Too Many Turks

Is it just selective perception of a foreign news editor or do I see too many Turks around nowadays?

A fire in Britain and the hero is a Turk...

A Norwegian terrorist plans a massacre and his writings show that his nemesis is the Turk. Morever, one of his victims is Turkish...

And today...

A ship sinks in Russia and one of the survivors is a Turk.

And then we learn that they were celebrating the birthday of another Turk on-board.

Too many Turks in the world!

In Turkey, the Government and the Army Undermine the Democracy Hand in Hand

While I criticized the fact that we, Turks, don't know when to resign, I actually didn't mean this. Maybe I should have also written that there is something else that we can't comprehend: Generally speaking, like resignation, compromise is also not something shameful.

In fact, compromise is an integral part of a democracy with checks and balances, as American people can appreciate it especially in these days that the Congress is debating the debt limit.

As we see in the United States, a democracy without compromise may be self-destructive. It may even trigger the collapse of the whole system: An Armageddon or an Apocalypse may be given way...

The latest crisis in Turkey, which was triggered when entire top military command resigned yesterday in a row with the government over generals jailed for an alleged coup plot, is also a crisis about compromise.

The Turkish army don't understand that they need to compromise, not to quit, in order to maintain their role in a unique Muslim-majority democracy where they can indeed remain as a part of checks and balances system. I don't believe that it's a good tactical move on their behalf, either.

Neither the Turkish government is for compromise. Claudia Roth, co-leader of the German Green Party, has just witnessed it personally, as she was not allowed by the Turkish government to visit the journalist Ahmet Şık, who is imprisoned for a book that he couldn't publish, for a crime that he is still not indicted, almost exactly like the generals in prison. According to Roth, the scandalous thing was not the denial of her request to visit Şık, but the "show-off" stance of the Turkish government on the issue.

This "show-off" stance is a characteristic of a significant part of the Turkish government. As a matter of fact, you can't have a concessional approach with such a stance. Hence, with such a core quality, you can't be a true democrat.

All in all, Turkey is not moving to right direction with so many autocratic politicians and killjoy military commanders who are mano-a-mano in undermining the democratic checks and balances system. And the EU observers are so misguided as usual. European Parliament's Turkey rapporteur Ria Oomen-Ruijten said yesterday that Turkey was getting more democratic day by day. Almost a joke.

So... Autocrats beat killjoys while jokers watch! Perfect scene for a maturing democracy, right?

Shouldn't Some Norway Authorities Be Resigning Now?

Recently, I had criticized a negative aspect our culture: Authorities in Turkey never resign even when something awful happens in their responsibility. I had praised the Greek Cypriot authorities then, because they instantly resigned after a disaster.

It seems that the Norwegians authorities are more like the Turkish ones, not the Greek Cypriot.

I think that the performance of the Norwegian authorities before, during and after the latest terror attacks were just terrible. Der Spiegel has summarized it today:

* The Norwegian police and intelligence agencies couldn't spot the Christian-supremacist terrorist preemptively while he kept shopping for guns and bomb-making materials.

* The terrorist has parked his car bomb in front of the office of the Prime Minister and the headquarters of the biggest tabloid newspaper of Norway; the police couldn't notice it.

* After the bomb attack, they focused on it too much that they ignored the telephone calls from the victims in Utoya island, who were being killed by the terrorist.

* They arrived near the island after a full hour. As if it is not enough, they wasted 16 more minutes to reach the island with a private boat, because their own boat was broken down.

* After all the massacres, they miscounted the bodies. The number of death decreased by twenty after four days. Moreover, they still couldn't release the name of the victims.

And after all this fiasco, the Minister of Justice congratulated the police for their "fantastic" work, while emphasizing that some police officers interrupted their holidays because of these attacks!

Sorry for the hardworking members of the Norwegian police force, but if I were the King of Norway, I would definitely order an independent inquiry on this fiasco. The terrorist may have even collaborated with someone inside the government, especially the police force, because it's hard to explain such a blunder with naivete.

A Muslim-Hater vs. An Armenian-Hater

Anders Behring Breivik, the Christian-supremacist terrorist in Norway, cannot get more than 21 years of prison sentence. It means that the accused could be imprisoned just 82 days per killing (A spooky coincidence: He had prepared the terror attacks in 82 days).

Breivik, justifies to partition Turkey between Greece and Armenia because of the Turkish atrocities against these Christian peoples in the past. While he offers such a punishment for modern Turks because of the so-called Armenian genocide, he comfortably supports the Bosnian Muslim genocide by the Serbs.

* * *

As Breivik trial started today, a Turkish nationalist who was convicted to kill a prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist, was sentenced to over 22 years in prison. The court condemned Ogün Samast to life in prison, but reduced the sentence to 21-and-a-half years since he was still a minor at the time of the 2007 murder. His victim was defending the Armenian genocide thesis.

Sadly, Breivik and Samast may both be released on parole in 10 years.

I'd like to see them behind bars until the end of their lives; but there will still be an imbalance in justice even then. Maybe they should have been both sent to Texas, Breivik's favorite American state, for the punishment for their crimes. There, they execute poor people without good lawyers even when there is a lack of evidence, but here in Europe, we can't even imprison nationalist murderers for life.

Anyway, such a punishment will only be a consolation, especially for the relatives of the victims; but how can we root out the Islamist, Christian or any other kind of identity-terrorism? What can we do to dry up the swamp in our backyard, instead of hunting mosquitoes around?

A Portrait of a Murderer as a Politician

Anders Behring Breivik, the Christian-supremacist terrorist in Norway, wrote that he had "the privilege of experiencing" Turkey, although it is clear that he hates Turks.

When you watch his pre-massacre video and read his 1,500-page book, you can easily see that Turks -the main Muslim threat for Europe in his view, are his greatest ideological enemy. He summarized the Turkish history from the Seljuks in 1071 until the current investigation on the Ergenekon.

Maybe, the tragedy of Norwegians should teach all Europe that Anders Behring Breivik is the product of too few multiculturalism, not too much of it.

This is why he -in the words of the Norwegian police- came out of nowhere in Norway, not -say- in Britain.

If we keep up with our current policies, Breivik, with his crusader rhetoric, will be coined as the martyr of a less underground, more openly violent extreme right, which may indeed be on the rise in the future. Breivik will get what he wants when he will have the opportunity for more propaganda during his trial. (Morever, according to the Norwegian laws, he'll be free around 53 years of age even if he got the maximum sentence. Remember Hitler and Mein Kampf!)

Social policies to stop this dangerous trend is the job of European governments and peoples. I can only suggest something about our of their common foreign policy items: An urgent approval of Turkey's EU membership -or an ultimate rejection- might be the part of the solution, not the problem. Like Breivik says, it's all or nothing. Let's do it before he is convicted!

Wilders As a Terrorist Idol, Atatürk and Mohammad As Their Anti-Christ

Here is Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian who was arrested and charged for the coordinated terrorist attacks in his country.

Here is his political idol, the racist Dutch politician Geert Wilders, whom he called as the leader of the only “true” party of conservatives.

Here is where the Wilders-style xenophobia can drive the world to when it has got the minimum conditions, such as economic difficulties and a troubled personality, same traits with the Al Qaida suicide bombers.

And ignorance... An integral part of the terrorist mind. You should be as ignorant as Breivik to think that conservatism may justify the massacre of kids or Bin Laden to think that Islam encourages violence.

And there is an interesting proof of Breivik's utter ignorance. In one of his online writings, he warns about the demographic decline of the indigineous European population and tells the following words: "A nightmare scenario as I see it is if multiculturalism creates an Atatürk in western Europe."

It seems that the bloody killer knows neither about multiculturalism nor Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. I wish he knew that not Wilders' nor Bin Laden's, but Atatürk's political ideology and the religious way of the true Islam were the ways forward, not only in the 7th century when Mohammad transformed a primitive local society into a progressive global one or in the 1920s when Atatürk saved his nation from the imperialist occupation of several great powers, but especially in our world where our very souls are already occupied and violated.

A Vague Explanation From the U.S. Department of State

I had written a post to tell that I didn't understand what U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meant in Istanbul while she linked the war against the PKK terrorism with the withdrawal of the American forces in Iraq.

The U.S. Department of State didn't answer my e-mail, but an unnamed senior official presented a vague explanation about the subject during a background briefing in Athens yesterday. In my opinion, it's almost as vague as Clinton's statement, but here is that part:

QUESTION: On the PKK, was there any kind of specific steps that Turkey wanted the United States to take? I mean, after that last kind of doubt a few years ago, you had kind of stepped up intelligence through a series of asks. I’m just wondering. And she kind of made some comments yesterday about Iraq and (inaudible), and I’m just wondering if there’s any there in terms of –

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: No, there’s not a particular ask that we’re focused on. She did note – I mean, there’s a new context in that the United States either won’t have any or won’t have a similar number of troops in Iraq, where dealing with the PKK has been an issue. So the context is changing and our strategic presence is changing, and that raises the question for the two sides of how to continue to be successful in the fight against the PKK. But it was more, as I say, the fact that this just happened, it is – I mean, the Turks acknowledge that from their own point of view, as important as the Libya Contact Group was, Turkish public in the past few days has been focused on this because it’s such a big deal. And she just wanted to know that – she wanted them to know that we totally stand with them on this fight against the PKK.

