© 2007 Institute of Current World Affairs
The Institute awards long-term fellowships to develop a deep understanding of an issue, country, or region outside the US and to share that understanding with a wider public.
Institute of Current World Affairs - Home Page

Below is a hobbled text version of a PDF document.
In order to read the actual document please click the link below and register if necessary.
(One-time registration is free and very quick.)
Read article

10/1/1994 - Nomadism by Adam Smith Albion

NoT FbR PuBLIcATION ASA WITHOUTWRITER SCONSENT INSTITUTEOFCURRENTWORLDAFFAIRS Istanbul October MrPeter Bird Martin Executive Director Institute ofCurrentWorld Affairs 4WestWheelock Street Hanover NH03755 USA Nomadism Octoberwasamonthofpicaresqueadventures inthetraditionofPetroniusand Lazarillo Tormes which almost definition connecting thread beyondmy exploringthelandsaroundmeandthepeopleinthem ItraveleduptheBlackSeato theDanubeDelta IsawTurkey sMediterraneancoastasfarsouthasKusadasi thrilledtoseeTroy Assos PergamonandEphesuswithmyowneyes Itrampedthe docksofIstanbul Asheikh inFatihtriedtoconvertme aKurdish socialistatthe UniversityofKtitahyablamedmefortheworld swoes Ispentanafternoon Istanbul Topkapi Gate shepherd Diyarbakir selling sheep customers whowantedthemdismemberedalfresco Finally asastudyincontrastswhich remindedmeofnothingsomuchasascenefromtheSatyricon whenEncolpius passes staying dirty sharing Trimalchio table I began onedaywakingupamidstanunsavourycollectionoftradersand prostitutes ended iteatingdinnerfivefeetfromthePresidentofBulgariainhisBojanaresidence outside Sofia Celebrating Atatiirk Tekkes Sheikh El Fakir RepublicDay CumhuriyetBayrami theTurkishRepublic s71stbirthday October celebrated night swollen tempered crowd packed along Taksim Square Istiklal Street outdoor concert lasted afternoonandevening Afinefireworksdisplayfollowed onlyspoiledbybathoswhen loudspeakers began blaring O fortuna Carmina Burana Afterwards crowd masse massaged cricks their necks especially spent gaping attheByzantinemosaicsontheceilingsoftheChoraChurchandwasnow AdamSmithAlbion isanICWAFellowwritingaboutTurkey sregional roleand growingimportance intheBlackSeaandtheformerSovietbloc Since InstituteofCurrentWorld Affairs theCrane Rogers Foundation hasprovidedlong fellowships enable outstanding young adults outside United States write about international areas issues Endowed bythelateCharlesR Crane theInstituteisalsosupportedbycontributionsfromlike mindedindividualsand foundations agony The concertwas change anniversaries which apparentlyhad emphasizedtherepublic sprowessatarmsratherthan atmusic The cityhadbeen drowning flags crescent every lamppost ofeverywindow AtonepointIwaswalkingagainsttheflowon Istiklal asthousands ofsouls hurried catch ofthe concert Iwas trying escape Heads bobbing endless procession I could Suddenly loudspeakers relayedthefirstbarsoftheTurkishnationalanthem andthewholestreetstopped ItwasasifMadisonAvenuehadbeeninstantaneouslyfrozenintime People stoodmotionless ineerie silenceasthemusicplayed orafewsang Thesecondthe musicended streetbeganmovingagainwiththeusualbustleanddinas ifalarge handhadunlockeda button Itwasatremendousmoment GiventhemediatributesthroughoutlastweektoAtat0rkandthesecularrepublic interestingthatIhadrecentlyhadmyfirstexperiencewithIslamicfundamentalists I hesitated anecdote particular I provide grist ofthose prone believe religious fanaticism hangs above Turkey sword Damocles But I proceed assurance least oneex ICWAfellow story unique points Iwaswalkinginthe lateafternoonfromFenerintoFatih oneoflstanbul smost Islamic traditional areas Ironically IhadjustbeenonavisittothenearbyOrthodox Patriarchate Behind Selimiyemosque I