Fewer Pigs, Smaller Risk?

Here is a religiously provocative question, as the swine flu panic is spreading around the world:

Pork products are neither halal according to the Qur'an nor kosher according to Torah and maybe God had imposed a heavenly method of disease control to the Muslims and the Jews in this way. Dunno, the Christians could have lost it in translation...

I know that swine flu viruses in the pork would die when they're cooked, but it doesn't change the fact that a pig, as the original "intermediate host" for influenza, can be a novel virus factory in this case. It could be -at least- one of the reasons of the culinary ban in two Abrahamic religions.

Some worrying facts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made me think in this way:

* Swine flu viruses typically cause illness in pigs, not humans. Most cases occur when people come into contact with infected pigs or contaminated objects moving between people and pigs.

* Pigs can catch human and avian or bird flu. When flu viruses from different species infect pigs, they can mix inside the pig and new, mixed viruses can emerge.

* Pigs can pass mutated viruses back to humans, and these can be passed from human to human.

The Quote of the Week

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." -- Edward Abbey

Evren vs Haberal

This photo was taken two weeks ago. President Abdullah Gul, left, hosted the former president Kenan Evren, right, in his official residence. With this reception, Abdullah Gul showed once again that the AKP government has nothing to do with the democratization in Turkey. Kenan Evren was the leader of the last military coup in Turkey.

They argue that the Ergenekon case will reveal a Deep State gang which was trying to topple the AKP government by provoking a military coup.

If the AKP really wants to prove that this case is against the coup-mongering anti-democrats, then shouldn't they start by drawing Evren before the judge? You know, unlike the Ergenekon suspects, we are sure that he was behind a coup detat. And it was successful!

But no, the picture is clear. Evren is the honorable guest of the Presidency now. And who is behind the bars?

Prof. Mehmet Haberal, the renowed Turkish surgeon who performed the first kidney transplant in Turkey...

Evren, as the Chief of Staff, had obviously got enough time to plan a military coup.

Do you think that Haberal, also had such a chance?

I'll remind you that he published 785 scientific articles and experts all over the world had referred to his works 2239 times.

With his presence in the prison, Haberal undoubtly proves that the Ergenekon case is a political maneuver to suppress the opposition.

Yes, they also arrested some real criminals, but it was made to justify the further action against the democratic dissidents. But the people are not stupid...

Firstly, Deal With Armenians

US President Barack Obama didn't call it the "genocide" in English. He opted to use the Armenian word for genocide. Now both the Turks and the Armenians are angry at him, but I consider Obama's wording as a diplomatic success for Turkey, because -in the end- he chose to break his promise. Long ago, I had written about my position on this issue.

G-word is a detail that we all overestimate. All of us -including Obama- should see something: Today, the real problem is the hateful hearts of the Armenian lobby. They raise their children to hate -or fear- the Turks. The following photo was taken in Yerevan on 24th April, as an example of annual ritual of burning Turkish flags.

Turkey already shows that it can get over the history of enmity. There are thousands of Armenian workers in today's Turkey and the Turkish government has been tolerating their illegal presence because of humanitarian reasons. Moreover, the Armenian population in Turkey is not discriminated. But may I travel in Armenia without worrying about my life? No.

How can you make peace with such people? How can you talk to jerky fanatics like System of a Down? Shouldn't we firstly try to stop the traditional hate-speech which poisons the Armenian youth?

The Turks forget easily, but the Armenians can't and this has to be solved, it seems.

So, in the next election, at a defining moment, a change should come to Obama. This time, he shouldn't let himself to be kidnapped by the Armenian lobby for sake of some votes. Being more balanced and looking for the future is better for everyone because it will end up the morbid nature of the Armenian national identity.

Visa Will Be Gone With Merkel

The German government keeps practicing its national visa laws, which were deemed as internationally illegal.

The latest report shows that Berlin will not apply the rules of the international courts, as long as Angela Merkel and her shameless allies are there.

Sevim Dagdelen, a federal MP of Germany's Left Party, had asked the German government about the latest European Court of Justice decision. Today, Berlin has answered her simple question in a diplomatic and tragic way:

- How many visa requests by the Turkish citizens were refused since 1973, when the visa practice had begun?

- If we announce this figure, it would harm our bilateral relations with Turkey!

A Question on the Freedom of Expression

In 2006...

