This is a deeply worrying, must-read article published in the Daily Telegraph. Check it out!
via Millions of pounds of aid money is at risk of falling into criminal hands, warn MPs – Telegraph.
Despite the savage impact of austerity, David Cameron’s government has ring-fenced foreign aid, yet it looks like the money has gone to criminals.
Let me ask an open question:
Surely, it time to do a zero-based budgeting exercise on foreign aid and start from a white sheet of paper?
Thoughts?
Map of Ottoman Empire (1900) in German (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This book review, published in Hurriyat News, one of Turkey‘s leading news outlets, is a must-read for insight and color. I’m not sure about the historical accuracy. Check it out!
via Heroin, organized crime and the making of modern Turkey
Turkey is a country very much in the news at the moment in terms of geo-political developments. Turkey has the second largest army is NATO but in recent years seems to have been turning her back on Europe a bit and looking towards the geography of the former Ottoman Empire. Close to both Russia and Iran, Turkey is currently one of the World’s most important global fault lines.
This book review reminds us that Turkey has had a very different cultural heritage to most European countries. However, perhaps historians will draw comparisons with the UK’s role in the Opium Wars?
Significantly, the book’s analysis stops twenty years ago, and as the reviewer highlights the narrative does not quite match the title.
Thoughts?
Dr Alf's Blog 