caught sight saying Women EntranceOnly Ittookawhiletofindthemen sentrancearoundtheblock butwhenI Ifoundmyselfstanding inasmallcourtyardsurroundedbyhalf dozenteenage between It turned I wandered tekke lodge Tekkes banned Atatiirk secularizing measure especially aimed exterminatingthedervishlodges althoughas inaMasonicLodgetheactivitiesoffered byatekkemightbeprimarilysocial Itistrue however thatasortofnaturalselection ensured tekkes managed maintain shady underground existence until today those founded strength ofreligious attachment resistance oftenwith mysticovertones Thetekke Isawwasthemeeting houseof asectorconfraternityofthiskind offeringreligiousinstructiononthesidetoboth menandwomen throughtwodifferentdoors Thegrowing illegal revivaloftekkes during decade ahalf orders which Naksibendiordertowhichex PresidentTurgutOzalbelonged isaregularbugbear ofthe leftistpressworriedabouttheerosionofAtatiirk slegacy Serious religious education purpose themselves disturb Underthe archesofSehitMehmetPasamosqueneartheBlueMosque isagovernmentsign labelled Koran Courses Agroup offriendly serious minded thirteen toldmethat fortwo nsecutive everytwo months theycame learn Arabic memorize suras instructed Islamic ethics Interestingly informally referredtotheirschoolasatekke whichofficiallyofcourse itisn Whenabellrang scampered offafter theirhoca teacher Some ofthem mightgo Imamhatip astatehighschoolwithadoseofIslamicinstructionthatmightput Christian terms between Catholic school seminary Incomparison IfoundthetekkeneartheSelimiyemosqueratherfrightening Forone thing maintained stopped attending secular school altogether studiedfull timeatthetekke despitemyproteststhatsurelythatwas illegal WhenI askedwhattheywerestudyingtobecome theanswerwasEvliyaandAlim Muslim saintsand scholars Theyaskedmyreligionandnationality Myreligion provokedastandardrun downoftherelativeadvantagesofheavenvs My conversiontoIslamwouldbe btiyOkbirkazan agreatgain sinceIwouldn Mynationality surprise evincedadescriptionofthewayWester nersallowed theirfellowswhowerepoor unemployedorhandicappedto sufferunaidedwhile Muslimssupportedoneanother Iwasstruckthattheyshouldemphasizethisaspectof theirreligion inthe lightofanEconomistspecialreportfromthesummerentitled IslamandtheWest IthadarguedthatIslamiccommunitarian typeideasmight fertilizetheEuropeanLeftas itseekstoredefineitself Hereweresomeyoung muslimsattackingthe fruitsofindividualism Atthispointahoca inhis dressed inagreenturbanandcloak cameoutto investigate Alittlelater Iwasinvitedinside foratourasIimagined Ileftmyshoes atthedoor naturally alltheroomsIsawhadwall wallpalebluecarpeting Iwas conducteduptothe firstfloorofthetwo storybuilding Eachfloorhadtworooms about instruction rooms bottom sitting rooms first floor I presumedsleepingroomsoranofficeonthetop Onthe firstfloorlandingwere canariesincages Iwasusheredintooneoftheroomsandsaw tomyastonishment I invited dinner Therewas furniture bookshelv decoration beyondtwoArabicmedallionsonthewallreading Allah Muhammed Behind large picnic spread floor sheikh everyone reverently referred sittingcross legged Hewasperhaps45 dressed inwhiteArabicrobesand turban talkingonacordlesstelephone Iwasplacedonhisleft theusherretired alone until finished conversation Upon hanging attacked thefood lustily slappinghisbread intochickpeasandeggplantandtellingmeto Eat Atthispointthehocawiththegreenturbanreturned Standingonthethreshold ofthe aloud handwritten lasted about minutes The sheikhgreeted itextremelyenthusiastically utteringloudjoyouswhoopsbetween mouthfulsinterspersedwithshoutsof Allah Allah Iwasgettingedgy Whenthe sheikhsteppedoutforamoment Ipolitelyinquiredwhether itwasthehoca poemwhichthesheikhhadpraisedso lavishly