During the cartoon crisis, almost all Muslims were very angry at the Danish cartoonists who insulted Prophet Mohammad with their art. Leading Muslim agencies, like the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, even suggested that there should be a limit for the freedom of expression. Several Muslim countries forced the UN to act.

In 2009...

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad denounced Israel as "racist" in Geneva and several Western diplomats, including those of the EU, stormed out of the United Nations conference room to protest. "For the last 50 years, you have been talking about the freedom of expression, but you can't tolerate a different opinion even for 20 minutes," Ahmedinejad has said today.

Now...

You must be consistent when evaluating these two incidents. Unlike thousands of Western European hypocrites, I am consistent, I believe: There should have been a legal limit in 2006, just like in 2009.

When I smear a living person, he can sue me and get compensation because of the defamation I have caused. Same should apply for a crowd of people, let's say, when a nation -like Israel- is defamed as a whole.

Similarly, same should apply when a historical figure who passed away long ago is defamed. Because for many Muslims, the memory of Prophet Mohammad is more valuable than their own lives.

So...

We should be able to prosecute the Danish cartoonists, as well as Ahmedinejad, if needed.

Offensive?

The French Division Behind Us*

Following my latest post, which was about the popular perception on European Turkey, let's reveal the recent hypocrisy of the French elite on the same subject.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's argument against Turkey's EU membership has been based on geography ("most of the Turkish territory is in Asia"), which is plainly stupid. It's like saying that a bat cannot be mammal, because it flies.

It seems that Sarkozy has also started to realize that this argument is very weak, so the anti-Turkish front in France has invented a new fashion. It is about rejecting Turkey because of its firm stance on international matters, like the selection of the NATO Secretary-General. They denounce Turkey as non-European.

Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the famous member of the European Parliament, has recently explained it to Le Monde very well. Here are his words:

"We had published a book with my friend Bernard Kouchner, the French Foreign Minister, to support Turkey's EU membership. However, now he says that he changed his mind after seeing Turkey's position in the NATO summit. This is a terrible argument. What did Turkish PM Erdogan do in those 48 hours? He tried to gain the maximum amount of engagements from the USA, just like what Sarkozy did."

Cohn-Bendit criticizes Michel Barnier, the former French Foreign Minister, too. He says that Barnier was supporting Turkey's EU membership during his tenure in the EU Commission, but now he also changed his mind after the NATO summit.

I would give another example from France. Charles Pasqua, the former French Minister of Interior who is a conservative like Sarkozy, has recently uttered the following words to Le Figaro Magazine:

"We will need one day to define the borders of Europe. And Turkey is not a part of it. Of course we need to make treaties with them, but Europe has got a Judeo-Christian history and culture. In this context, Turkey's accession would be a mistake."

Judeo-Christian culture and history?

Pasqua should remember a simple fact from the past: It was the Nazi collaborators of his OWN country that once tried to ERASE that Judeo culture!

After a few decades, the French seem surprisingly content now with the Jewish presence.

The same thing will apply in the near future for the Muslim society in Europe, which is currently put under the pressure of xenophobic, anti-immigrant policies.

Then, all the French politicians, the successors of Sarkozy and Kouchner, will start comfortably defending our Judeo-Christian-Muslim history and European culture, as Turkey would be among the engines of the new EU.

So... Just ignore those French "friends" of Turkey, who can suddenly turn against Ankara after a signal from Sarkozy.

Let the history judge their judgment.

* The headline is a reference to General George Patton, who says that "I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me."

Turkey in Europe

I have stumbled upon a Sporcle.com quiz today. It was about naming as many European countries as possible in 10 minutes.

I named them all in four minutes and checked the general results, which can be read as global opinion poll on the popular perception of "European countries."

The quiz has been taken by 675,460 times, which means that hundreds of thousands of people have answered it. This volume shows that the results can be regarded a serious social indicator.

90.5 percent of the global community -at least the ones who have got Internet access- name Turkey as a European country. Nicolas Sarkozy is probably among the remaining 9.5 percent.

When asked about "a European country," the world names Turkey as the 14th country, following France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, UK, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Greece, Poland and Russia.

As a matter of fact, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands and even Belgium -where the EU capital Brussels is- are named by a lesser amount of people. And only 62 percent could name Cyprus, an EU member which is geographically Asian, as a European country.

