Banality of evil or institutionalization of decadence by Bulent Kenes

The concept of "banality of evil" came to mind as soon as I heard that the parliamentary Corruption Investigation Commission refused to refer four former ministers to the Supreme State Council (Yüce Divan) despite the fact that a graft and bribery investigation that went public on Dec. 17 and 25, 2013 had brought their corrupt practices to light.

Nine commission members from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) disposed of their morality and consciences by saving the former ministers from litigation -- at least for the time being. However, there is still a possibility that they will face the Yüce Divan due to demands by the opposition for a parliamentary vote, which would take place in January.

How Turkey Sabotaged Its Future by Mustafa Akyol

by Mustafa Akyol, ISTANBUL — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey keeps making global headlines. First it was for claiming that Muslims discovered the New World. Then it was for asserting that you “cannot put women and men on an equal footing.” Last week, it was for supporting the arrest, by Turkish police, of a number of journalists. But in the long run, it is his reforms of the Turkish education system that will likely be the most influential — and detrimental — to the global competitiveness of the country’s next generation.

Earlier this month, Mr. Erdogan backed a proposal by Turkey’s National Education Council to make Ottoman Turkish — an older version of the language, written in Arabic letters — mandatory in religious high schools, and available as an elective in secular high schools. Flouting earlier rulings by the European Court of Human Rights, the council also proposed that religious education be compulsory from age six. The president’s response to sharp criticism of these initiatives from Turkish politicians and civil groups was characteristic: The changes would take place “whether they like it or not,” Mr. Erdogan said.

In other words, as is often the case in Turkey, a war over ideology dominated the agenda, while the practical needs of Turkey’s future generations were overlooked. The National Education Council did not put any emphasis on foreign language instruction, for example, despite the fact that Turks generally fare poorly when it comes to speaking any language other than their own — particularly languages like English, Chinese or Arabic that could help Turkish businesses grow, both in the region and globally. Nor was there any emphasis on critical thinking or democratic values — the very qualities that could help transform Turkey’s insular, rigid and intolerant political culture.

Brave New Turkey by Andrew Finkel

by Andrew Finkel, ISTANBUL — Freedom House, the democracy watchdog, earlier this year downgraded the Turkish press from being “partly free” to “not free.” Now it may have to create a new category: “not free at all.”

On Sunday, Dec. 14, Turkish police raided the headquarters of Zaman, the country’s most widely circulated daily, and a major television station, taking into custody at least 24 people, including the paper’s editor-in-chief and the station’s director. (The editor has since been released.) They were detained on suspicions of “establishing a terrorist group.” But the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the raids smacked “of political vengeance.”

A decade ago Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Turkey’s prime minister, was the most likely candidate to lead the Islamic world. He had managed to keep Turkey out of the 2003 Iraq War, was grooming it for membership in the European Union, and was getting on with economic reform. Ordinary Turks were feeling prosperous, proud and hopeful. So why is the Turkish government now going off the rails when it has been perfectly popular doing the right things?

Today Mr. Erdogan is the president, and his style is in-your-face confrontational. He is revered by enough people to get his party re-elected, but many others loathe him (remember the protests in Gezi Park?), and some of his eccentricities have made him a favorite of headline writers. Like a potentate of some Sacha Baron Cohen parody, he has had a presidential palace with over a thousand rooms built for himself. No one knows how much it cost: The government agency responsible for the construction says the sum is a state secret because its disclosure would damage the economy.

The joke only goes so far. No one was chuckling during the police raids on Zaman and Samanyolu television that Sunday. Like Zaman, Samanyolu is affiliated with the self-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers have founded a network of schools, businesses and media companies. The case revolves around the allegation that the Gulen movement may have tried to discredit a small, rival religious group called Tahsiyeciler (“Annotators”), by portraying it as having links to Islamic radicals — including in a political thriller series broadcast by Samanyolu. (The show’s producer, director and scriptwriter were also taken into custody.)

Erdoğan’s fear by Ihsan Yilmaz

by Ihsan Yilmaz - I am extremely bored of the fact that we have to keep writing about Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Nevertheless, since he has unfortunately created a party state without effective checks and balances, in this one-man regime, he is the single-most influential decision maker. Thus, whatever he does negatively influences and harms the whole nation. We are not in a position to ignore this fact or talk about some other issues just because we are bored and fed up with Erdoğan.

In the past, we, including myself, were not responsive enough to prevent Turkey from gradually descending into a one-man regime and even unintentionally helped him create such a system since we did not criticize him timely, properly, harshly and frequently enough. Maybe this is a spiritual punishment that we have to suffer. I made an apology at the beginning of the year for all these mistakes of mine, including my failure to object to the arrests of journalists.

Read full article at http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/ihsan-yilmaz/erdogans-fear_367486.html

What Did Turkey Give ISIS in Exchange for Hostages?

By Metin Turcan, Contributor for Al-Monitor - Turkey admitted to an exchange with the Islamic State for their hostages, but questions remain on what Turkey promised in return.

The circumstances of the release of the 49 Turkish hostages in Mosul by the Islamic State (IS) are widely questioned. So, how was their release accomplished?

 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York attracted much attention, especially when he said, “It is of course not possible to reach this result without having discussions. You do have contacts, but who does it, or how does it work? When we say the word "operation," people only think of airstrikes, bombs, aircraft, weaponry. But an operation isn't only that. Operations are political sometimes, or diplomatic, or civilian. And they involve discussions, contacts.”

 Erdogan's remarks reinforced suppositions of an exchange of hostages. According to a report by daily Hurriyet’s Deniz Zeyrek — citing reliable sources — in exchange for Turkish hostages, a group that included the wife and children of Abdulhamed al-Abidi al-Deilimi, a senior commander of the al-Qaeda-Iraq wing of Abu Musab Zarqawi who was killed in Aleppo last January, was released to the Islamic State (IS).

 The Syrian outfit that released this group of IS prisoners was the Liwa al-Tawhid Brigades, a leading proponent of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria that operated under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Liwa al-Tawhid first made a name for itself by claiming responsibility for the July 18, 2012, bomb attack in Damascus that killed relatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and senior Syrian officials.

Read full story on US News

Turkish Leader Erdogan's Misstep in NYC

By  Stephen Schlesinger - The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has a problem. Through his battles at home in recent years to ward off criminal investigations of his administration, his insistence on dismissing wiretaps that show he and his aides involved in backroom threats against opponents, his decision to fire or imprison police and judicial officials whom he thinks are influenced by an overseas foe, his willingness to crush demonstrators who oppose his willful rehabbing of downtown Istanbul and his crackdown on journalists, he is getting a reputation as a mistrusting, authoritarian and sometimes paranoid leader -- despite his recent election to the top office in his country.

His appearance today before the august Council on Foreign Relations in New York City did nothing to allay those concerns. In a speech that was supposedly aimed at promoting Turkey's interests, Erdogan came off as a defensive and suspicious man, who sees conspiracies everywhere and feels misunderstood by everybody and thinks he is threatened from all sides. Here is a list of the central points he made in his address at the afternoon session at the Council:

Is TİKA funding radical Islamists?

By Emre Uslu - The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) likes to take special pride in the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA). This agency is implementing various projects in different places around the world. It restores historic monuments and lends support to civil society organizations (CSOs). TİKA projects even make Turkey the third-largest assistance-providing country after the US and UK. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently spoke of this fact as a source of pride during his visit to the US.

The TİKA projects were generally advertised as efforts to revive historic monuments that were legacies of the Ottoman Empire. For instance, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Mosque, Kosovo's largest mosque, in Pristina, was renovated thanks to a TİKA project. In Kosovo, there are dozens of mosques that have been repaired by TİKA. They are financing these projects with our taxes, but this expenditure is sufficiently justified.

Whom does TİKA really help? The answer to this question can be found in the recent crackdown on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the al-Nusra Front in Kosovo. A few days ago, the Kosovo police launched an operation against radical Islamic groups in the country. Thirty imams were taken into custody on charges of sending jihadists to Syria and Iraq. Many of them were arrested. Sixteen foundations and associations were shut down on charges of aiding and abetting members of ISIL, the al-Nusra Front and other al-Qaeda-linked organizations.

Why didn't they listen to Erdogan?

by Aydogan Vatandas - President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has become an international figure; it is probably the first time so many people outside Turkey know the name of the country's president since the presidency of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Turkey.

However, during his UN summit speech yesterday, many of the seats in the hall were empty, and it is safe to say that Erdoğan spoke only to a small group of listeners.

The main reason for this shift is the fact that Erdoğan has already lost his credibility in the world even though he still has some support on the ground in Turkey. The last two elections in Turkey can be considered an indication that he still has the support of the majority of Turkish voters even though he has already made the country less democratic and openly vows to continue this process.

Why did ISIL agree to give up the hostages?

By Emre Uslu - The “hostage crisis” between Turkey and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is one of the most mysterious and bizarre “crises” that any nation could face. When the Turkish Consulate General in Mosul was seized and 49 people -- including Turkish diplomats and security personal -- were taken by ISIL, many people asked why the consulate hadn't been evacuated.