Ofcoursenot themananswered beatifically thesheikhhimselfhadwrittenthepoemwhichtrigge alltheexcited ejaculations I declined comment Nowwewerejoinedfordinnerbytwohocasintheirthirtiesandamanmyage allof signaled through submissive gestures expressions theywere sheikh acolytes Dinner dragged eating conversation stopped whenever thesheikhtookormadeatelephone whichhedidfrequently Eventuallymy cross examinationbegan WasIamuslim Whogavememyeyes Whogave WhobroughtmetoTurkey WasIpreparedtoaccepthimasmysheikhand convert Itwas interesting fromthepointofviewofthepsychologyofreligion tonotethetwo approachesheadoptedtowinmyacceptanceofhis spiritual authority Inessence I hegavemeoneexampleeachofhisinfluenceinheavenandonearth First toldmeabout aGerman Berlin At death abandoned doctors German healed conversations telephone sheikh Out ofgratitude subsequentlybecome sheikh student Istanbul converted Thus sheikh sought rscore authority withmeby describing miracle Second demonstrate power earth something I He Thesearemymen loyaltome Icommandtheirrespectformy holiness andbarkedacommand Tomydistress Ifound Iwaslooking atfourmature menstandingrigidly likeposts atthe sheikh swhimformyinstructionandamusement Theirdisciplineandsenseofhierarchy sobelovedofmilitarytraining shookme I fearedtheywouldnexthaveto standontheirheadsorturncartwheelsordrink recallthewayPu YiexercisedhispettytyrannyoverhiseunuchsinTheLast Emperor Tomyreliefthey satdown Iperformednext IwasmadetorepeatSuras 1and96afterthesheikhinArabic pointing atthetextwithhisfinger WeeachkissedandbowedtotheKoranthree times Onlythenwashe satisfiedandputthebookonthe shelf Asheturnedaway I sawthathehadnotreplaced itproperlyandwatchedinhorrorastheoversized luxeeditionKoranoverbalancedand felltothefloorwithacrash causingasensation To indicateanuncleanpresence intheroomthiswassurelyth evillestofallomens IwasmomentarilypanickedthatIwasabouttobetomto shreds Insteadthe sheikhhurriedlykissed strokedandtalkedtothebook glared attheotherswho cringed sheepishly crisis passed Thesheikhwasjustleavingwhenhenoticed Iwaswearingajadecharmaroundmy Ihadforgotten HegrimacedanddemandedItakeitoff Iexplained itwasa preciousstoneandavaluablegiftfrommysisterinGuangzhou Itwasona chain itbeenonastringIwouldhavebeengarrotedasheripped itoffmyneck scrunched itintoaballandthrew itoutthewindowontoanadjacentrooftop Thatwas thelastIsawofit itwasgonebeforeIcouldreact Incompensation asitwere handedmeabookfromtheshelvesandblessedmewithashortincantation Ibelieve thought I accepted offer ofinstruction Themen certainly closed aroundmewhenthesheikhhad pressedteaonmeanddiscussedwhere Iwould sleepthatnight I shallneverforgetthelookofconsternationanddisapprovalthat around circle prelude conspiracy kidnapping I thought whenIheldfirmthatIhadotherplansfortheevening Allahhimselfextricatedme thatmomentthemuezzin callroseforeveningprayer momentarilydistractingmy hosts Ijumpedup tookmyleave rememberedmyshoes andmarched Only evening I remember I given Entitled Islam Ahlaki IslamicMorality ithadbeeninscribedformebythesheikh Heddiyemiz misspelt olsun Rabim hidayetnasipeylesin Letthisbeourgifttoyou MaymyGodmaketheTruePathyour signed inTurkishandArabicSeyyidAliEl Fakir Mr Ali Humble place FATItT Balkan trade lecture Babel Gypsy girls The Foreign Economic Relations Board DEIK especially helpful forthcoming statistics contacts I looked Turkey links Balkans Iftheviewfromthewindowsoftheirofficebuilding differsfromtheview ground bazaars borders expected I privilegethismonthofseeingboth sides Turkish trade relations Balkans since spotty present staying power comparison lucrative albeit risky markets CentralAsia IhaverestrictedmyfocusforthemomenttoRomaniaandBulgaria In Turkish exportbankEximbank