Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton waded into troubled US-Turkey relations when she and her daughter Chelsea announced last week that they had acquired the rights to produce a television series based on a forthcoming book about Syrian Kurdish women fighters.
Written by bestselling American journalist Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, The Daughters of Kobani is to be released on February 16 and will recount the Kurdish-led People's Protection Units' (YPG) 2014 defence of the border city of Kobani from an ISIS assault and early days as the main local fighting force in the US-led coalition to defeat ISIS.
Turkey views the YPG as part of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which has led an armed insurgency in the country’s south-east for decades and is labelled a terrorist group by the US and EU. Ankara's state-run news agency expressed fears that the Clintons’ series would “whitewash” terrorists as freedom fighters.
Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan chairs a security meeting in Ankara on January 23, 2018, that was attended by Adnan Tanriverdi, second from right. Kayhan Ozer / Presidential Palace via Reuters
That's rich coming from a government that is widely thought to have enabled ISIS' rise and which has in recent years developed a vast network of problematic proxies doing its bidding from Turkey to western Europe, from the Caucasus to the Middle East and beyond.
As detailed in a new report from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and Trends Research and Advisory in Abu Dhabi, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought to fill the regional vacuum and remake Turkey as a dominant force with the help of a variety of militant groups, defence contractors and rogue actors.
“Erdogan now has a private military and paramilitary system at his disposal. He deploys this apparatus for domestic and foreign operations without official oversight,” write co-authors Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak and Jonathan Spyer. They add that these groups “serve an Islamist, neo-Ottoman [and once again, anti-Kurdish] agenda".
Turkey's most prominent use of proxies has been in the Libyan and Syrian civil wars and in the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. In all three cases Ankara hired thousands of anti-Assad regime rebels to fight for its cause, many linked to the Muslim Brotherhood or other radical Islamists. In north-eastern Syria, Turkey-backed fighters have been accused of ethnic cleansing and war crimes, such as roadside executions.
Another key element in Mr Erdogan's empire is Turkish defence contractor Sadat, which was founded in 2012 by Islamist former brigadier general Adnan Tanriverdi and provides military training for special police units, Mr Erdogan's presidential guards and Turkey's recently created neighbourhood watchmen. Israel has accused Sadat of transferring millions of dollars in funding for Hamas, labelled a terrorist group by the US and EU.
Shadi Ghanim's take on the influx of foreign fighters in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Grey Wolves' main task is to counter perceived threats to the state
With Mr Tanriverdi's late 2019 departure as presidential adviser, Sadat is now unaffiliated with the state, providing deniability. According to Yanarocak and Spyer, Sadat helped recruit and deploy Syrian fighters in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, and has ties with Al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, as do Turkey's intelligence agency and its main relief organisation, IHH. In a late 2015 interview, Mr Tanriverdi provided the rough outlines for Turkey's 2016 and 2019 military operations in Syria's north-east, revealing his likely involvement in top-level military matters.
The report overlooks at least two of Mr Erdogan's tools of power projection: the army of Turkish imams across Europe who keep an eye out for dissidents and promote an Islamic nationalist message to the five-million-strong Turkish diaspora and other Muslim groups; and the powerful Turkish drones that have played a crucial role in projecting Turkish power and backing Ankara's agenda in Syria, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, northern Iraq and even the eastern Mediterranean.
Tracing the origins of Turkey's embrace of deniable, non-state actors to the "deep state" concept that took root in the turbulent 1960s and 70s, the JISS-Trends report does however highlight the Grey Wolves, founded in 1965 as the youth wing of the far-right National Movement Party (MHP). Its ideology is a Turkish-Islamic worldview that sees the Republic as sacred, and its main task is to counter perceived threats to the state, primarily communist elements and leftist Kurdish separatists.
The 'Grey Wolves' during an election rally of Turkey's Nationalist Action Party in Ankara in 2015. AFP
After the 1980 coup, some Grey Wolves were incorporated into a deep state special operations unit, given broader military training and assigned to covert missions against Armenian militants in Europe and Kurdish activists within Turkey. Grey Wolf Mehmet Ali Agca murdered well-known Turkish journalist and activist Abdi Ipekci in 1979 and two years later tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II.
In 1997, Turkey’s National Security Council labelled the Grey Wolves a potential threat to national security. Yet rather than outlaw the group, Turkey continued to quietly use them, mostly abroad. Grey Wolves fought with the Muslim Chechens against Russia until 2000, then just over a decade later they fought with Syrian Turkmen, in line with Turkey’s efforts to oust Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
"Recruitment was public via the Turkish propaganda machine at home, especially via pro-government newspapers such as Yeni Safak and Star," write Yanarocak and Spyer, adding that it was a Grey Wolf who killed the Russian pilot shot down by a Turkish F-16 in November 2015. "Ankara's open support for the Grey Wolves means that the organisation is evolving from a marginal, radical, rightist group into one embraced by the Turkish state."
That alignment has grown in recent years due to the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) parliamentary alliance with the MHP. This can be seen in the increasingly brazen acts of Grey Wolves members in Europe.
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which include YPG and YPJ units, battled ISIS with great success in Syria's north-east. AFP
'The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage and Justice'. Courtesy Penguin Press
Turkey's partners surely seem less appetising than America's
Last June, Grey Wolves attacked the Vienna rally of a Kurdish organisation looking to raise awareness about violence against women in Turkey. The next month a group of Grey Wolves interrupted an Armenian rally in eastern France and their leader declared: “Let the Turkish government give me 2,000 euros and a weapon, and I will do what needs to be done, wherever in France.” A few months later, during the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, Grey Wolves vandalised the Armenian genocide monument in Lyon.
That last assault prompted France to ban the group, and German lawmakers were soon calling for a similar ban, which could spur Austria to do the same. An estimated 11,000 Grey Wolves live in Germany, and prominent Turkish dissidents in exile there, such as journalist Can Dundar, have expressed fears that the Turkish government may use them for assassinations.
Turkey's partners surely seem less appetising than America's. For helping defeat ISIS, the women guerrillas of YPJ have been hailed as heroes on the cover of Time magazine, Marie Claire and Der Spiegel. Lemmon's book reportedly sparked a bidding war for the television rights, won by the deep pockets of the Clintons' HiddenLight Productions.
I can’t imagine a Netflix series on the Grey Wolves or rebel Syrian extremists generating the same sort of buzz. But that doesn’t mean the world should not be paying close attention to Turkey’s problematic proxies..
David Lepeska is a Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean affairs columnist for The National
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book:I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area. Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife. Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”. He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale. Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