Conflicting statements were released; after that, then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confidently stated that Turkey would take the hostages with ease, as if they were not in the hand of the most brutal terrorists. Many people believed that it was a political saga that both the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and ISIL had agreed upon rather than a real hostage-taking.

A new strategy against ISIL

Photo: Reuters

by Haluk Özdalga - In the face of brutal massacres and the territorial gains of the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIL), US President Barack Obama recently outlined a “comprehensive strategy.” Under his plan, in brief, the Iraqi Army, Kurdish peshmerga and the moderate opposition militias in Syria, all operating on land, will finish off ISIL with the help of American airpower. This proposed military solution is based on an incomplete perception of the jihadist Salafis as being merely a fanatical mob of rebels.

Even in pure military terms, this strategy is insufficient. The present unprofessional Iraqi army, created after the Saddam-era one was disbanded by the US, is little more than an employment agency, as we saw through the repeated debacles it has suffered from ISIL forces since the end of 2013. Transforming the new Iraqi Army into an effective combat force in just a handful of months is a very tough task. As for the Kurds, they probably won't want to fight outside their own territory, for if they spread their forces out they could lose what they have now. In Syria, it is an illusion to believe that there may be a moderate opposition capable of defeating both Bashar al-Assad's army and the jihadist Salafis.

ISIS Draws a Steady Stream of Recruits From Turkey

By CEYLAN YEGINSU, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014-Having spent most of his youth as a drug addict in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Turkey’s capital, Can did not think he had much to lose when he was smuggled into Syria with 10 of his childhood friends to join the world’s most extreme jihadist group.

After 15 days at a training camp in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto headquarters of the group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the 27-year-old Can was assigned to a fighting unit. He said he shot two men and participated in a public execution. It was only after he buried a man alive that he was told he had become a full ISIS fighter.

“When you fight over there, it’s like being in a trance,” said Can, who asked to be referred to only by his middle name for fear of reprisal. “Everyone shouts, ‘God is the greatest,’ which gives you divine strength to kill the enemy without being fazed by blood or splattered guts,” he said.

Hundreds of foreign fighters, including some from Europe and the United States, have joined the ranks of ISIS in its self-proclaimed caliphate that sweeps over vast territories of Iraq and Syria. But one of the biggest source of recruits is neighboring Turkey, a NATO member with an undercurrent of Islamist discontent.

Read full article on New York Times

How was Obama's red line crossed?

Photo: Reuters

by Aydoğan Vatandaş - Allegations made by America's most highly regarded investigative reporter, Seymour Hersh, that Turkey was behind the sarin gas attack that took place last year in Syria never found much voice in the American mainstream media.

In fact, the US administration even went so far as to openly reject the allegation. The fact, however, that such an allegation was rejected by the administration does not mean that it is not a threat to both the Obama administration and to Turkey.

In fact, Hersh has been known throughout his career to have made many interesting allegations, quite of few of which were refuted at first but then later turned out to be true. One thing is certain: Over time, Hersh has become a trusted name for many deep sources within the state that wish to see certain truths illuminated.

Is Islam more violent than any other faith?

After the brutal atrocities of the "Islamic State" (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham), Don Lemon, CNN's well-known anchorman, assembled a discussion last week addressing the question “Is Islam more violent than any other faith?”

Turkey's blind spot: al-Qaeda and ISIS

by EMRE USLU - Pro-government figures have been traveling around the world to convince the international community that Turkey did not help the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) or al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria and Iraq.

In September Etyen Mahçupyan, a columnist for the pro-government Akşam daily, Mesut Yeğen a professor at the government-affiliated Sehir University, and Gönul Tol, the founding director of the Center for Turkish Studies at the Middle East Institute (MEI), which is funded by pro-government circles, will talk at the Wilson Center on the following issues.

It was announced that the three will discuss the Kurdish question, domestic political developments and Turkey's foreign policy and its critical role in transforming regional conflicts.

When it comes to discussing Turkey's critical role in these conflicts, I am sure many Americans would want to know whether Turkey helped al-Qaeda-affiliated terror organizations.

A typical answer that pro-government circles give to this question is that Turkey has never helped al-Qaeda-affiliated organizations during the war in Syria.

Does new Turkey fit in new NATO?

 

By Joost Lagendijk - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi have involuntarily thrown a lifeline to NATO.

