitter reminder to the Obama administration that on issues of utmost strategic and national security importance to Washington, Turkey could no longer be trusted. As a result, Ankara lost considerable leverage and goodwill in the American capital. read full: http://www.todayszaman.com/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=230770

Çin Tehdidine Karşı Japon Ordusuna Yeni Ayar

Rusya’yı bir kenara koyan yeni Japon savunma politikası dikkatini Pekin ve Pyongyang’a çevirdi. Söz konusu yeni politikanın Çin-Japonya ilişkilerinde var olan yaralara merhem olsun diye yapılmadığı ortada. Cuma günü, gelecek on yıla ilişkin Japon savunma politikasını ortaya koyan belgenin yayınlanması Çin’i öfkelendirdi. Zira büyüyen Çin askeri gücü belgede « endişe kaynağı » olarak nitelendiriliyor, bu ise esasında bundan sonra Çin’in Tokyo için temel tehdit unsuru olduğu anlamına geliyordu. Vakit geçmeden duruma tepki gösteren Çin diplomasisi tarafından söz konusu beyanname «sorumsuzluk» olarak değerlendirilirken, Çin’in « kimseyi tehdit etme niyetinin olmadığı», barışçıl bir kalkınma yolunu takip ettiği » ve savunma politikasının sadece ve sadece « savunma » hedefi taşıdığı dile getirildi.
Cuma günü hükümet tarafından kabul edilen « Gelecek On Yıla İlişkin Milli Savunma Programına Yönelik Direktifler » başlıklı belge ülkeyi soğuk savaş anlayışından çıkarma hedefi taşıyor. Belgede büyük bir değişimin ortaya konduğu ya da en azından zaten var olan değişimin resmî bir statüye kavuşturulduğu belgeye göre artık birincil öncelik eskilerin Sovyet şimdinin ise potansiyel Rus tehdidine karşı hazırlıklı olmak değil, Çin’in büyüyen askeri kapasitesini frenlemek. Kuzey Kore ise belgede gayet mantıklı bir şekilde « aciliyet arz eden bir etken ve istikrarsızlık kaynağı » ve de bir numaralı düşman olarak yer alıyor.

haberin tamamını okumak için:
http://www.ekopolitik.org/public/news.aspx?id=5182&pid=18

Obama may have to re-nominate his Ankara pick

The US president may bypass the Senate and unilaterally install Frank Ricciardone as ambassador to Ankara prior to the Senate’s return from recess Jan. 3, because a re-nomination in a newly convened Senate could be too time-consuming, sources say. The US has not had an ambassador in Ankara for the more than five months since previous envoy James Jeffrey left the Turkish capital in July to become US ambassador to Baghdad.

United States President Barack Obama may have to re-nominate his ambassadorial pick for Ankara, Frank Ricciardone, whose appointment is yet to be confirmed, when the U.S. Senate sits next week, multiple U.S. and Turkish sources have said.

Alternatively, Obama may employ a rarely exercised authority to bypass the Senate and unilaterally install Ricciardone as U.S. ambassador in Ankara while the Senate remains on vacation until Jan. 3, they told Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review late Monday.

read full article:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=obama-may-have-to-re-nominate-ankara-envoy-2010-12-28

The trouble with Ottomania

Leaning to the east, Turkey must still look west

For a country that for many years has been on the periphery of Europe, Turkey will play a bigger role than usual in 2011. One reason is that it will be Europe’s fastest-growing sizeable economy for the second year running (growth in 2010 was close to 6%). Indeed, it is likely to be outpaced in the world only by China, India and some smaller emerging markets.

This economic success will propel the mildly Islamist Justice and Development (AK) party, led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to yet another election win in the summer of 2011, after those of 2002 and 2007, although its majority is likely to shrink once more. The AK government handsomely won a referendum on constitutional changes in September 2010. That left the main opposition parties, which advocated a “no” vote, in disarray.

As a reinvigorated prime minister, Mr Erdogan will set about rewriting Turkey’s constitution, still in essence the one imposed by the army after a coup in 1980. Not surprisingly, it gives the army special privileges and constrains Turkey’s political parties—for instance, by making it easy for the courts to ban a party and by setting a 10% threshold before a party wins parliamentary seats.

read full article:
http://www.economist.com/node/17493321

The economist dergisi 2011 yılını değerlendirdiği yazısında Türkiye'ye ve Dış Politikasındaki son gelişmelere yer verdi.

Pipeline politics: Turkey’s Russian rapprochement by Aaron Stein*

Russia was long considered enemy number one in Turkey. Through the long Ottoman era Turkey and Russia fought a number of brutal wars. From 1923 until 1991, the Turkish Republic was responsible for guarding NATO’s southern flank.

However, these circumstances changed after the end of the Cold War, when scores of Turkish entrepreneurs, looking for business opportunities in the underdeveloped economies of the Soviet states, flocked east. These investments paid off because in 2008, Russia surpassed Germany as Turkey’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade expected to top $40 billion by the end of 2010. Russia provides Turkey with 68 percent of its natural gas and 20 percent of its imported oil. Thousands of Russian tourists visit Turkey every year and the two countries recently signed an agreement to waive visa restrictions. Moreover, Turkey recently removed Russia from the “Red Book” -- a national security document that lists Turkey’s external security threats. Much of the growth in trade volume is due to Turkey’s growing energy imports from Russia. Turkey finds itself at the center of the energy-rich Middle East and Eurasia region and has made it a priority to establish itself as Europe’s oil and gas hub. Russia, which is keen on controlling natural gas supply routes to Europe, sees Turkey as a vital strategic choke point and is intent on making a number of diplomatic inroads to ensure that its energy and economic interests are protected. *Aaron Stein is a freelance journalist based in İstanbul. read full: http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?load=detay&newsId=230794&link=230794

TURKISH - U.S. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP*

Over the decades, the Turkish-American relationship has transcended the
limits of a political and military alliance, evolving into a strategic partnership
that comprises not only political but also economic, cultural, and social
spheres. The vision of a model partnership takes the Turkish-American relationship
a step further than ever before. It envisages close cooperation between
a secular and predominantly Muslim nation that has multiple regional
identities and a Western superpower with global standing. We believe that
Turkey’s relations with other global actors are complementary. Our relations
with the United States and the EU complement our presence in Eurasia and
the Middle East and are not mutually exclusive.

read full:
http://www.turkishpolicy.com/dosyalar/files/13-21.pdf

*Namık Tan is the Ambassador of Turkey to the United States.

Türkiye'nin Washington Büyükelçisi Namık Tan'ın Turkish Policy dergisinin son sayısında yayınlanan "Türk - Amerikan Stratejik ortaklığı" başlıklı makalesini yukarıdaki linkten okuyabilirsiniz.

Israeli Defense Minister Says Turkey Tensions Must Ease

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that Israel stands to gain by reducing tensions with Turkey.

His comments came in response to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's comments Sunday rejecting a demand from Turkey that Israel apologize for its attack on a Turkish ship last May that killed nine people.

read full article:
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Ehud-Barak-Turkey-Tensions-Must-Ease--112506844.html?utm_source=voa_news-twitter-account&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitterfeed