ITK Daily | May 8

Global Street Smarts.

Happy Monday.

Here’s today’s ITK Daily.

To be ITK, know this:?

Is President Erdogan about to lose his 20-year grip on power??As Turkey prepares for a landmark election, Louise Callaghan tells the full story of a strongman on the brink.?The Times

The Turkish election is on a knife edge. Is Erdogan’s time up??Polling suggests the public is losing faith in his authoritarian rule. Louise Callaghan finds out what Turks in his Black Sea heartland think.?The Times

Turkey's Kilicdaroglu exits Erdogan's shadow in election race?Reuters

Saudi Arabia’s journey from troublemaker to diplomat: Buoyed by petrodollars and renewed confidence, Riyadh has adapted its muscular approach to foreign policy.?FT

Al Arabiya: Saudi Arabia to allocate $100 million in aid to Sudan

A ‘nervousness never seen before’ hits Moscow before Victory Day parades: Paranoia following the drone attacks on the Kremlin and a weakened military dog the event Putin views as deeply symbolic.?Guardian

Senior Ukrainian officials fear counterattack may not live up to hype?WP

US and allies look at potential China role in ending Ukraine war: An expected offensive by Ukraine is seen as paving way for negotiations with Russia.?WSJ

Xi has Putin trapped on the global chessboard: China’s victory against Russia in the world championship is symbolic.?Dominic Lawson

Little Lithuania stands tall against Russia and China: Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Baltic nation’s foreign minister, explains why his country never bought into ‘the end of history’ and what Ukraine and Taiwan have in common.?Tunku Varadarajan

How Europe can best stand up to China: Europe has a plan for dealing with China without betraying our interests. Unfortunately, the leaders of Germany, France, and other countries have so far failed to adopt it.?Georg Fahrion

US think tank reports prompted Beijing to put a lid on Chinese data: Some reports based on publicly available information alarmed officials.?WSJ

How top Silicon Valley investor Sequoia bankrolls China’s tech: Once the pride of US finance, Sequoia is now funding Beijing’s terrifying AI war chest.?The Times

Leaders of Japan and South Korea vow to deepen ties: As Japan’s prime minister failed to deliver a direct apology for the era of colonial rule, South Korea’s president urged his nation to focus on present problems, not history.?NYT

Anthony Albanese gives ‘crucial’ pledge of allegiance to King Charles III at coronation: Prime minister returns to Australia on Sunday after joining in pledge to the new monarch, a decision backed by colleagues.?Guardian

Johnson at 10: The Inside Story — Brexit and buffoonery: Aides close to the former prime minister have contributed to a damning account of his ill-suitedness for leadership.?FT

Vive la révolution! But is France ready to establish a Sixth Republic??Raising the age to retire, in the face of public dissent, might be President Macron’s last stand in an outdated constitution.?Guardian

Why we fall for political ads — especially the nasty ones: UCP and NDP attack ads have been flying in Alberta, as a provincial election looms.?CBC

Biden faces broad negative ratings at start of campaign, Post-ABC poll finds: The president’s approval ratings slip to a new low, more Americans than not doubt his mental acuity, and his support against leading GOP challengers is far shakier than at this point four years ago.?WP

Americans take a dim view of the nation’s future, look more positively at the past: Americans are in a negative mood about the current state of the country, with large majorities expressing dissatisfaction with the economy and overall national conditions. And when they look toward the not-too-distant future, they see a country that in many respects will be worse than it is today.?Pew Research Center

What Elon Musk gets right about entrepreneurs: Forget mining Bitcoin, real heavy industry is the challenge.?Gillian Tett

Do you miss your BlackBerry? Canada's innovation sector does too: New movie highlights gaping holes in Canada's innovation policy.?CBC

Liz Holmes wants you to forget about Elizabeth: The black turtlenecks are gone. So is the voice. As the convicted Theranos founder awaits prison, she has adopted a new persona: devoted mother.?NYT

Your job is (probably) safe from artificial intelligence: Why predictions of an imminent economic revolution are overstated.?Economist

Why is it so hard for American drivers to reach Formula One??There have been just four US-born drivers in F1 in the past 30 years.?WP

After a month of baseball’s new rules, it’s time to rejoice?George Will

World famous Scottish skatepark bids to become listed site: Livingston skatepark, built in 1981, is put forward for accolade normally reserved for castles and churches.?Guardian

An injury crisis has hit women's soccer and we are past the time to sound the alarm: More research is needed that applies specifically to female athletes.?Shireen Ahmed?

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc?

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal

Caracal produces ITK Daily.

Geopolitics is disrupting every business and industry.

Caracal is here to help.

Caracal is a geopolitical business communications firm specializing in global business issues at the intersection of globalization, disruption, and politics.

Clients are Chief Communications Officers and executive communications professionals who rely on Caracal for help navigating today's interconnected business environment with geopolitical intelligence, strategic planning, economic diplomacy, and communications.

Caracal believes that to be a world-class geopolitical business communicator, you need global street smarts coupled with holistic, high-frequency, and high-low communications.?

More @ caracal.global