A map of Europe in 1560

R.I.P, Ballard

I've sadly learned that British writer JG Ballard, 78, died today. He was the best sci-fi writer ever. That's what I think, because I feel that he was one of the few writers who realized that the science fiction is inside ourselves, not in the space, and the future should be found in today. I'll miss his words.

Hristos Voskres!

Happy Easter to all Orthodox friends....

Turkey: He's Our Secretary-General Now

Following the latest Taliban threat, Ankara has made an announcement today, exhibiting the maturity of every respectable state in the world. Here is today's statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry:

"Sometimes, we, the Western allies, may have different opinions. However, such a divergence is always concluded with an agreement, as a result of the Western culture of compromise. Rasmussen was unanimously chosen as the next Secretary-General of NATO. So we condemn the latest statement of the Taliban, backing our prospective Secretary-General."

The Rasmussen Effect

It seems that Turkey was right when raising her voice against Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who was chosen as the NATO's choice as the next Secretary-General anyway.

The Taliban has announced that Rasmussen's appointment would "further strenghten the faith of the Muslims" to fight against NATO and would lead to "intensification of war" in Afghanistan. "The major enemy of Islam's Prophet...has become the secretary general of NATO," said the undated article on the website of the Taliban.

Preaching about the great ideals of humanity, say, the unlimited freedom of expression is easy for the onlookers, the bystanders.

But there are real humans, fighting in Afghanistan. They have their lives. They have families, worrying about them. And there are some other people who have got responsibility about their lives.

So I put myself in the shoes of those who are in charge. And I feel an urge to be realistic. Considering the safety of those troops, including Turkish ones, I see again that Rasmussen was the worst choice. His presence will unnecessarily risk lives there. Especially, after he didn't even apologize in Istanbul.

Whose fault is this? Not Rasmussen's, I guess.

As today's story on The Times suggests, once again, it was all about two narrow-minded politicians in Europe: Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel.

The French sources claim that US President Barack Obama was about to side with Turkey in Strasbourg, but Sarkozy and Merkel put pressure. When will Europe be delivered from these continental troubles, who were sworn in to do the opposite of whatever Turkey does?

Finally, they will bear the responsibility of each casualty in Afghanistan, if there will be more attacks against NATO because of Rasmussen. Turkey did everything to stop this, but backed down in the end, cowardly.

Sinan the Great Architect

Today is the birthday of Sinan, the famous Ottoman architect. My "Top-Three Landmarks" list includes two of his works, Selimiye and Suleymaniye mosques, alongside the Kölner Dom in Germany.

Sinan (1489-1588) was probably the greatest architect ever, as can be seen from what he and his students built. Count over 400 beautiful pieces by himself. And remember his students Ismail Efendi, Ustad Isa and Isa Muhammad Efendi, who built Taj Mahal, as well as Sedefkar Mehmed Aga, who built the Blue Mosque...

Google Turkey is celebrating Sinan's birthday with the special logo above and I would like to do my part. There are many, many evidences about his genius, but I give you the following story as one example.

* * *

It was the early 1990s. A restoration programme was underway in Sehzade Mosque, which was built in 1548. About this restoration, one of the engineers had told the following anectode a few years ago for a TV documentary:

"We were working on the garden wall. Some stones of the archs over the gates were partly decomposed. Theoretically, we knew how to restore a stone arch; but we had no practice. So we organized meetings with the experts on stone-building. Finally, we made a plan. We would put a wooden formwork over the arch. Then we would remove the arch gradually, taking notes about its construction technique.

"We began to remove stones. Firstly, the keystone. After we removed it, we were surprised to see a glass bottle in the cylindrical space between two stones. There was a white, folded paper inside. We opened the bottle and saw an Ottoman inscription on the paper. We immediately found an expert to read it. That was a letter from Sinan.

"Sinan was saying that the lifetime of these stones are around 400 years and the construction techniques would be much more different then. So he was helping us, the modern architects, to restore the arch. He was telling us where in Anatolia we can find the required stones. He was giving information about all the details of his technique.

"This letter was a preterhuman example of the effort that a man could make to create something abiding. The magnificence of this letter originates from the fact that Sinan knew about the lifetime of a stone -which is what even the modern scientist can hardly do; he predicted that the construction techniques would completely change and he had got such a high level of information that he used the paper and ink which would last four centuries. It is beyond doubt that these are rare qualities. However, Sinan had got even a higher virtue and that is his sense of responsibility which can produce solutions for the 400 years ahead."

Sehzade Mosque in Istanbul

Arrested Development

Who wants some freedom of expression?

The Ergenekon investigation, which had started as a promising legal case to strengthen the Turkish democracy, had went sour long ago. However, now it seems even worse. It turns out to be nothing but a politically-motivated witch-hunt against the democratic opposition.

The Justice and Development Party, aka the AKP, continues to take revenge by making a tool of a legal case. First, army commanders, then journalists and now scholars...

Here is the list of the people who were arrested yesterday:

Prof. Erol Manisali, one of the most respected economists in Turkey

Prof. Mehmet Haberal, the rector of Baskent University

Prof. Osman Metin Ozturk, the rector of Giresun University

Prof. Fatih Hilmioglu, the former rector of Inonu University

Prof. Ferit Bernay, the former rector of Ondokuz Mayis University

Prof. Mustafa Yurtkan, the former rector of Uludag University

Prof. Ayse Yuksel, the former vice-rector of Yuzuncu Yil University

To this short list, please add 33 people, including Prof. Cihan Demirci and two of his students.

All the arrested professors were against headscarves in universities, angering the Islamist government. They were argueing that this practice would be against secularism. If girls can wear headscarves, what would we do if one day a group of male students try to enter the university with Bin-Laden-style clothes (and -as a matter of fact- opinions and actions)?

You can debate on the subject, but only as long as you have two sides. After the arrests, one side is vanished. Those professors were just opposing the government in totally peaceful ways.

Prof. Erol Manisali was my lecturer in Istanbul University. I just laugh when I hear about the accusation against him. Was he going to organize a bloody coup d'etat???

Haven't you ever read a book of Prof. Manisali? He never supports an anti-democratic action. He is just against imperialism and exploitation, that's all. He is the Turkish Noam Chomsky.

* * *

And what would substitute for all these valued men and women, who are in prison now?

The AKP has got an answer, which reminds me of the typical AKP bureaucrat, who had risen from the graveyards to the top position in the state orchestra.

Here is the list of this week's appointments by the government for the Radio and Television Higher Council (RTUK), the media watchdog of the Turkish state.

Adem Cobaner has become the accountant of the RTUK. Previously, he was the imam of the mosque in Ankara bus terminal. Now he will count more than 100 million dollars in the RTUK vault.

Alaettin Kutlu is appointed as a senior manager. At first, he was a waiter (yes, a garcon) in the Manure Office. Then he had been appointed as a warden (yes, a nightman) for RTUK.

Veysel Sengul was a typist in the State Planning Organization. Then he had become a low-level civil servant in RTUK. Now he is also a senior manager. Magically.

Emir Ulucak and Osman Ardogan have named as the managing assistants for the Monitoring and Evaluation Council. Emir's only "quality" is about being the son of Riza Ulucak, who was a leading figure in Refah, the Islamist party which was banned in accordance with the ECHR decisions. And Ardogan's qualification? He was a low-level civil servant in the health department.

* * *

The summary: Waste away all the internationally-renowned intellectuals because of their political opinions and replace them with your unqualified partisans...

Justice and development?

I call it an arrested development.

The Quote of the Week

"Total freedom of expression does not compensate for lack of talent." -- Nicolas Gomez Davila

Enlarge Your EU

Remember Olli Rehn, the EU Commissioner from Finland, who was uttering the following words during last week's crisis in the NATO summit?

"I must say that Turkey is making a mistake by not supporting the largely appreciated European Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next secretary-general of NATO. (...) This will surely raise questions amongst EU member states and citizens over how well Turkey has internalized such European values as freedom of expression.”

These impudent remarks should actually be enough for an EU Commissioner to be forced to resign from his position. Your responsibility is the enlargement of the EU and you blackmail a negotiating candidate country for its stance in another international organization? You can see it only in the EU...

* * *

One million euro question: Is Olli Rehn anti-Turkish?

I don't think so.

When we look at Finland in particular, we see that the vast majority of Finnish politicians are wise and long-sighted about Turkey's EU membership, unlike the ones in -say- France or Germany.

