Turkey

Turkey is bordered on its northwest by Greece and Bulgaria; north by the Black Sea; northeast by Georgia; east by Armenia, the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran; southeast by Iraq and Syria; south by the Mediterranean Sea; and west by the Aegean Sea.

Overview
This is a Muslim state, leave your x-rated braindances at home. you gotta understand, this paranoid government can't think of anything but restrictions.

From the Crash of '94, Turkey lost their NATO/EC aid. The poor sought help in the cities; forming shanb towns ringing Istambul, Ankara and Izmir. And their number rose fast Within thirty minutes, the Meltdown turned Turkey's southern neighbors into radioactive wastelands. In 24 hours, refugees invaded the country. Some stayed in the big cities, bolstering the poor already there. Most moved on to assail the borders of Bulgaria and Greece. The EC pressured Turkey to stem the flow of refugees, but the sheer numbers rendered control efforts futile. So the EC reinforced the borders of Bulgaria and Greece, and illegals were shot on the spot; the numbers killed were astronomical.

The government was beleaguered by refugees, Easies and Muslim fanatics. The last straw was Major General Ozcul's coup d'etat By luck, the parliament survived that coup-and the seven that followed. Their reaction was to increase the controls. What they feared most were the religious fanatics. As a result, they banned all those fine things forbidden by Islam. The military took over street patrol. The media wasn't free to voice their opinions even before the catastrophe, so little change there. All in all, the government kept control of the country by strangling it At least they checked the Wasting Plague. It only killed some fifty thousand poor.

After all this history biz, you probably want to know what the place looks like now. Imagine cities where an Imam calls to prayer thrice a day. Where poor people fight for the slightest scraps of food-and where crowded streets empty at the sight of military patrols. Imagine grand palaces of oil kings sitting alongside the shanty towns.

The big cities really suck, but the countryside's no better. Much of the cropland was washed in radioactive fallout; farmers foolish enough to stay often have malformed children. The hills, well, the hills and mountains are infested with rebels and renegades of all kinds, from nationalist Kurds, to desperate refugees, to religious fanatics trying to create their own little kingdoms. This is not the place for a holiday trip.

Government
The only way to govern this hellhole is With an iron hand. The few reforms actually implemented have been kicked aside to keep the fundamentalists satisfied. The unsatisfied tend to vanish into the back room of some police station. And there are a lot of people vanishing these days. Even so, the city intelligentsia stubbornly shout for democratic reforms. Mind you, Turkey isn't only fanatics and beggars, there are a few universities producing in demand engineers and scientists; most propagate a secular approach to Islam. The government hates them because they are actively critical-and they know the country can't afford to lose them. If you're a student, you enjoy a kind of fool's freedom so long as you don't shout too loud.

But, the way the M.P. behaves in the cities is nothing com- pared to what the army does in the countryside. For years now, they have waged war on the 'rebels' taking refuge in the mountains. There are Kurds still trying for independence and 'lost' sects ruling valleys.

Anyway, the government also has to deal with the EC, like it or not, they need the cheap food to survive. In return for regular supplies, they sold the Taurus and Canik mountains to EC power companies. The Easies are looking for new resources; especially after the Meltdown. So they set up hundreds of wind- power generators defended by EDF troopers. Naturally, the Easie troops regularly clash with the folk living there.

Economy
Turkey depends on food imports like a junkie depends on 'Dorphs. If you're lucky, you get food from EC stock. If you're not so lucky, you have to scrounge to pay the outrageous black market prices. Those who are really down'n'out eat rats. These people pay premium cash for Bulgarian kibble.

Most officials are partially paid in kind, and sell their excess to relatives, who in turn, sell it on the black market Another way is to give customs some baksheesh in form of eurobucks or rare goods. The parliament is talking with Bulgarian food producers through a series of cut- outs, aiming is to build up a new food industry. Since they don't have much arable land anymore, they've settled for kibble. Well, at least it gets the kids off chasing rats.

Istanbul
This is probably the worst hell-hole this side of Calcutta. Even though it's probably the biggest black market in Europe, it lacks true style and tech. When you get to Istanbul via plane, you notice there are no windows on the outer faces of the buildings. Reason is, the airport is surrounded by slums worse than Night C@. If you get there by ship, you'll be docking in a combat zone. Officially, the docks are firmly under government control. That's a laugh. you'll see armored cop cruisers collecting protection from the local gangs. They keep an eye on foreign traders, otherwise, you're on your own.

The Haven district is the best place to stay if you're doing biz Smugglers bring in food, illegal hardware and drugs every day The foods from EC stock, so you're well advised to get it there, than try eating the abominable street food. If you don't have contacts, watch the vendors. If they have foreign regulars, the food is edible, though not necessarily tasty. Also stay away from drugs you didn't analyze beforehand. Most junk is second-rate Bulgarian; miles above the dirt they produce here, still, analyzers are a good investment I lived for two months renting mine to junkies.

Cyber here is bloody expensive. Fixers demand prime rate Chiba prices for Rostovic and Poland Cyber Tech goods. Then again, if you plan on staying in Istanbul, that's no problem. you don't deal with metalheads here. Either they don't have the cash or they're Muslims. On the one hand, they can kill their girl-friends without blinking an eye. On the other hand, they think cyberware is heresy. So my best advice is to shroud open 'ware as best you can.

Rikshas are the preferred method of travel. The streets are so small it's the only viable form of taxi. Those streets large enough for cars are either too crowded or the pavement is wasted. Riksha runners are also a good source of info; they go nearly everywhere and they see everyone.

The docks and slums aren't the only sides of the city. There's the quarters of the rich. They own the mansions that were built when the Ottoman Empire still ruled southern Europe. I've been invited to one of those places. It's like another world, gleaming with marble and gold. I mean, my benefactor had three Net jocks in his personal entourage, along with several hundred meatboys and a dozen courtesans. Luxury is not a word in their vocabulary, they live it. Once you're on the good side of the sheiks, you've made it But never step out of line. Life is as cheap as bar of kibble.

Reference
RAMOS, J. Eurosource Plus. 1st ed. Berkeley CA: R. Talsorian Games, 1995