Cyprus and the EU: what matters is perception

This article is published in the Turkish Weekly of March 31, 2007

The first time I heard about the Cyprus issue and the divided island, was when I was 16 years old, just back from a nice holiday in Italy. I remember hearing that the Turks invaded Cyprus: the Turks did it again. At least that was the news in the Netherlands. There was no internet, no international television channels like CNN, BBC World which are now broadcasting worldwide: we were dependent on printed media. No real-time coverage.

When I made my first trip to Turkey in 2002, 26 years later, I immediately clashed with Turkish people over Cyprus: in my opinion Turkey was wrong and they were the ones to blame for the status quo on Cyprus.
I was also annoyed that my Turkish friends referred to Cyprus as ‘Baby land’ while talking about it, as if it was a colony of their Turkey: their Motherland. The vast majority of them had an outspoken opinion about ‘Peace Mission to Cyprus’; it was the only solution to stop the violence over there. And it belongs to Turkey.

Read the full article by clicking here.

Touchdown Amsterdam

It is already 10 weeks ago that I went for business to the Netherlands. This time an orientation trip with a Turkish client. Mostly after 2 days I am homesick to Istanbul, therefore now a short trip but with a full agenda.

Monday night dinner in one of the most fancy restaurants of Amsterdam: le Garage.
Yes, our Turkish clients like to have a good dinner in Amsterdam since a lunch in the Netherlands is most of the time some bread with cheese and 'karnemelk'.
But for sure they don't know the many famous faces in the mirrors of this restaurant. See the picture.

A stubborn Chinese

Good to see that there are still people who are not for sale. This Chinese refuses to sell his house to a project developer. Although surrounded by massive apartment buildings he is still standing strong.

Ataturk City

Just back from Ankara. Not my first time there, but my first stay in Ankara's Swiss Hotel. I know that Turks like to get everything overheated, so my nice room. Took me some time to discover how to open the windows; I need fresh air during the night.
Yes, I like the residential areas of Ankara, with its streets full of trees. In Istanbul they replaced a complete forest for some apartment buildings.
But what always depress me in Ankara are the government buildings, the apartments complex for the average Turks full with Ataturk pictures, statues, flags, and so on. Ankara looks like the former East European block countries: no fantasy at all regarding design.
Nothing wrong about Ataturk and his well being soul, but is he not a little bit over exposed everywhere?
As the founder of the modern republic and the first President of Turkey, people adore him as a god. But nation states have to move one. Was and is there not any other Turkish president who did a lot for the 'well being' of Turkey?
Just a simple question...
Anyway, I baptised Ankara in Ataturk City! Not one Turk came up with this idea, so I did it...

Turkey needs to express itself better to the world

This article is published in Turkish Daily News of March 15, 2007.

What Turks miss is that the promotion of a country is most effectively done by its individual citizens. Turkish patriots would do a better job if they stopped hacking Greek and Kurdish Web sites, and start launching their own blogs that will give the taste of Turkey to foreigners.
Turkey might not have diamonds but it sits on silver, gold and bronze: Many civilizations have left traces in Turkey. However, it looks like the Turks are the last to acknowledge it, or simply they don't care. Turkish history books are heavily focused on Atatürk. Yes, Atatürk was a visionary, but Turkey should focus on its real culture and heritage. There is a lot to discover without falling into political debates all the time, damaging once again Turkey's image by sending out dualistic and schizophrenic signals.

Read the full article by clicking here.

Social Media

One week ago I read in one of the main Turkish newspapers that within 5 years all Turkish companies will have a blog. I don't think so.

More than one year ago I gave one prospect of mine, a company which is 'heavenly' dependent on online tools, to get a blog. They told me: 'No, maybe by the end of this decade we might need it'. And our former counter part agreed on this: it was too sky rocking for Turkey! How do they dare to say this?

I agree that on the social media front, blogs are around though they seem to be used much for discussing news items and politics. And yes, people like to talk and chat in Turkey - think only about all the messages which are 'delivered' from cumba to cumba (balcony) - but that doesn't mean that social media - online tools - will not hit the scores in Turkey.
Therefore: for them who put a ban on YouTube last week: Get a Second Life!

Opening Day

The lush countryside of Liechtenstein, which has 14 villages.
For more info:

You read Me, I watch You.