For example, Finnish President Tarja Halonen is one of the strongest supporters of Turkey. And just a couple of days ago, the Finnish government presented a report to the parliament, emphasizing that Turkey should be an EU member in 2020s.

Then why did Rehn make that mistake?

I had the opportunity to interview both Halonen and Rehn. I know that Rehn is almost as pro-Turkey as Halonen, but there is a difference. Halonen is a head of state and Rehn is a bureaucrat in Brussels.

It is clear that the narrow-minded approach of Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel have affected Rehn negatively. Maybe he should be chatting with his national president -not other presidents- more often or leave that post to someone else, who can appropriately act in line with the EU Commission, which is the most pro-Turkey body in the EU (when US President Barack Obama voiced his support for Turkey, Sarkozy and Merkel reacted angrily, but the EU Commission welcomed it).

As it was expected, the European Commission has distanced itself from Rehn’s criticism. A spokesperson for EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said that NATO and the EU were different structures and organizations, adding that Turkey’s stance on this issue and its EU accession prospects could not be associated with each other.

* * *

If Olli Rehn doesn't want to listen to his colleagues in the Commission, then maybe he can read more history. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who was a supporter of Turkey UNTIL the recent NATO crisis, should also do it:

In 1995, Danish Foreign Minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, the predecessor of Rasmussen, was the favorite candidate for NATO Secretary-General post. All NATO members, except France, were supporting him. Nobody could convince Paris, then. Finally, France vetoed Ellemann-Jensen. And what was the reason? The Danish politician had once criticized France over her nuclear tests in Pacific!

So the French formula is simple: French National Interests > Freedom of Speech > Turkish National Interests... EU? Who cares? Enlarge it for dull pleasure, not when the world really needs it...

* * *

Some analysts say that the strong message Obama conveyed will boost Turkey's EU process, but I don't think so. We read today that President Gul has lashed out at the EU leaders, because of their irrelevant criticism to Turkey. I believe that this confrontation will get tenser.

Who knows? Maybe it was just a plot, organized by Sarkozy and Merkel in Strasbourg. By meaninglessly insisting on Rasmussen, they have managed to estrange Turkey and her friends in the EU. If that was a conspiracy, they should be congratulated for being such evil-geniuses. If they didn't mean it, then they should be congratulated because of their good luck. Well done!

Pro-Taliban Leader Hekmatyar

Not in Peace Talks with Washington

According to the Reuters report, fugitive pro-Taliban Afghan insurgency leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has not made contact with the United States to discuss peace talks.

"We have three conditions for negotiations: unconditional pull-out of foreign forces, formation of an interim government involving all sides and holding of free elections under its supervision," his spokesman announced.

In the infamous photo above, you can see the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right), kneeling down in front of Hekmatyar (center) in 1970s.

Combine this photo with the latest announcement of Hekmatyar and boil until your conspiracy theory is cooked:

In her rejection to send more troops to Afghanistan, does Ankara follow Ataturk's foreign policy, which was honorably based on "peace at home, peace in the world," as US President Barack Obama has recently appreciated?

Or does the Islamist Turkish government is still kneeling in front of pro-Taliban leaders, hiding behind a pseudo-peaceful policy?

I wish I could have a chance and ask Obama about the photo, questioning if this is the same Erdogan that he defines as "a good man who is very interested in promoting peace in the region"?

Obama in Tophane (Full MSNBC Video)

The complete video of President Obama's Tophane meeting is available on MSNBC now. Thanks that I don't have to convert my shaky handycam footage anymore. Here it is:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Obama in Tophane 'Town Hall'

US President Barack Obama has wrapped up his first state visit. He has left Turkey a few hours ago and I had the opportunity to participate in the last meeting he had in Istanbul.

He answered several questions from the Turkish university students in Tophane-i Amire, an Ottoman cannon foundry, which was built in 1743. It was kind of a town hall meeting, but -unfortunately- only students were allowed to ask questions.

And what do I think of Obama after this meeting?

Well, not too many things have changed in my mind. Some people are different when they're on TV, but Obama is surely not that kind of guys.

Obama seems truely nice and subtle, he sounds confident and kind. When you listen to him, you say, "OK, his communication skills are great; but at the same time, he should really be a good man in his personal life."