Istanbul Delight: Best Eateries of the City

The headline story of the Washington Post's Sunday extra is about a 'calorie-laden tour of Turkish delights' in Istanbul.

You should read the whole piece, but here is the shortlist of the recommended Istanbul eateries in a more suitable order:

* Ciya Sofrasi (for the whole Turkish cuisine)

* Bereket Restaurant (for kebabs)

* Siirt Seref Buryan (for buryan kebab)

* Kahraman Restaurant (for fish and especially turbot)

* Vefa Bozacisi (for boza)

* Tatlici Safa (for desserts)

* Altan Sekerleme (for confectionary)

* Mandabatmaz (for Turkish coffee)

What Did Clinton Mean?

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke at a coffee house event in Istanbul today.

The highlights of the Q&A session were the reiterated American support for the Turkish fight against PKK, as well as Clinton's critical comments about media freedoms in Turkey.

I'm curious about a certain, widely ignored remark of Clinton, though. While talking about the witdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, Clinton uttered the following words:

"And those forces were, in partnership with the Turkish government, to make sure whatever possible to support the Turkish government’s efforts against the PKK (sic)."

Here is the CNN Turk interview (She's answering the aforementioned PKK question around the 46th minute).

So what did she actually mean?

Is the United States administration in talks with the Turkish government about the possibility to use the American ground forces against the PKK militants in northern Iraq? Was Clinton about to reveal it, but decided not to do so in the last second?

I've sent an email to the U.S. Department of State, asking for a clarification. I'll share it here if they answer.

Why Don't We Resign

Thirteen Turkish soldiers were killed and seven wounded in an ambush by PKK.

I'm not going to waste time by condemning PKK terrorism which threatens my own life, too, as I, like many other people, have done it so many times before and it just didn't change anything.

Neither I will analyze the latest moves of the AKP government on the Kurdish issue nor will I talk about the links between PKK terrorists and DTP politicians.

Turkish Armed Forces announced that the soldiers were chasing a group of terrorists. The grenades which were used by the terrorists caused the forest around the soldiers to catch fire. The soldiers were killed by this fire.

Then, Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin summarized the latest terror attack with the following cold remarks today: "The cause of the fire is not important. The forest has just burned. A fire might be caused by a bomb, rocket, gas or whatever. In the end, it burned. An investigation on the cause would have no meaning."

Now this is the army and the government that we have. Simply, both suck in public relations, if not in administration in general. What kind of statements are these?

Following the latest explosion of a munition storage in Cyprus, the Defence Minister and the Army Chief resigned. And the Greek Cypriots, who proved that they are much more reflexive as humans, announced that they won't stop protesting until President Christofias will resign.

Shame on our ministers and army commanders. Shame on our culture that makes resignations impossible.

Back to the EU Track?

What should be said about Turkey's foreign policy under the new AKP government?

In my Turkish-language column on Hürriyet's website, I've recently written about the possible relationship between seemingly unrelated events like the Arab Spring and the political sex scandals in Turkey. They are related, I suggested, because in today's world, everything is related, thanks to the almost-fully-globalized business and communication networks. In such a world, the flap of a butterfly's wings in the Gulf of Mexico can set off a tornado in the Middle East, just like a Twitter-triggered popular unrest in Iran can lead to higher gas prices in the United States.

When we have the globalized business and communication network on one hand and the economic failure of many eurozone countries on the other, we can easily presume that the rising posture of Turkey, thanks to its relative success in economy policies, will effect the EU as well. For instance, the decline of Greece may mean a significant reduction in Turkey's defence budget, canalizing those national funds to other sectors like R&D. In such conditions, Turkey's import-export ratio may be built in a better way, resulting with even a stronger posture.

I believe that when we analyze the Arab Spring, we shouldn't rely on the Turkey-as-a-role-model-pattern. Ankara is really being presented as a role model, especially by the international mass media, but the current relationship between Turkey and the Arab world is more of an interaction. As the Arab countries are being democratized towards the Turkish path, meanwhile, Turkey is sliding towards a more authoritarian political climate.

Democracy defends itself, I believe. Just like we are seeing in Britain, where the system suddenly started to turn against Rupert Murdoch, the monopolizing media mogul, only after he was on the verge of buying BskyB. Similarly, in Turkey, there may be a balancing invisible hand in politics, even inside the AKP government. I relate this presumption to their newly-declared political program.

AKP's program, which is still being debated in the national parliament, is interesting, because it emphasizes the importance of the accession process in a rather overdone tone. It underlines the target of being a full EU member. Sedat Ergin, a leading columnist of Hürriyet, wrote about the program in detail today. It seemed to me that he was also surprised that the EU matter was at the top of AKP's agenda.

