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President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Friday to claim he has a legal right to interfere in Justice Department cases, but insisted that he has so far chosen not to. Anyone following Trumps social media presence knows that not to be the case. He regularly tweets about business before the Justice Department and only last week praised Attorney General William Barr for softening the departments sentencing guidance for Roger Stone, a Trump ally who was convicted of lying to Congress and obstruction of justice last year.

On Saturday, CNN turned up an egregious example of Barr running interference for Trump at DOJ, reporting that he personally spearheaded an effort last year to save Halkbank, a state-owned Turkish bank, from being indicted after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressedTrump in a bid to avoid charges. Erdogans personal involvement complemented a months-long lobbying campaign by Turkey to avoid prosecution. As my colleague Dan Friedman has reported, Turkey spent millions of dollars pressing the White House, the State Department, and Congress to ask the Justice Department not to prosecute the Turkish bank. The top lobbyist working on that case, Brian Ballard, extensively contacted Trumps lawyer Jay Sekulow during that time.

Despite the immense lobbying effort, CNN reported that Geoffrey Berman, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, wanted a criminal prosecution anyway and Halkbank was eventually indicted on October 15 as part of a scheme to evade US sanctions on Iran.

Earlier that month, Trumps friendly relationship with Erdogan briefly eroded after the White House issued a statement giving Turkey a green light to invade northeastern Syria, all but ensuring the destruction of Kurdish fighters there who had been allies with US troops against the Islamic State. Trumps decision was widely criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike, forcing him to adopt a much harsher position toward Turkey. A day later, he threatened to totally destroy and obliterate Turkeys economy if it does anything off limits in Syria.

The indictment against Halkbank came soon after. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who had been investigating Trumps role in the Halkbank investigation, tweeted that CNNs story confirmed his suspicions about Barr was trying to orchestrate a sweetheart deal to please President Erdogan.

News of Barr intervening on Trumps behalf yet again is notable because, only yesterday, Barr told ABC News that Trumps tweets about DOJ make it impossible for me to do my job. It was possibly the sharpest reprisal Barr has had for his boss since joining the Cabinet last year, but given how Barr has interceded on Trumps behalf before, its not clear what this means for their relationship. On Saturday morning, Trump defied Barrs request and tweeted more harsh words for the Justice Department, this time for dropping the case against former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.

Originally posted here:
Report: Barr Protected Turkish Bank From Prosecution to Appease Erdogan - Mother Jones

Published: February 17, 2020 2:15:03 am

Islamabad is, understandably, pleased with Turkish Recep Erdogans visit to Pakistan, which concluded on Friday. Erdogan, who addressed a joint session of Pakistans parliament, chided India for the clampdown in Kashmir and the alleged human rights violations in the now union territory. Dawn, in its editorial on February 16, seems to echo the government and states pleasure. Noting that Erdogan has raised his voice for the oppressed people of Kashmir and that the ruling AKP in Ankara consistently supported strong ties with Pakistan. In addition, the editorial welcomes Erdogans praise for Pakistans role in bringing peace to Afghanistan.

All three points mentioned in the editorial Kashmir, Afghanistan and Pakistans overall role as a responsible nation-state are arenas where New Delhi has consistently sought to undermine Islamabad in the international arena. That a regional power like Turkey has reiterated its support for Pakistans view is certainly noteworthy. Yet, the editorial raises a deeper question: Is the role of a critical media merely to celebrate when the powers-that-be do? Two caveats: One, Dawn does note, however fleetingly, the authoritarian tendencies displayed by Erdogan. Two, it also cautions against coming down too strongly on Turkeys side in its dispute with Syria as PM Imran Khan has done.

The editorial does, however, seem to endorse the role of religion in international relations: Both Pakistan and Turkey should work to enrich their relationship bilaterally as well as at multilateral forums. Mr Erdogan raised valid concerns about the plight of Palestinians during his speech, and Pakistans other Muslim friends should not feel threatened by the efforts of Ankara, Islamabad and others to strengthen the ummah.

This celebratory note may well be an over-compensation for the fact that countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar have deepened ties with India and the changed status in Kashmir has not irked these countries as many imagined it would.

Think regionally

Chaitanya Mishra, writing in The Kathmandu Post, puts forward an interesting idea on how to read the dynamic between India, China and Nepal. The Yam (Nepal), appears to be in a dire situation, caught as it is between the Elephant (India) and the Dragon (China). Mishra then takes a long view of history and argues that the two other periods in the last millennium when the region was in such close engagement could offer lessons for the present.

