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Mideast Mirror
June 21, 2010 Monday
'Yellow card' to Erdogan
A U.S.-Israeli campaign is underway to punish Turkish PM Erdogan for
his pro-Palestinian stance, says Mohammad Kharroub in Jordanian
al-Ra'i
Last Friday's decision by the Turkish Supreme Court to release a
public prosecutor and nine other individuals accused of attempting to
overthrow the elected Turkish government, and the decision by the U.S.
Congress and Israeli Knesset to revive the issue of the First World
War Armenian massacre, are clear signs of a conspiracy at work against
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Enhanced Coverage LinkingRecep Tayyip Erdogan -Search using:
Biographies Plus News
News, Most Recent 60 Days
after his recent positions against Israel, maintains a Jordanian commentator.
FIERCE CAMPAIGN: "A fierce campaign is underway, giving the impression
of a conspiracy at work," writes Mohammad Kharroub in the Jordanian
daily al-Ra'i.
Those who are averse to conspiracy theories should scrutinize what is
going on before dismissing this particular one.
The campaign's target is the Turkish PM who has deviated from the text
written for him, or was forced to do so, or found an opportunity to
register more points, greater influence, and a stronger role for his
country, in favor of Turkish diplomacy, and especially in to serve his
party.
No sooner did his opponents seem to have been on the verge of losing
their 'street' -- especially after the sex scandal that toppled the
head of the largest opposition party (Deniz Baykal, the head of the
People's Republican Party [CHP]) -- than they regained the initiative.
They elected a leader who is even more hard-line and more outspoken in
defending the values of the secular republic declared by (CHP founder)
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923.
On Friday, the Turkish Supreme Court ordered the release of a public
prosecutor accused of belonging to a network aimed at toppling the
government. The Court also ordered the release of nine other detained
people, including military men and intelligence agents. The order
angered Erdogan who accused the Court of disrespecting justice and
violating constitutional rules.
This means that Erdogan, who is amidst a difficult domestic and
foreign confrontation, is trying to preempt his opponents and prevent
them from delivering the 'message' they wished to send via the
judiciary and the military establishment that stands behind it.
These two institutions are the 'redoubts' that Erdogan has tried to
'storm' by legal and constitutional methods. He achieved relative
success via the Ergenekon [alleged military coup] case and its
investigations, which involved judges and generals, both on active
service and in retirement. He also won an important point by
introducing amendments to the constitution. But he did not succeed in
wining over a sufficient number of votes to transform these amendments
into law, which means that they will soon be put to a popular
referendum.
Despite all this, Erdogan is now facing a 'setback' because of the
Supreme Court's decision. That decision may enhance his opponents'
self-confidence and push them towards a greater confrontation that
could, in turn, push Erdogan to respond with uncalculated steps that
would expose him to greater losses at the domestic and foreign levels.
Why at the foreign level? Because the 'supporters of freedom, the
defenders of human rights, the children of light' in the U.S. Congress
and the Knesset have emerged in public to issue a 'yellow card' --
since we are in the midst of the World Cup -- against the PM of a
state that is NATO member. It is also a state whose forces have taken
part in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan.
They have warned him against the dire consequences of continuing to
'draw away' from Israel and expose its interests to danger. And they
publicly threatened to take 'well-considered' steps and issue a 'red
card' that would pave the way to toppling him, and perhaps hang a
noose around his neck -- as happened with his predecessor Adnan
Menderes half a century ago.
But what will those Congressional members do? They will reopen the
debate regarding the Armenian massacre, a file that the Zionist lobby
in Congress -- and, obviously, the Knesset -- has long covered up and
postponed. That was because their interests coincided with Turkey's as
a strategic ally of Washington and Tel Aviv alike.
In fact, the Armenian issue -- like all other issues of liberation,
human rights, resistance to occupation and racism, and public liberty
-- was not viewed as a moral issue or one of conscience; nor was it
given any importance on the 'enlightened' West's agenda.
Now, however, it is being dug out from the archives and dusted off.
Congress has rolled up its sleeves and will discuss the massacre of
the Armenians. And so will its 'sister' parliament, the Israeli
Knesset, in the near future. In other words, the 'hotheads in Ankara
should understand the implications and seek an honorable way out for
themselves ... or else.'
In other words, they are seeking to 'tame the wild horse.' But will
they succeed with Erdogan?
It would be too adventurous to speculate. After all, politics is the
art of the possible, and everything is possible in politics. At the
end of the day, Erdogan's fate is linked to his personal future, his
country's interests, and those of his party. However, his political
future will be under threat if he retreats and disregards his
country's honor, his people's blood, and his homeland's sovereignty.
For this reason, Erdogan will continue to attack Israel -- albeit more
cautiously. He will continue to say that his country 'will not remain
silent regarding piracy and injustice and will seek solutions within
the framework of international law,' as he said in a meeting of his
AKP party on Friday.
He was also notably careful to stress that his country's problem is
with the Israeli 'government' which 'refuses to recognize laws,' and
not with the 'Israeli people.'
All possibilities remain open, including that of taming Erdogan or
threatening his political future. However, is all that is happening
not consistent with a tripartite conspiracy theory -- with the U.S.,
Israel, and the Turkish military establishment as its three sides?
"In fact, the latter may soon move its tanks out of their barracks
with Western backing; one that adopts a hypocritical discourse and the
honeyed talk to which we have become accustomed when justifying the
recognition of 'white but bloody' military coups arranged by the CIA,"
concludes Kharroub.
