Carpetblogger

Dustup At Davos

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyıp Erdoğan returned to a hero's welcome in Istanbul last  night after delivering a righteous bitchslap to a yammering Shimon Peres at Davos. The organizers of this increasingly irrelevant schmoozefest must have been thrilled, since the event has attracted the creme of the second string crop and produced absolutely nothing newsworthy. Astute choice of venue, Tayyıp.

While we will always applaud a dramatic piece of political theater, wethinks the Dustup at Davos deserves a bit of context. Could mobilizing the base for upcoming local elections have had anything to do with it? Or could it serve as a distraction from increasing criticism about the way AKP has handled the Ergenekon investigation?  And, since when did he have a problem with leaders who kill people? This move was purely for domestic consumption.

 A Turk gesturing on behalf of oppressed Palestinians is about as politically courageous as an American advocating for a "democratic transition" in Belarus: There's absolutely  nothing at stake and everyone gets to feel good about themselves. Turkey has no aggrieved Palestinians occupying valuable political real estate. There's no chance of instability on its borders. And, it has a population (definitely not a tribe) that needs no excuse to wave flags and express outrage at perceived slights. We don't see any downsides to Erdoğan's outburst except, oh, perhaps a missed opportunity for Turkey to serve as a levelheaded mediator in the conflict, something that could actually help the Palestinians! Maalasef.

Prior to this event, we had planned to give this whole topic a pass. But have a look at the photos of AKP's district HQ/tea garden/smoke filled room, festooned with Palestinian flags. There have been more posters of dead babies around the 'hood than at a protest outside a Topeka Planned Parenthood. Banners and booths on Istiklal promote fundraising efforts on behalf of the Muslim brothers, the proceeds of which will almost certainly reach the poor Gazans, minus the necessary administration fees, of course.

Keep those crocodile tears flowing, Ankara.

Fun with Campaign Signs

The Parliamentary election in Ukraine is the 26th and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a kid standing on a street corner waving a flag in the snow or a middle-aged lady sitting in a tent lazily handing out campaign lit.

These sort of stunts are a heck of a lot easier than actually going out to talk to voters.

Anyway, there is some interesting stuff out there and I've documented it below

My favorite signs (certainly not my preferred bloc...) are from the Lytvyn crowd. Some of it is a big arcane and clever by half, but in these, their message is clear: Restore Stability

Shevchenko (not Lenin, as I originally thought!)

Ukrainian Parliament

My favorite campaign techniques are 1). draw a clear contrast with your opponents and 2). take advantage of voters' ignorance. The "Ne Tak" block ("Not Yes") hits both targets straight on.

"Ne Tak" says: No to NATO. Yes to Economic Integration with Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan (heck, I would have thrown Azerbaijan in there for good measure, but then again, it might be too European). And wraps it all up with Yes to Russian Language. No mistaking where those guys stand. Some clever monkey has taken issue with these positions and posted responses in Ukrainian. Will have to find out what the graffiti says.

Peaceful Coexistence

It's election time and I am collecting photos of my favorite campaign signs to post soon, but this is my favorite so far. It's in Dnipropetrovsk, in eastern Ukraine, where democracy thrives under the watchful eye of capitalism and communism.

I DO Know How to Steal Elections

That's probably the most valuable skill I've picked up lately, so if you appreciate Carpetblogger's Bedraggled Santa photo, cruise over to Gridskipper's weekly photo contest and cast your vote.

It's not a bad site to explore, either.

Someone Has Finally Said It

And said it far better than I ever could.

Good work, CJ!

Baku Fashion

A new photo series on Carpetblog! Remember, irony is not yet a language Azeris are comfortable speaking.

Post-Sovietka fashion still reigns in Baku

It was probably 60 degrees on this late September day

I am constantly surprised at how often I see grown men dressed identically in the streets of Baku

So this is in Nardaran, one of Azerbaijan's most religious and conservative villages, about 30 kms from Baku. These women are voting

This is a group of women in Nardaran checking for their names of the voter list

Maybe you think

that Carpetblogger is light on substance and heavy on irresponsible froth, particularly when there's so much happening in this part of the world.

You're asbolutely right. You want substance? You'll have to seek it elsewhere.

When you're finished reading here about the Producer's tour of hospitals and police stations of the former Soviet Union or the latest advances in cherry stacking techniques at the bazaar near our house, check out either of these excellent blogs on central asia and beyond Registan and Coming Anarchy