First, during the Maurya and Gupta empires in India and the Han and Ching dynasties in China, both powers saw growth, high agricultural production and trade. This was the period when the Silk Route was established, and a win-win situation developed. The second dense meeting of the trio took place during CE 1100-1600, just prior to the dominance of Britain and Europe across the globe. The gross domestic products of China and India have been shown to account for as much as 55 percent of the world gross domestic product (GDP) at the close of this period. The Malla period in the Kathmandu Valley, adjacent areas and along the border trade points were well developed. The three cities of the Kathmandu Valley had developed excellent infrastructure and excelled in Buddhist, Hindu and other learning as well as artisanship, crafts and engineering, writes Mishra.

For landlocked Nepal, as well as for both India and China, the growth of all will benefit all. For Nepal, of course, conflict and economic deceleration within and between the Elephant and the Dragon can have dire consequences. But equally, if Nepal becomes a regional or global centre for money laundering, trade in drugs or arms, or a haven for global security agencies, terrorists or even infectious diseases, it would be directly harmful to peace and growth in China and India.

Rohingya Tragedy

On February 11, a fishing trawler capsised in the Bay of Bengal, killing 135 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children. The February 13 editorial in The Daily Star takes note of the tragedy, and pulls up Bangladesh authorities.

It writes: The tragedy that unfolded on Tuesday is as disturbing as it was preventable. The local authorities, as well as UN agencies and other international organisations, are perfectly aware of a transnational human trafficking network that runs from Myanmar and Bangladesh to Thailand and Malaysia, preying on vulnerable refugees and often trapping them into a life of bonded labour and slavery.

Despite there being laws to prevent human trafficking, the editorial contends that much more needs to be done on the ground. It also asks the UN and other international agencies to help make the refugee camps humane enough so that people do not seek such dangerous journeys.

Curated by Aakash Joshi

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View From The Neighbourhood: Praising Erdogan - The Indian Express

Exiled Turkish novelist Asli Erdogan expected to be a convicted woman by now with a life sentence hanging over her head.

The award-winning author, whose books have been translated into 21 languages, spent four months in jail in 2016 as part of a probe into a newspaper's alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants.

After her release she travelled to Germany in 2017 as soon as she received her passport back. She has been in self-imposed exile ever since.

This week, when the long-running terror case in which she was accused came to court again, she was unexpectedly acquitted.

"To be honest, I was very surprised. Almost everyone took it for granted that I would be convicted.

"I still cannot believe it, but if it's not that, there will be another case," said Erdogan (the writer is not related to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan).

An Istanbul court acquitted Erdogan on Friday of membership of an armed terrorist group and disrupting the unity of the state, while charges of spreading terror propaganda were dropped.

The writer said she had risked a life sentence just because her name was on the literary advisory list of the now-closed pro-Kurdish Ozgur Gundem newspaper.

She might have escaped a long jail term, but the experience has taken a toll.

In Germany she has had surgery twice for muscle paralysis of the intestine, a condition which doctors say is post-traumatic.

"At the age of 52 I encountered a disease that should occur in one's 80s," she said, adding that her stint in jail also played a part.

What she most longs for, however, is access to her library in Turkey.

"A 3,500-book library is my only property in the world. (Without it) I feel like my arms and legs are cut off."

However, she has no plans to return home because the authorities could seize upon anything she might say to charge her with further offences, with potentially fatal consequences.

"Another arrest would mean death for me... Under the current circumstances, I cannot return given a risk of detention," she said.

Since a failed coup in Turkey in 2016, tens of thousands of people including academics and journalists have been arrested suspected of links to coup plotters.

Critics accuse the president of using the coup to silence opponents, but the government argues a wholesale purge is needed to rid the network of followers blamed for the failed putsch.

For the author, the political climate is worsening even though she can no longer gauge the mood for herself as she could before.

"I used to speak with grocers or witness chats in a bus or metro. That was feeding me as a writer but this channel had been cut now. But I have the impression that silence prevails in Turkey."

She said ongoing cases involving jailed author Ahmet Altan and businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala showed the situation in Turkey was "well beyond dictatorship".

She added: "I don't know for sure what happens behind closed doors but such irrational cases have no other explanation. I see them as part of a strategy."

Updated: February 17, 2020 10:48 AM

Here is the original post:
Exiled Turkish novelist Asli Erdogan fears for her life if she ever returns home - The National

KARACHI, Pakistan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will address Pakistan's parliament on Feb. 14 during his two-day visit to Islamabad, a Pakistani official announced on Thursday.

Asad Qaisar, the speaker of the National Assembly -- the lower house of Pakistans parliament -- announced that Erdogan would address the joint sitting of the parliament for the record fourth time.

Presiding the National Assembly session, Qaisar said he would consult with the parliamentary leaders of all the political parties with respect to Erdogan's visit, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

Erdogan is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Feb. 13 for a two-day visit.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Aisha Farooqui confirmed Erdogans visit next week, however Turkey is yet to officially confirm it.

At a weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, she said: "The visit is taking place as per the schedule agreed by both sides. They are working very hard to finalize the substantive program of this visit.