Tiirkiye Ihracat Kredi Bankasi extended 50millionofcreditstoeachcountry launchingTurkishfirms intobotharenas Turks becameknownparticularlyforbakeriesandbakerymachinery inRomaniaTurksalso invested beverages Romania stalled petroleum industry potential ruined byCeaucescu butinWorldWarIItheGermanswerekeentosecuretheRomanian fields Ploiesti Banco Turco Romano opened Bucharest million capitalization investment banking Butby1993Turkeywasfaring illagainstcompetitorsofferinghigherquality France bakeries Italy textiles Far East coffee white goods Germanyinmanufacturedgoods AlthoughTurkishexportsweregrowing inboth countries Bulgaria unfavourablebalance oftrade 514min1990 313in1992 Turkish businessmen complaining thatBalkan banking systems exporting profitstoTurkeywas difficult andlawswereunclearoverthedivisionofprofitand propertybetweenTurkishand local partners Afurtherstumbling blockinRomania security Turkish companies atler countrywasraised attackingthestructureofTurkishbusinessin Romania whichwasessentiallyanetworkofsmallfirms registered September Finally asecondtrancheofEximbankcreditsin 75mtoRomania 50mto Bulgaria havebeenheldup inbothcountriesbytheirrefusaltomeetEximbank conditionsofstateguaranteestounderwritetheloans Sincethen thenewdirectorsat Eximbank indicated consortium ofbanks might acceptable stand security instead ofstate guarantees ofnowthe money notbeen liberated Turkish firms interest Balkan investment dwindling accordingly In mparison IhaveheardanumberofenviousTurkssaythattheGreeks penetration ofBalkanmarkets isprovingverysuccessful Theyhavefourbanksandtwo filials Bulgaria andevencooperateinformallywithtwo inMacedonia Asamemberofthe EuropeanUnion whichTurkey isnot GreececandrawonthePHAREprogramme andfundsforEU EastemEuropeanjointventures With itsnetworkoftradeand economic attach6s Balkans Greece strategy economic enlargement thepost communistspaceworked atleastaccordingtooneTurkish analyst In comparison Turkish Foreign Ministry stuck static mechanical rotation system threeyearsabroad twoyearsathome whichhas tTurkeypoorinthe numberand qualityofattach6s inthefieldorgovernmentbureaucrats athomereadyto Greece challenge Somuchforthe slightlypessimisticviewculledfromboardroomsandtheoffices ofresearch institutions AvisittotheofficesofthearchitectsofBabylonprobably gaveanequallydrypictureofwhatwashappeningdown atthebuilding siteofthe TowerofBabel Forsections ofIstanbul Beyazit Laleli Aksaray reallyarea Babel They centre suitcase trade former communist countries whichwasestimatedtobeworth billion andhasrisento billion today WhenIhaveaskedwhytheTurkishgovernmenttoleratesasituationwhere payingtaxisessentiallyamatterofpersonalchoice acommonanswerhasbeen itwas partofex PresidentOzal strategytoencourageTurkishentrepreneurial initiative The streets bristle signs reading We speak Romanian Bulgarian luncheonmenus inRussian whileshopwindowsarepainted Polski sklep Magyar uzlet Russkii bazar Yugotex The Polish signs reported first reflection ofamore progressive communist regime Poles always business gypsies ofEastern Europe meeting hardships athomebs takingthe sortoflong distanceentrepreneurial risksthatCzechsor Slovaks baulked Today preponderance ofbuyers Black Sea countries Those Balkan insulabuck standard ofits inhabitants unable practical rational businesslike captured repeated aphorism which manufacture ofmartyrs commemoration ofobscure battles constant renaming ofvillagesand streets andthecreationofnationalsymbolsaresomeofthefew successful Balkan industries Suitcase trade should added Traders strike extremely savvy about exactlywhat market athomewants month Afull descriptionofwhattheybuywouldread likeoneoftheelaborateinventories Gargantua Pantagruel Without