From: A. Papazian
June 21, 2010 Monday
'Yellow card' to Erdogan
A U.S.-Israeli campaign is underway to punish Turkish PM Erdogan for
his pro-Palestinian stance, says Mohammad Kharroub in Jordanian
al-Ra'i
Last Friday's decision by the Turkish Supreme Court to release a
public prosecutor and nine other individuals accused of attempting to
overthrow the elected Turkish government, and the decision by the U.S.
Congress and Israeli Knesset to revive the issue of the First World
War Armenian massacre, are clear signs of a conspiracy at work against
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Enhanced Coverage LinkingRecep Tayyip Erdogan -Search using:
Biographies Plus News
News, Most Recent 60 Days
after his recent positions against Israel, maintains a Jordanian commentator.
FIERCE CAMPAIGN: "A fierce campaign is underway, giving the impression
of a conspiracy at work," writes Mohammad Kharroub in the Jordanian
daily al-Ra'i.
Those who are averse to conspiracy theories should scrutinize what is
going on before dismissing this particular one.
The campaign's target is the Turkish PM who has deviated from the text
written for him, or was forced to do so, or found an opportunity to
register more points, greater influence, and a stronger role for his
country, in favor of Turkish diplomacy, and especially in to serve his
party.
No sooner did his opponents seem to have been on the verge of losing
their 'street' -- especially after the sex scandal that toppled the
head of the largest opposition party (Deniz Baykal, the head of the
People's Republican Party [CHP]) -- than they regained the initiative.
They elected a leader who is even more hard-line and more outspoken in
defending the values of the secular republic declared by (CHP founder)
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923.
On Friday, the Turkish Supreme Court ordered the release of a public
prosecutor accused of belonging to a network aimed at toppling the
government. The Court also ordered the release of nine other detained
people, including military men and intelligence agents. The order
angered Erdogan who accused the Court of disrespecting justice and
violating constitutional rules.
This means that Erdogan, who is amidst a difficult domestic and
foreign confrontation, is trying to preempt his opponents and prevent
them from delivering the 'message' they wished to send via the
judiciary and the military establishment that stands behind it.
These two institutions are the 'redoubts' that Erdogan has tried to
'storm' by legal and constitutional methods. He achieved relative
success via the Ergenekon [alleged military coup] case and its
investigations, which involved judges and generals, both on active
service and in retirement. He also won an important point by
introducing amendments to the constitution. But he did not succeed in
wining over a sufficient number of votes to transform these amendments
into law, which means that they will soon be put to a popular
referendum.
Despite all this, Erdogan is now facing a 'setback' because of the
Supreme Court's decision. That decision may enhance his opponents'
self-confidence and push them towards a greater confrontation that
could, in turn, push Erdogan to respond with uncalculated steps that
would expose him to greater losses at the domestic and foreign levels.
Why at the foreign level? Because the 'supporters of freedom, the
defenders of human rights, the children of light' in the U.S. Congress
and the Knesset have emerged in public to issue a 'yellow card' --
since we are in the midst of the World Cup -- against the PM of a
state that is NATO member. It is also a state whose forces have taken
part in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan.
They have warned him against the dire consequences of continuing to
'draw away' from Israel and expose its interests to danger. And they
publicly threatened to take 'well-considered' steps and issue a 'red
card' that would pave the way to toppling him, and perhaps hang a
noose around his neck -- as happened with his predecessor Adnan
Menderes half a century ago.
But what will those Congressional members do? They will reopen the
debate regarding the Armenian massacre, a file that the Zionist lobby
in Congress -- and, obviously, the Knesset -- has long covered up and
postponed. That was because their interests coincided with Turkey's as
a strategic ally of Washington and Tel Aviv alike.
In fact, the Armenian issue -- like all other issues of liberation,
human rights, resistance to occupation and racism, and public liberty
-- was not viewed as a moral issue or one of conscience; nor was it
given any importance on the 'enlightened' West's agenda.
Now, however, it is being dug out from the archives and dusted off.
Congress has rolled up its sleeves and will discuss the massacre of
the Armenians. And so will its 'sister' parliament, the Israeli
Knesset, in the near future. In other words, the 'hotheads in Ankara
should understand the implications and seek an honorable way out for
themselves ... or else.'
In other words, they are seeking to 'tame the wild horse.' But will
they succeed with Erdogan?
It would be too adventurous to speculate. After all, politics is the
art of the possible, and everything is possible in politics. At the
end of the day, Erdogan's fate is linked to his personal future, his
country's interests, and those of his party. However, his political
future will be under threat if he retreats and disregards his
country's honor, his people's blood, and his homeland's sovereignty.
For this reason, Erdogan will continue to attack Israel -- albeit more
cautiously. He will continue to say that his country 'will not remain
silent regarding piracy and injustice and will seek solutions within
the framework of international law,' as he said in a meeting of his
AKP party on Friday.
He was also notably careful to stress that his country's problem is
with the Israeli 'government' which 'refuses to recognize laws,' and
not with the 'Israeli people.'
All possibilities remain open, including that of taming Erdogan or
threatening his political future. However, is all that is happening
not consistent with a tripartite conspiracy theory -- with the U.S.,
Israel, and the Turkish military establishment as its three sides?
"In fact, the latter may soon move its tanks out of their barracks
with Western backing; one that adopts a hypocritical discourse and the
honeyed talk to which we have become accustomed when justifying the
recognition of 'white but bloody' military coups arranged by the CIA,"
concludes Kharroub.
From: A. Papazian