She reiterated that Pakistan and Turkey have very warm, brotherly and cordial relations.

We support each other on core issues. Pakistan looks forward to the visit of the Turkish president. All details of the visit will be shared with you in due course, Farooqui added.

Erdogan paid his last visit to Pakistan in November 2016 -- his first visit to the South Asian nuclear state since assuming the presidency in August 2014. Previously, he visited Pakistan twice as the prime minister of Turkey.

He is the only head of state who addressed Pakistans parliament thrice.

Ankara and Islamabad have boosted bilateral defense and security cooperation in recent years. In October 2018, Pakistan Navy commissioned a 17,000-ton fleet tanker built in collaboration with a Turkish defense company in the southern port city of Karachi.

It was the largest warship ever constructed in the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works in collaboration with Turkish defense contractor STM, according to Pakistan Navy.

In July 2018, Ankara won a multibillion-dollar tender to supply four corvettes to Pakistan Navy -- a deal dubbed as the biggest export for Turkeys defense industry in history by then-Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli.

In 2016, Turkey gifted 34 T-37 aircraft and spares to Pakistan. Ankara is, meanwhile, buying MFI-17 Super Mushshak aircraft from Pakistan, besides upgrading three Pakistani submarines and jointly building a fleet tanker.

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Erdogan to address Pakistan's parliament on Feb. 14 - Anadolu Agency

Turkey is in a historically critical phase concerning its present and its future. Much of the debate is focused on one crucial question: Can Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan consolidate power around his person and cadres loyal to him or will he face increasing difficulties ensuring control over key institutions?

Given the apparent lack of exit strategy for him as Turkeys system crisis deepens, the question seems intractable. The situation is one of unprecedented limbo for Turkey and its political class.

What adds to the dilemma is the type of balance between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its minor partner the National Movement Party (MHP) on the one hand and the opposition bloc on the other.

A poll by one of the few reliable pollsters, Ankara-based Metropoll, indicated that the AKP-MHP alliance has 51% favourability while the secular main opposition Republican Peoples Party does not draw more than 25% favourability. Its nationalist opposition partner, the Iyi party, has fallen below the critical 10% threshold needed to enter parliament and the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party polls just above that level at 11%.

Discontent among the voters, because of economic hardships, brews beneath the surface. Those who oppose moves to send troops to Libya are slightly more than 50% of the public. The controversial Canal Istanbul project is another issue that doesnt seem to convince large numbers of voters in the massive Greater Istanbul Municipality area.

Yet, as pointed out by Metropoll director zer Sencar to Ahval News, the concerned voter bloc within the AKP is not convinced by what the opposition offers as a political alternative.

This snapshot is good news for Erdogan. It gives him time to construct a future in his favour but, as Canal Istanbul, Libya and East Med examples show, the plunge first, think later mindset, seems to hardly stir the bureaucracy in Ankara and a sense of despair gains ground.

Turkeys main opposition leader, Kemal Kldarolu, voiced such deep establishment concerns in a meeting with journalists recently. Kldarolu has a deeply rooted background as a bureaucrat in Turkish state apparatus; thus his remarks have particular pertinence.

For the first time, he said, Turkeys dependency on Russia is increasing. We are dependent in energy up to 60% to Russia. This is wrong. More important, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin began shaping Turkeys foreign policy. Especially in Syria and Libya, Putins words have the final say.

In another part of the meeting, Kldarolu is said to have raised alarm over Erdoans steady attempts to take full control of the Turkish judiciary and persistent restructuring of Turkish Armed Forces.

The stalemate in the balance of power between the government and the opposition blocs in Turkey, coupled with a toothless parliament, creates a dangerous vacuum that may lead to a crash unless Erdogan pays attention to the calls for a return to responsible policies and abandons his bellicose moves in the region.

A report by the RAND Corporation shed light on the minefield-like crossroads where Turkey finds itself. Based partly on Pentagons insider assessments, it warned: Turkeys assertive foreign policy moves include support for political Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood a group viewed as terrorists by Gulf monarchies and Egypt and its bid to claim a share of the Eastern Mediterranean hydrocarbon wealth.

Equally important, the 243-page report argues that mid-rank officers in the Turkish Armed Forces are deeply worried about purges that have taken place since the botched coup in 2016 and that this may lead to another disruptive attempt. Erdoan is aware of this, it adds.

RAND outlines four scenarios ranging from a Turkey remaining somewhat part of the Western alliance to a full-scale de-anchoring of its previous alliances and moving towards Russia and China but leaves a question mark on Erdogans map towards 2023 the year of the centennial of the Turkish Republic.

What is clear is that his assertive, adventurist, crisis-oriented policies have begun to accumulate negative energy beneath Ankaras political fault lines.

Original post:
Turkish discontent with Erdoan on the rise - Ahval