Rabelais exuberant passion lists I restrict myselftonotingthatIpersonallysawshoes boots watches leatherjackets jeans shirts curtainingmaterialandawealthofhouseholdappliancesfrom electric heaters orange juicers snapped stuffed trucks busses spaceofasinglemorning thetradehasobviouslyexpandedfarpastsuitcases Nylonsacksalmostacubicmetre involumearesoldonthe streeta incase traders ofthe black plastic garbage bring Russians UkrainianstendtocomebyboatfromOdessaorNovorossiyskdirecttoIstanbul busses Trabzon Or indeed ofthem Moscow where brutal scheduleofoneweekbuying inIstanbul threeweeks selling inRussiamightclearas muchas month areminderoftheprofitabilityofabusinesswhichsurelyhas beeninfiltratedbynowbyRussianandChechnianmafias ImetatoughRussian speakingwoman Aksaray supervising loading ofatruck hired fortwo hours appeared simply bought selling rolls fabric ShewastakingtheboatthatnighttoNovorossiysk Andthen Grozny Caucasus snarled refused RomaniansandBulgarianseithercomeonthecommercialovemightbusses orhire onefromhomeinagroup sometimespartiallygutting itinpreparationforashopping expeditionthatmightlastfrom1 3days IhavecrossedthebordersbetweenTurkey BulgariaandRomaniabybusmaybetentimes I sotriedtheBalkhnExpressz mainly because ofthe exotic plates carriages reading Budapest Subotica Belgrade Nis Sofia Dimitrovgrad Istanbul trains expensive passengersareless interesting Tendaysago IrodeabustoSofiasopackedtothe gillsthatBulgariancustomsarbitrarilyleviedafineof 2perperson infactabribe forestallalaboriouscustomscheckofallthebags Frankly Ireckonedthiswas cheap considering standard bribe Polish officials demanded Ukrainian sellersontheLvov Przemysl railroutewastwobottlesofvodka Onthat occasion Iwastheonlynon Russian Ukrainian Kazakhonthetrainandwas responsibleforathirty minutedelayas surlyPolishguardscomplainedthatmy carriagehadcougheduponly78ofthe80 bottlestheywereexpecting Onthisbusto Bulgariaaisotherewasashortdelaywhen Irefusedtopaythe Afortnightpreviously Ihadseentheborderfromtheotherdirection enteringTurkey Ihadhoppedonabus inConstantaontheRomaniancoastandsoongotchattingto thegroup ThewholepartysaveformewasfromGala onapackage Theyhad forthebusticketsand 22forthevisaforadayandahalfofshopping arrivinginIstanbul at9amandleavingthenextdayat4pm Themanbesidemehad takenordersfor 500worthoftrousers shirtsandsocks Hisfriendwouldbe shopping about ofgold rings chains brooches Theycame Aksaray twice month Onewould sleeping other hotel Therewere ofgirls ofthe buswho latitude choosingwhere would sleeping While engaged identical buying during might littlesellingaswellduringthenight Itbecameapparentthatthedark attractive womanacrosstheaislefrommedidnot astheTurkishexpressiongoes lovemefor myblueeyes ItturnedoutshewasaDobrogeanTurk Atastop inVarnashewas talkingtotheTurkishdriverwhenIwalkedpast Thedriver whohadseen itall before askedher Howareyoudoing Notrealizing Iunderstoodher shelooked tookalongdragofacigarette andsaid Buldum looselytranslated I vefound Iswitchedseats NowIwasbesideagirl about20 inleggings asleepbythe window OntheborderaTurkishguard whohadalsoseenitallbefore raggingthegirlsand sternlyaskedmyneighbourinleggingsthenameofthehotel whereshewouldbe staying Ithoughtsheshowed spiritandsaucewhenshepointed atmeand I stayingwithhim I lineandnoddedhappilytothe guardwhenhelooked atmequizzicallyand Yes Movingtotherow behindme theguardwasas startledas Iwhentwomoregirls gypsies toldhim loudly We staying He couldn resist taking another hiswayout Whenhehadgone thegypsieslaughedand saidtome Thankyou As I settledbackinmy inleggingswaslooking atmemore carefully Actually where I No Byzas On waterfront Havingexperiencedsomeoftheland routes Iwantedtolookinto trade One brightmorningIdecided