Put today a counter on this blog. In the wrong place of course. I am still clumsy about how to deal with all these features. If someone is reading this, your help is well appreciated.

And comments are always welcome. Feel free to complain about what I write here. Only rude language will not pass 'the moderator'...

And, btw, the counter started on March the 8th, 2007...the day that we started watching you!

Everything you want to know about Turkish Universities...

Ege University Research and Application Center of Women Problems (EKAM) Director Nurselen Toygar said that there were around 8 million illiterate Turkish women. There are in total 72 million people living in Turkey. That's a shocking fact.
Toygar said, "Beside these 8 million illiterate women, 640,000 girls are not going to school in Turkey. Only 3 percent of women receive university education. On the other hand Turkey is ranked 165 in the list of countries where women are represented in the best way."
Regarding universities, not one of the more than 90 universities are listed in the Top-500 worldwide. In the Top-500 of Europe, the first Turkish university is listed 172.
For more insight, click here.

My queen visits my country

This article is published in Turkish Daily of March 1, 2007.

As a Dutch man living in Turkey, the visit of my queen here is highly symbolic. First I should drop a note to other Dutch men and women who will be accompanying Her Majesty and thus visiting Turkey soon: Don't fear the taxi drivers. They are my best friends in Istanbul. They don't act like the "Taliban" – the common nickname for the taxi drivers in Amsterdam – instead they treat you with respect. Yesterday I took a cab; it cost me just 4 YTL and before I left the car, the driver told me to wait. Then he suddenly walked around to open my door. Yes, before my queen arrived in Istanbul, I was treated like royalty here.

Read the full article by clicking here.

‘My Queen’ and ‘My Country’

Published on February the 28th 2007 in Turkish Weekly.

Are you Dutch? Or are you from the Netherlands or Holland? And what kind of language do you speak over 'there': "German", "Allamagne", "Dutch"?
And why are you dressed up like Orange monkey’s when your national football team plays a football match?
And yes, we Turks know that your Dutch football teams: AZ, PSV and again AZ kicked our Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Kayserispor etc. out the European league this year. Thank you!
And why is the color Orange so special for you? Why not a simple tricolor: Red, White and Blue? Because the French once occupied the Low Lands: the Netherlands?
And why are the Dutch always so tall? And, yes, you Love Heineken? What about Raki, our national Liquor? No thank you.

Read the full article by clicking here.

Turkey’s Image – the final One

This article is published on February 27th in Turkish Weekly.

Back to the criteria. In Turkey’s image part - 1, I introduced the Famous Six: the criteria of the Nation Brand Hexagon™ as devised by Simon Anholt. The first three: Export, Tourism and Governance are described in that same article. While writing about the last three parts, Hrank Dink was killed, and I wrote an Intermezzo: Turkish Image part 2a. The forth criteria is about Investment climate, which worthy of its own article, it is described in Turkey’s Silent Revolution. Last but not least come what are, in my opinion, the most important issues: Turkish Culture and Heritage and Turkey's biggest asset, its citizens.
Therefore, this is my final article about Turkish Image. It will complete the general image of Turkey from my point of view but guided by the points set out by the Nations Brand Index™ of Simon Anholt.

Read the full article here

Picture of the Year?

Maybe for some of you this picture is a funny one, but for me an intensely sad one.

I am not sure if the guy in the photo was interested in his women or the area.

And... this is not Istanbul.

Turkeys needs confidence, not fear

Published in Turkish Daily News of 16 February 2007

Istanbul cannot be renamed Constantinople anymore: Istanbul is a brand name.

Is Turkey acting responsibly in the international scene? Looking at it from the point of view of an independent communication manager, I would say “no,” at least “not always.” Turkey wants to be loved very much and as everyone knows, if you are desperately seeking love, you won't get it.

Actually, Turkey is facing hot issues these days, mainly unsolved problems of the past. Problems which became ghosts haunting Turkish identity: the alleged Armenian genocide (or shall we call it, for a change, democide) and Cyprus. There is also the ongoing hostility with some of Turkey's neighbors, like Armenia, Greece (still) and Iraq. But to make these things clear, Turkey must withhold its traditional way of reacting in order to become a serious and rational sparring and business partner. International statesmen and diplomats always appear rational and employ PR agents to guide them and make them understandable. Why not in Turkey? Since when is nationalism more important than the prosperity and health of a nation and its citizens? Nationalism becomes more and more an empty word these days.

