The Trouble with Turkey

Found a story to nicely complement David Goldman’s weekend piece on Turkey’s troubles. Reuters reports on the country’s “mini coup” against Prime Minister

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said the ruling AK Party had in the past survived military coup plots and attempts in the courts to outlaw it. It would not now yield to a corruption investigation that he said targeted the government but was already damaging the national economy.

“These latest formations in the judiciary and the police, we can’t call it a coup, but a mini coup attempt. This is what interests foreign investors,” he told broadcaster CNBC-e, echoing suggestions by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of a foreign interest in the crisis.

“Maybe the clearest indicator of this was the fall in share prices,” added Babacan, who is in charge of the economy.

The fact that Turkey has placed one man “in charge” of the economy is the nutshell version of everything they’re doing wrong.