itwastimetodiscoverthedocks ThedocksofIstanbul HaydarpasaaremLimani havebeen builtalongtheAsian shoreoftheBosphorusbetweenthe districtsofOski adarandKadik6yopposite SeraglioPoint As IlookedbacktowardsTopkapiPalaceandtheGoldenHornfrom theferry itstruckmetherewasasubtleironytothisgeography Accordingtothe traditional account ofthe founding ofByzantium Delphic oracle advised Byzas Megarato situatehiscolony oppositetheblind WhenByzascametothePropontis around B C noted Golden Horn carved amagnificent natural harbourontheEuropean sidewhichwouldbethekeytoByzantium ssuccess Atthe sametime henotedwith surprise weimagine thatearlier settlershad mysteriously overlooked Horn advantages founded theirowntown Chalcedon directly across Asia Thus sybil words fulfilled Chalcedonianswentdown inhistoryas theblind fornotknowingagoodharbour The laugh belongs Chalcedonians however Bosphorus shipping overwhelmed Golden Horn capacity today Asian Chalcedon nowcalledKadik6y isthehubofIstanbul smaritimetrafficafterall O nmyfirstvisittoHaydarpasa Istoodondecktowatchastheferrysailedpastthe docks Ipeeredoverthebreakwaterintoasmallforestofcranes loaders spanning beamsandcargoheapswith alltheapprehensionofaMarlowelookingintothejungle fromhisriver steamerinHeartofDarkness InoticedthataBulgariancargovessel Stoyko Peev hadjust arrived andwas waiting unloaded Myplanwasto afterdodgingtheIDcheckatthedock sfrontentrance Therefore Ishearedaway through Haydarpasatrain station walked along freight tracks skirtingthewater jumpedfromatrain notmoving ontoasmall shiptied close scampering across reached docks unchallenged Onmysecondvisit Ichangedstrategy Ipulledadarkgreenwoolcapovermyears followedthedockrailwaytothebackgate observedtheground intentlywhenthesign Kimlik Identification appeared andloafedthrough Itwasonthisexpedition second thatImetstevedoreTarterdisgustedlykickingafork Weshared Nothingbloodyworkshere hesaid thatatleastwouldbethebowdlerizedessence ofhismessage Thedocksareamess Everything sbroken Andthere securityat Anyone allcanwalkinand Heappearedoblivioustotheironyofwhathe saying givenhis interlocuter Myresponsewastothankhimfortheteaandjump Ashiverhadrundownmyspine Alarmedthatmyachievementsas infiltratorwere underthreat Irushedtothemainentrance There likeamagicianwhowaveshishand throughaboxtodemonstratethat isempty Iwalkedupandbackthroughthegate twoorthreetimes unchallenged unnoticed tomyprofoundchagrin excitingno attention I likedocks instinctively Ireadtoomanysea storiesasanadolescentnotto modemdockhas little incommonwithConrad sorMelville acenturyoracentury andahalfago I tseeanystevedoresonrampsbentdoubleunderwheatsacks example andno irascibleStricklandslookingtogetfromMarseillesto Tahiti Most noticeablewere themen brightly painted monochrome containers They stacked three avenues perpendicular water mademethink ofthe chasms ofNewYork The containerswere standard 6feet Twenty footEqualUnitsorTEU IsawoneortwoForty Equal Units FEU which cross section twice longandsimplystack 1FEUontopof2TEU BeyondtheoccasionalAmerican Genstar California markings Mediterranean unsurprisingly mainlyfromBarcelonaandLisbon Thesurprisewasto seesomanycontainers belonging Bulcon Bulgarian national shipping below The containers Russians using chocolate eoloured labelled acronym RZhD suggestingtheywereconvertedfreightboxesoncebelongingtoRussian State Railways Rossijskie Zheleznie Dorogi Meanwhile electrician cannibalized abandoned Soviet container still reads Soyuzchimexport Moscow USSR Haydarpasa looked physically small tomebythe standards ofLondon Liverpool butthere isadecentvolumeo ftraffic LastweekatanyonetimeInotedtwoorthree TEU ships waiting unloaded For accurate picture ofwhat aretransporting