With a very short video, here is how it was looking from where I was sitting:

İlgili aramalar: haber - izlesene obama tophane - obama - tophane - istanbul

And some photos:

Here are almost all photos that I have taken:

Obama in Tophane

Rasmussen's Arm

Isn't it ironic that Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish PM, comes to Turkey for the Alliance of Civilizations meeting, following his approval as the next NATO Secretary-General only after convincing the Turks, and then he dislocates his shoulder in a Turkish palace?

OK, he still didn't apologise for the cartoon crisis or promise the closure of PKK's TV channel in Denmark, but I would still like to wish him a quick recovery. Medically and mentally...

* * *

The best summary of last week's debate on Rasmussen has been published by Hurriyet today. Bulent Duzgit's cartoon shows that you can exhibit political humour without offending masses of people:

Obama for CHP?

Following today's headline of Hurriyet, "Welcome Mr. President" (in English), US President Barack Obama has exhibited goodwill gestures in Ankara by uttering a few Turkish words. In the military ceremony, he greeted the soldiers by yelling "Merhaba Asker" (Hello, soldier). Then, during his speech in the Turkish parliament, he has been asking some rhetorical questions and answering himself: "Evet" (Yes). I guess that he would like to complete the phrase to "Yes, We Can," but the second part of the Turkish expression was harder: "Yapabiliriz."

The Turks love to see foreigners speaking Turkish, so I'm sure that many people perceived Obama's gestures as quite sympathetic. Even without such gestures, he is popular in Turkey. As Taraf, another Turkish newspaper, reported the recent poll, 52 percent of Turks have confidence in Obama. "If [Obama] runs, he can even win the elections in Turkey," Taraf writes. Maybe he should replace Deniz Baykal, the leader of the main opposition party, CHP, to beat the AKP in the next elections.

The Washington Post has nicely compiled today's Obama coverage of the Turkish media. You can read it here.

Obama in the 'Tranquility' of Ankara Protocol

If I were him, the first black US president who promised change in all policies, I'd probably be much more scared because of that pointless feu de joie:

Turkey is Europe's Obama,

So Please Change Sarkozy

US President Barack Obama has arrived in Ankara a couple of hours ago.

And he did it in the most stylish way possible.

No, I don't mean the visual style that you see in the photo above. I mean the speech he has given to the EU leaders in Prague, eight hours before he came to Turkey.

"The United States and Europe must approach Muslims as our friends, neighbours and partners in fighting injustice, intolerance and violence. Moving forward towards Turkish membership in the EU would be an important signal of your commitment to this agenda and ensure that we continue to anchor Turkey firmly in Europe."

This was what he said to the EU leaders, including the French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

It was not surprising for me to see that Sarkozy didn't have the courage to speak to Obama's face, but he voiced his old-fashioned views against Turkey's EU membership for a French TV a couple of hours after their meeting. Sarkozy told that he didn't change his mind and Ankara should not be an EU member. Yes, he told this for a country that is currently negotiating with the EU for full membership!

Meanwhile, Obama was flying to Ankara. His visit should be seen as the last stop of his first European tour, not the first visit to a Muslim country.

* * *

Look, dear Central European friends;

I know that you have an older population and a partly anti-democratic history, but you should take American people as an example.

Ask yourself why Europe has been dropping off the world stage for the last 60 years? Slowly and painfully...

I'll answer: Because the Old Continent doesn't not have the ability to transform itself in its current presence.

On the other hand, the United States can still transform itself quickly to keep pace with the global change.

As long as you keep electing small minded hidebounds like Sarkozy, Europe will keep decaying.

What Obama means for America is what Turkey means for Europe: Change and hope.

So, in the next elections, can you vote for the farsighted politicians while ostracizing the closet racists?

Yes, you can.

PS: I'll have the opportunity to meet President Obama on Tuesday. I'll write about it -and probably post a photo or video- on Wednesday.

Make or Break?

Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen has finally become the NATO Secretary-General. Following 36 hours of objection, Turkish President Abdullah Gul was convinced and he didn't use Turkey's veto power in NATO Council.

What did Turkey get in exchange of her support? Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan listed it vaguely:

1) Roj TV, the mouthpiece of the PKK terrorism which is based in Copenhagen, will be shut down.

2) Rasmussen will clarify his position on Islam during his Istanbul visit next week (A late apology for the cartoon crisis?)

3) The deputy of the Secretary-General will be a Turk.