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Western defense organization has been struggling with its raison d'être. Whether or not one agrees with the alleged scale of the Soviet threat during the Cold War, it was clear to everybody that NATO was there to protect the territorial integrity of its member states. Because in the last two decades nobody expected the Russians to attack any of its western neighbors, NATO was forced to reform the armed forces under its command and focus increasingly on sending troops to other parts of the world where NATO presumably had an interest in restoring or keeping the peace (Balkans, Afghanistan).

These days, NATO is having one of its regular summits in Wales. Until a few months ago, there was a lot of speculation and discussion in security circles about new, effective ways to prevent the alliance from sinking into oblivion, at least in public perception. Russia's annexation of Crimea and its aggressive policies in eastern Ukraine plus the daily horror-show by the IS in Iraq and Syria have, however, drastically changed NATO's agenda.

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN TURKEY: ASCERTAINMENT OF DAMAGE AFTER POLL

By Ugur Tezcan

After months of political turmoil and corruption scandals, Turkey's most controversial local elections are finally over. These local elections have been the toughest, the most polarizing and dividing in the country's political history. PM Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) declared a 46-percent win, but ensuing results indicated that AKP won 43-percent of the vote. Erdogan didn't wait to make his balcony speech until results have been verified by the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey (aka YSK) and stated that the opponents "will pay!"

Not so surprisingly, Erdogan's ruling party wasn't the only one to call election results a victory. Three other opposition parties; Republican People's Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) also declared the local elections a success based on their gains and overall performance. These four parties won about 95-percent of the vote. Other political parties lost voters to major players of the game due mainly to the nature of this highly polarized election.

The 2014 local elections have been peculiar in many regards. So unique that I believe an analysis and ascertainment of damage is indispensable for various reasons. Such an analysis will shed light on the fate of upcoming elections in Turkey.

Turkey’s Failed Foreign Policy

By AARON STEIN - In 2002, Turkey’s Justice and Development Party, known as the A.K.P., turned to Ahmet Davutoglu, then an obscure academic, to help craft its new foreign policy.

In 2009, he became foreign minister and was soon attempting to resolve the region’s numerous crises. His foreign policy vision guided Turkey’s approach to the Arab Spring uprisings and has served as the basis for Turkey’s handling of the Syrian civil war.

With the Foreign Ministry under his stewardship, Turkey has both been hailed as a democratic beacon for the Islamic world, and denounced as an irresponsible regional power for allowing foreign fighters to transit its territory en route to battlefields in Syria.

After initially receiving accolades, Mr. Davutoglu’s decision-making has become a source of controversy in the West. And in the Middle East, Turkey’s embrace of religiously conservative political movements has run afoul of several Persian Gulf states and now Egypt, contributing to its political isolation.

Now Mr. Davutoglu has risen to the premiership, filling the shoes vacated by President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Unfortunately, we should not expect any changes to Turkey’s failed foreign policy. Mr. Davutoglu believes his vision will eventually be vindicated.

Why does Berlin admit to wiretapping Ankara?

by Savas Genc*, Today's Zaman | The reports German media published suggesting Germany was wiretapping Turkey were important; but the details on these reports are also crucial because they offer some insights into the course of bilateral relations between Turkey and Germany. Recent reports indicated that American intelligence was wiretapping German Chancellor Merkel. This raised issues in bilateral relations between Washington and Berlin. The allegations claiming Germany also wiretapped Turkey caused similar problems and questions.

Did American intelligence leak this information to take revenge on Berlin? Or did the German state deliberately leak this information to deliver a message to Ankara? This is a possibility given that Germany might have dismissed the allegations and sorted this out with the Turkish authorities behind closed doors; they could have even apologized for it. However, neither Merkel nor German bureaucrats denied the allegations. They even specifically commented on it. Speaking to the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, German authorities did not offer an apology to Turkey and further justified what they had done by offering their reasons. Noting that Turkey cannot be compared to Britain, France or other advanced democracies, German government officials argued that wiretapping was an inevitable action for their own domestic security.

Erdogan's ‘witch hunt' and abuse of state power

by Aydogan Vatandas - It was only about a week ago that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that his government will carry out a witch hunt on his own people: “If reassigning individuals who betray this country is called a witch hunt, then yes, we will carry out a witch hunt.”

Witch hunt in Europe

by Emre Uslu - Political madness in Turkey is at its peak. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan does not even refrain from using the term “witch hunt” against the Gülen followers. When Erdoğan and his circle don't find any evidence, they allegedly try to produce evidence. Bureaucrats who don't want to be part of Erdoğan's witch hunt have sent letters to the media and prosecutors confessing what they are doing. Unfortunately, what they said in those letters has been confirmed by later developments.