Read the full article here

Turkish Silent Revolution

Published in Turkish Weekly of February 12, 2007

Since 2001 Turkey is in transition. Better to say: it’s undergoing a real revolution, an economical one. Not forced by the EU since it started accession talks but helped by the World bank and IMF. And Turkey is following the EU in relations with social, political and economical reforms. And as a matter of fact regarding the latter, it’s obvious that Turkey is doing pretty well.

Read the full article here

The Tragedy of Turkey

This article is published in Turkish Daily News of January 13, 2007

The branding of a country has become a crucial issue in today's world. Whether we like it or not, globalization enforces countries to compete with each other. Self-supporting economies, one of which was Turkey until the beginning of the 1980's, are simply anachronistic today. Those who still believe in that protectionist economic policy should just look at Zimbabwe or North Korea.
The branding of a country is important not only for the attention and trust of foreign investors but also for the choices of tourists. It also reflects the country's social, political and economic achievements. And, the products that a country sells abroad are a definitive aspect of its brand. In all these regards, Turkey is not doing well.

Read the full article here

Turkey's reputation is at stake, not its honor

This article is published in Turkish Daily on February 6, 2007

The international perception of Turkey is still unfavorable. And the Turkish media at large is collectively responsible for this.

The killing of Hrant Dink shows the fragility of Turkey's image. Certain internal and international nationalistic groups “hijacked” his death while other opportunists misused “his friendship” for their own purposes. The Turkish newspapers were full of condemnation, and the foreign press saw an opportunity to show the difficult lives of independent Turkish journalists and writers, exploring how some even have bodyguards and use police protection…

The common man on the street in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and Mersin might curse me for saying that Dink's death has to do with the ugly face of state propaganda, bad education and systematic massive misinformation. So, the tragic death of this fine journalist deserves more than just to offer an opportunity for a fleeting discussion. The doves that were released during his funeral instead of sacrificing another living being can be symbolic: peace for him and relieve the Turkish soul in mourning. And no more sensational news please, just let him rest in peace.

Read the full article here

Turkey's Image part 2a - an intermezzo

This article is published in Turkish Weekly on February 2, 2007

The killing of Hrant Dink shows how fragile Turkey’s image is. Certain internal and international nationalistic groups and other opportunists already ‘hijacked’ his death for their own purposes!
The Turkish newspapers were full of condemnation, and the foreign press saw an opportunity to show how difficult life for independent Turkish journalists and writers is: exploring that some even have bodyguards and use police protection!
I bet you that even in a polarized country like the USA, high profile journalist of the NYT, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal, LA times etc. are using ordinary taxi chauffeurs as their drivers…

Read the full article here

Turkish Image No 1.

This article is published in Turkish Weekly of January 13, 2007.

Branding of a country has become an important issue in the world of today. Whether we like it or not the globalization trend enforces countries to compete with each other.
Self supporting economies, which Turkey was until the beginning of the 1980’s, are an anachronism today. For those who still believe in that, look at Zimbabwe or North Korea and what it became.

Branding a country is not only for the attention, respect and trust of
investors, or for the hard valuation of the tourists, it must tell the story about a country which respects and gains developments throughout its social, political and economical decisions.

The image of a country is also made by the products which they sell abroad
Do we care about what these consumers think? Are they essential for our image? Yes. And are Turkish Vestel, Beko or Arcelik brand names in West Europe? No. In Poland? Maybe.

Read the article here

Less serious

Just back from a short trip to Bodrum, South Turkey. New Year's Eve and Bayram, the Holy religious days for Muslims, started on the same day; December 31st of 2006.
And, my first time in Bodrum and I am living for almost 5 years in Turkey.
I know, you are not supposed to write these (bad) things down; but the colors, the houses, architecture in Bodrum, is all that Turkish, Ottoman or Greek? hm....
Anyway, Istanbul got my heart and I became less seriously sensitive about the hostility between the Greeks and Turks. In the end, they all have to sit around one table...negotiate.

Happy 2007 to all!!! And especially those in Cyprus!