There are reasons to be suspicious, though. The negotiation process is de facto frozen now as even Hungary, a pro-Turkish EU country, couldn't open one negotiation chapter in her presidency. The double-standards of the EU is another reason for Turkey to be fed up. So some may say that AKP knows that nothing will happen with the EU, that's why they feel comfortable to put it in their agenda in that exaggerated manner.

I guess that it's unfair. I feel that Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is quite decided about the EU this time. He probably sees that it is the best time for Turkey to throttle for the full membership. He probably calculates that one of the pillars of the anti-Turkish lobby in the EU, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, is about to leave. Turkey's recent openings for Brussels in the Cyprus issue can also be considered as a sincere effort to solve the problem before the Greek Cypriots took the EU presidency next summer.

Interestingly, Turkey's EU agenda is actually linked to the Syrian problem. It is clear now that Turkey is spearheading the Western inverventionism in Syria, as it is allegedly doing in Central Asia. If an Assad-free Syria can be created quickly, Ankara, with its even greater influence, can decisively concentrate on the EU. And if the conjuncture is suitable (Dominique Strauss-Kahn instead of Sarkozy as the French President?), then Turkey can miraculously be regarded on the track for a full membership again. The side-effects of such a development will surely be less authoritarianism in Turkey.

So this is why I see the world as fully interconnected. And even the political sex scandals in Turkey or New York, are affecting the international politics, whether we like it or not.

Politics is Either Plagiarism or Revolution

Previously, it had been revealed that most parts of the book entitled "Business Administration," which was written by Prime Ministry Undersecretary Prof. Omer Dincer in 1995, were plagiarized.

Prof. Dincer had admitted his mistake and apologized.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan announced his cabinet. Omer Dincer is appointed as the Minister of Education.

Perfect choice for that position, isn't it?

Official: The Dutch Force Was Responsible In Srebrenica Genocide

The Dutch state is responsible for the deaths of three Muslim men after the fall of Srebrenica during the Bosnian war, a Dutch appeals court ruled today, opening the door to compensation claims.

It's a landmark ruling, because it will set up a legal precedent which will make the families of thousands of Srebrenica victims be able to sue the state of the Netherlands for cowardly handing over those civilians to the Bosnian Serb army in the U.N. "safe area."

If you ask me, this is not enough. The Dutch commanders of the U.N. peacekeeping force should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity, as they had virtually set up a modern-day Vichy government in Srebrenica, then. After all, collaboration with genociders is almost as despicable as genocide...

Then, only maybe then, the bloodiest stain on the history of the U.N. peacekeepers will be washed away. Because the power of justice should not be available only against incontestible villains like Al-Bashir or Gaddafi... International justice not only for Sudan, but also for the Netherlands... Because we don't need no state of exceptions anymore...

What Have the DSK Case, the Ergenekon and the Turkish Football Op Common?

When commenting about the scandal that surrounds Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the New York Times criticized the "Punish first, figure out what happened later" state of American justice today.

"And the Turkish justice," I would add.

It is especially true for the never-ending Ergenekon case.

And now Turkey is being shaken by the huge match-fixing investigation, which kicked-off yesterday by a wave of arrests, including the president of Fenerbahçe, the latest champion of Turkey's premier football league.

Interestingly, the match-fixing investigation was initiated by the prosecutor who also conducted the Ergenekon case.

We'll see if the latest investigation will also "punish first, figure out what happened later" or become Turkey's much-needed clean-hands operation on football.

Two Muslims and a Jew

There was an interesting story on Mail Online yesterday.

It was about a heroic woman who rescued a baby from a burning building after hearing his desperate mother's screams.

I've managed to contact the woman who turned out to be a Turk, as her name had obviously suggested. Our interview was published in Hürriyet today.

I'm sure that Nazar Melis had told the same things to Mail Online, but somehow their story didn't mention an interesting detail about the extraordinary rescue. According to this detail, when Nazar Melis entered the building in flames to save the Somalian Muslim boy, an orthodox Jew helped her. Nazar told me that his help was crucial, especially during the first aid procedure. She labels it as fate, predestination.

I don't believe in inter-religious dialogue on a political level, but I do love to witness it in daily life. Well done, guys!

No Comment

The European Union didn't open even one chapter for a whole year in the negotiations with Turkey.

This is a record.

Meanwhile, Crotia finished the negotiation process by closing the last four chapters. It means that Crotia will be a full member of the EU on July 1, 2013.

Turkey had started the negotiations with the EU on October 2005, the same date with Croatia.