Iwouldneedtoseethemanifests Ingrossterms however itisclear thatsince transformedthepoliticaleconomyoftheBlackSea regional maritimetradehasbeenonthe ThemostevidentwinnersofarhasbeenBulcon The company started small TEU ships about decade In shipspermonthcameintoIstanbulunloadingonaverage25containerspership 125permonth intotal TodayBulconhasquadrupledthatnumber addingtwo charteredvesselsto itsfleetandconvertingthreemoreshipsforcontainerworkwitha TEUcapacity Bulconexpanded 1992todoMediterraneanroutes Astraw docks indicated Turks impressed Bulcon least versatility being handle cargoes including refrigerated hazardous chemical Incomparison theyhadaverylowopinionofRomanianships pieces ofjunk usuallytoooldandunsafeeventomeetpot entialmerchants LC Letterof Credit conditions Asecond strikeagainstthemwasthat duetoacholerascare crewstravelingtoRomaniahadtobevaccinated unwelcomenewstome whohad recently Constanta heard nothing about WhenIaskedstevedores iftheysawmanyUkrainians theyclaimedUkrainehad hundredsandhundreds ofships presumably itsshareoftheUSSR military BlackSeafleet butthattheywererareinHaydarpasa maybeoneaweek since Ukrainianswere nogood atcontainerwork anddealtalmostexclusivelyinbreak ButaUkrainianshiphappenedtobe inthatday Iaskedthemenonthebasisof theirexperiencewhattheyreckoned itwascarrying Theirguesseswererice flour minerals steel shoes I manifests Nor I story circulatingaboutthemafterwards illustratedhowdeadpoorUkraine thecaptain demandedoftheTurkishshippingcompanyrepresentative36ferrytokens cents apiece totakehimandhismenacrossthe straitsfortheday Whenthetokensshowed ontheservice totaled heexplodedandrefu sedtopay Hemadesucha desperate resistance eventually Turks voided Tanerwasnotalone incomplainingabouthis forklift Stevedoreswerewell unanimousthattheportwasill equippedtodealwiththetrafficthatcame They claimed their vehicles unreliable arsenal lifting machines gantry cranes straddle cranes loaders dinosaurs which eitherbrokeorwerenotwhatwasneeded Forexample Iwatchedalarge German TEU being unloaded where containerswere stacked TheNorth windwas apparentlymakingwork themen The Turkish gantry cranes doekworkers forced improvise scrane This Igathered madetheworkslowerandmuchmoredangerousforthe manwhosejobwastoridethecontaineras itwaslited fasteningthecrane hooksto cargo without gantry spreader Ifthesearetheprevailingconditions inIstanbul Ishuddertoimaginethedocksof UkraineorGeorgia Ports likebor bdttleneekswherepoormachineryand delays unloading their hobbling regional trade The importance shiffinggoodsquicklywillbevividlyappreciatedbyanyonewho recallsthe wagonloadsoficed lettucesspoilingonarailwaysidinginEastofEden Aworking group ofthe Black SeaEconomic Cooperation BSEC organization Athens nextmonth discuss boosting regional trade Onthe agenda customs regulations shippingpolicies sharinginventories andthe absurd notionofaBlack SeaRingRoad Ishallbekeentonotewhetherthebesuitedexperts horizons encompassfork liftsthatarebroken cranesthataretoo short andmyman inahigh North without gantry spreader Finally mythankstomyold theInstituteforEastWestStudies forinvitingmeto itsconferenceon securityintheBalkans inSofiawherePresidentZhelyuZhelev speaker dinner The meetingwas feather ofthe organization securityprogramwhich Imightadd Ididmysharetocreatefrom Nevertheless ronlysixmonthsawayfrom IconfesstothesepagesthatIwas impatient polite workshops academic diplomatic nuance speeches toasts andrapporteurreports IsupposeIambecomingde socialized andthatthisMr Savage already begun looking rather balefully researchers intemally ordered grandlyconstructedBraveNewWorlds forthatmatter BraveNewWorld Orders MythanksagaintoICWAforgivingmethechancetogo rutinthefields Received Hanover