4) NATO's Special Envoy to Afghanistan will be a Turk.

Officially, we don't really know what "the package" is, so it's hard to draw a good picture now. However, I can say that this is not a win-win situation.

Turkey didn't actually win anything, because it approved Rasmussen's bid without receiving anything tangible, other than the verbal "guarantee" of President Obama.

NATO didn't actually win anything, because it has got the wrong man on charge now. Rasmussen, who is literally hated in the Muslim world, in charge of Afghanistan War??? Don't you frickin' have another suitable candidate in NATO? Partly-witless Turkish objection could potentially deliver NATO from its grim future, but it is too late.

The EU didn't actually win anything, because it has alienated Turkey and made the bilateral relations even worse. The EU's arrogant stance in the summit was more disgusting than the Turkish horse bargain. EU Commissioner Olli Rehn has related Rasmussen issue to Turkey's EU bid and that was just gross.

So it was actually a lose-lose occasion. I guess that we, all, couldn't make it and it is broken... Let's see if it will be fixed in the future somehow.

Welcome to the New World Order

I wrote here last week that Ankara's objection to Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen's NATO bid is serious and "I feel that Turkey would still use her veto card against Rasmussen when the issue would be discussed in the (forthcoming) NATO meetings."

What has happened in London and Strasbourg today showed that I was right by thinking that Turkey is likely to veto Rasmussen, as a candidate of NATO Secretary-General. If the United States, Germany and France push Turkey to accept his candidacy (to be able to confirm his position in the on-going summit), that would be a fatal mistake for NATO. Then we would still have NATO, but it would be something much more different than an alliance.

* * *

After all, Rasmussen's decision to announce his candidacy without Turkey's support was a blunt mistake and now it's time to get worried in Copenhagen -and in Strasbourg, but not in Ankara.

As I said before, Ankara's opposition to Rasmussen is legitimate, if we talk about the Danish PM who supports the terrorist propaganda of PKK's Roj TV and his rejection to see Turkey as an EU member.

However, it is wrong to mention the cartoon crisis, regarding the objection. Even though those cartoons -which I don't consider as art by any standard- are really offensive, Rasmussen's options were limited. As the Danish PM, you can cancel the broadcasting license of the TV station of an organization, which is labelled as "terrorist" by the EU. But you can't ban the newspaper cartoons, which were made by distasteful artists, not terrorists.

* * *

I must also add that the recent coverage of several Western publications, such as New York Times and Der Spiegel, were not appropriate. By accusing Turkey in an arrogant way for her objection, they made Ankara even stiffer against Rasmussen.

On the other hand, there are several Western publications with common sense, too. Check today's Die Zeit and you'll see:

The article states that Turkey rightfully opposes Rasmussen's candidacy. Why? Because Rasmussen is a future-blind politician who pledged alliances with far-rightists, prepared one of the most xenophobic immigration laws of Europe and pushed his country into two wars.

Die Zeit says:

"Why was Turkey's intervention needed to show Merkel, Sarkozy, Brown and Obama that the right person for NATO to present today's world was not Rasmussen? Now it seems that it's not possible anymore for Rasmussen to be the NATO Secretary-General. It is a surprising probability that Turkish Prime Minister can be the only person who would prevent it. Welcome to the New World Order."

AKP is AGAINST Headscarves?

In Islahiye county of the southeastern province Gaziantep, a woman with a headscarf is the mayor now, but she's got a problem with AKP.

Malika Uludag, the candidate of Democrat Party (DP), has won the elections on Sunday. She got 36 percent of the votes.

The previous mayor was Mehmet Uludag, the husband of Malika Uludag. His party didn't nominate him again, so he wanted to enter the election race as a DP candidate. However, after approving his membership, DP authorities couldn't nominate him, because his name was still in the shortlist of AKP. So he turned over his nomination to his wife.

So here comes where you say that it is "only in Turkey..."

After the election results, AKP has reportedly appealed to the Election Commission, argueing that the DP Mayor Malika Uludag wears a headscarf and it is against the secular principles of the state. This Islamist party, which once went on the rampage for the right of women to wear headscarves on the public space, is now alleging that those laws are totally just.

I sincerely congratulate Malika Uludag, so that I can show that I oppose the well-known hypocrisy of the Islamist AKP, not the religious expression of some of our citizens.