Go East, old man

In my experience, there is always a short version and a long one to each story. And often they are quite different.

In this case, the short version is a statement that I will be moving to Istanbul because our business there takes off. And because it makes sense to use Istanbul as a base for helping our increasing number of clients with challenging issues in the Arab world and in Iran.

The long version is of course a bit more complex.

Istanbul always had a special place in my heart, even since at 18 I came there first. I spent my first night sleeping rough at a building site and got up the next morning to enjoy my Turkish coffee and Simit (sesame covered bread) and reading the newspaper, which headlined the killing of two fellow travelers in the East of Turkey who had their throats slit. I had arrived in what was to become my grown-up world.

The city has to me always been a very real place. I witnessed shootouts between students and military in the 80's and in the 90's I met up with politicians from the Refah party and the emerging AKP party. Later I returned almost every year; often to party in the grand clubs of the city while most neighborhoods turned increasingly Islamic green.

And the reason for staying longer this time is my desire to again witness a story of great change.  Istanbul is the weather vane of the Middle East. The largest city in Europe is not just the gateway to the Middle East – the fate of her is the fate of the changing Middle East.