Tuesday, 9 November 2010

By Kasım İleri (JTW)

The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources held a conference titled “Turkey’s Energy Vision” at International Strategic Research Organization (USAK) on Tuesday, November 9th, 2010. The main focus of the conference was Turkey’s energy policies, projects, objectives.

The conference began with an introduction by the General Coordinator of USAK, Assoc. Prof. Sedat Laçiner. Laçiner, referring to the importance of such conferences, stated that these meetings provide a “macro-perspective” through the daily rush. Laçiner said, “sometimes it is not possible to see the whole picture as a whole due to some daily or conjunctural issues”. Sedat Laçiner attracted the attentions to the energy problem and stated that the countries which have not solved the problem of energy are in a great danger. Laçiner stated that Turkey is in the middle of the energy ocean but has not benefited from this ocean adequately. According to Laçiner, the main issue to be dealt with is to be able to read the facts of “where were we”, “where are we” and “where are we going”.

After US midterm elections 2010 results Obama trip to India cost shock Americans

NEW DELHI: President Barack Obama India visit is at the centre of attraction. A lot of importance is being given to his visit. Besides, it will also help in countering the common perception that US give more importance to China and Pakistan over emerging Asian Tiger India.

But it is not known how fruitful the visit would be in diplomatic and business terms. According to some experts the President is not on a strong wicket. The recent defeat of his party in the recently held elections has weakened him to a great extent. Despite all these drawbacks, economic ties between the two countries are booming. But for those who were expecting to achieve a lot from this visit have to be satisfied with little.

It is understood that Obama’s visit will be not like the President Bill Clinton's 2000 trip.

Foreign Policy: Is David Cameron The Real Leader Of The Tea Party

David Rothkopf is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and President and CEO of Garten Rothkopf.

I am moderating a conference today here in Chicago for a group of large institutional investors. Needless to say, I will report back on what I learn unless it is really valuable information, in which case I will keep the information to myself, move my chips to the right number on the roulette table and cash out.

That said, I wanted to leave you with the answer to a burning question on your minds: Who emerged from Tuesday's elections as the most important political voice in the United States?

No, it's clearly not President Shellacking. He may re-emerge, but that will take new ideas. Speaker-to-be John Boehner (R-OH)? Nope, same reason. First of all, he is a workhorse and not a show horse. That's not a bad thing. But he's no limelight-hogging Newt, nor is he a creativity engine. Mama Grizzly? Ha — although she will probably remain an energizing force for a large cross-section of Republican voters…

Might it be Mitt Romney, who just by happenstance had an op-ed in the Washington Post Wednesday almost as if to say, "Gentlemen, start your engines…"? Could be — Republicans tend to pick the runner-up from the last election cycle, and he has many attributes that could make him a front runner in the current environment. Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI)? One could only hope.

End the Fed?

If platitudes are a disease, American politics is experiencing an epidemic. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are infected, some more severely than others. And who can blame them? It seems most Americans will always get behind vague, constitutional-sounding things like "personal freedom" and "protecting liberty," so why shouldn't candidates pepper their speeches with such phrases?

It's not that these concepts aren't important. But trying to back up every argument with rhetoric that sounds as if it was lifted from Patrick Henry trivializes the ideals that are being invoked and misinforms the electorate. This is especially true with a subject as complex as the United States' $13 trillion economy.

An acute case of the disease was on display at Rep. Ron Paul's speech in the IMU last week. The Texas Republican is a rare politician in many ways. He actually sticks to his principles, has delivered thousands of babies, and believes in a drastic overhaul of the U.S. economy. Paul wants to end the Federal Reserve and put the United States back on a form of the gold standard. So it is important for people to understand the consequences of those plans before they buy a "Paul 2012" bumper sticker.

Anyone who went to Paul's speech expecting a coherent articulation of his economic positions would have left unsatisfied. Beyond his general talking points, Paul did not discuss his reasoning very thoroughly. The libertarian said Americans need to know more about Austrian economics (a heterodox school of economic thought), but didn't mention which tenets of the school he agreed with or why.

He did talk frequently, however, about eliminating the Federal Reserve