Stephen Lewis has an excellent post from Istanbul on the occasion of President Obama’s visit to Turkey, which was completed this morning.
Steve explains, “Yes, that’s Garanti with an ‘i’ and not a double-‘e’, as in Garanti Bank, one of the largest banks in Turkey. For the last two months Garanti Bank has mounted these advertisements on billboards throughout Istanbul — with text offering low interest loans set below an image looking convincingly like Barak Obama and printed in a very Islamic green. Actually, the face is that of a local actor and Obama look-alike. The choice of an Obama-like image for the ads might imply a guarantee of stability in a time of instability and a recognition of vox populi rather than the very real and desperate need of the US economy for low-interest capital.”
More of Steve’s thoughtful postings at his alterblog, Hak Pak Sak.
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