Dave Emory’s entire lifetime of work is available on a flash drive that can be obtained here. (The flash drive includes the anti-fascist books available on this site.)
COMMENT: A major theme of the so-called “Arab Spring” was the belief that by allowing the Muslim Brotherhood unfettered access to the reins of political power, the resulting regimes would resemble the “modern,” “democratic” government of Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey.
(The For The Record series on the “Muslim Brotherhood Spring” runs from FTR #733 through FTR #739.)
In FTR #‘s 737, 738, 739, we noted that Erdogan’s government was a direct outgrowth of the Bank Al-Taqwa complex and an extension of the Islamic fascism of the Muslim Brotherhood. In addition, Erdogan’s regime has strong links to euro-fascists and the Underground Reich. We have documented this in numerous posts and broadcasts.
The Erdogan government appears to be an Islamic, Underground Reich entity, ultimately directed at the core of the Earth Island.
As civic unrest stemming from popular dissatisfaction with Erdogan’s governance have spread, he has responded with tactics and rhetoric precisely and eerily echoing the rhetoric of classic fascism. Borrowing from the rhetorical arsenal of Hitler and Mussolini, Erdogan has staged mass rallies of rabid supporters, used verbiage conflating the state and “the people” with himself, accused the opposition of being part of an amorphous conspiracy involving “foreign interests,” “speculators,” and the media–translation “Da Joos.”
With roots in the Bank Al-Taqwa milieu, it should come as no surprise that this government has played out in the fashion that it has. Although elected (so were the Nazis in Germany), Erdogan’s government is demonstrating a distinct, totalitarian bent, as evidenced by the results of what Paul Krugman termed “A show trial on the bosporus.”
Recent judicial rulings following on last summer’s civic unrest have given further evidence of the real nature of Erdogan’s governance.
EXCERPT: They came away with a tentative agreement, but it was never accepted by the rank-and-file protesters, and so the movement was later crushed by the water cannons and tear gas of Mr. Erdogan’s police force.
Then last month, one of those leaders, Eyup Muhcu, was summoned by a local prosecutor and interrogated as part of a spreading investigation of those who led the protests. “There is no concrete charge, yet we were called in to give official statements,” said Mr. Muhcu, an architect and a member of the Taksim Solidarity Platform, a group of activists that played a central role in the demonstrations.
“For what?”
For the government, the answer seems clear, Mr. Muhcu said: to silence the opposition.
“It has come to a point where members can’t even tweet without fear of being investigated for their thoughts,” said Mr. Muhcu, one of the few activists still willing to offer a public critique of the government.
As the memory begins to fade of those sweeping protests, which began to save Gezi Park in central Istanbul from being razed and became the most serious challenge to Mr. Erdogan’s decade in power, the government has moved aggressively against its perceived adversaries. More than a thousand students, teachers, doctors and activists — even mosque imams — have been hauled in for questioning for their role in the civic unrest.
Dozens of journalists have lost their jobs for reporting on the demonstrations, and one of Turkey’s wealthiest families now has an army of tax inspectors digging through its accounts, apparently for giving refuge in a fancy hotel it owns to demonstrators escaping clouds of tear gas last summer. . . .
. . . . Turkey’s secular opposition, the Republican People’s Party, recently circulated a document titled, “Turkish government’s retaliation to Gezi,” in which it equated Mr. Erdogan to Machiavelli, and wrote, “the one-man government has initiated a ruthless campaign for retaliation against the persons involved in the Gezi movement.” Inside is a list of 77 journalists who were either fired or forced to resign, including Yavuz Baydar, who had been the ombudsman for the pro-government newspaper Sabah. . . .
. . . . Some critics and analysts say they have seen something more sinister: a rise in anti-Semitism, in a country with strained relations with Israel. In his fiery speeches during the protests, Mr. Erdogan blamed an assortment of foreign actors for the unrest, including the “interest rate lobby” — what many regarded as code for Jews — and “Zionists.” Some of Turkey’s Jews, a community of roughly 15,000, are emigrating because, according to a recent report in an English-language Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet Daily News, of “anti-Semitism, triggered by harsh statements from the Turkish government.”
Steven A. Cook, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a longtime commentator on Turkish affairs, recently wrote, “Turkish political discourse is darker and the attacks on foreign observers of Turkish politics have become relentless.”
EXCERPT: . . . Crowds of protesters chanting “shoulder to shoulder against fascism” and “government resign” marched on Taksim, where hundreds were injured in clashes the day before. . . .
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Internal-Islamist-feud-in-Turkey-threatens-stability-of-Erdogans-government-335671
Internal Islamist feud in Turkey threatens stability of Erdogan’s government
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
20/12/2013
Rift between Turkish PM and US-based cleric weakens Erdogan, as the Gulen-dominated security forces he used to go after his enemies now target his allies.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is facing the greatest challenge to his rule since the protests that erupted in the summer in Gezi Park.
Tensions from within his Islamist base have escalated and come out into the open.
Istanbul’s powerful police chief was dismissed by the government on Thursday in what seems to be a response to an anti-corruption investigation striking at the heart of Turkey’s ruling elite and threatening the authority of Erdogan at home and abroad.
Huseyin Capkin was the most senior commander so far to be sacked following the dismissal of dozens of senior officers on Wednesday over what Erdogan has termed a “dirty operation” to tarnish the government.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli spoke out against the dismissal of members of the police by the government, saying it demonstrated “panic” because of “feelings of guilt” by the government, as quoted by Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News.
Turkey’s judiciary and lawyers were upset when Erdogan’s government appointed two more prosecuters to take part in the investigation, saying the government was attempting to obstruct and interfere with the investigation, Today’s Zaman newspaper reported.
The dismissal of senior police officers came after the police staged raids on Tuesday morning, detaining over 80 people.
Scores of people including sons of three ministers and some prominent businessmen close to Erdogan have been detained in an action seen widely as symptom of a power struggle with a US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has set up a network of private schools stretching also to Europe, Asia and America and who wields influence in the police, judiciary, media, and within the Islamist AKP Party itself.
Gulen’s Hizmet movement, long a close ally of Erdogan, has in recent months publicly fallen out with the prime minister over his plans to shut down private schools in Turkey, including those run by Hizmet.
AKP member of parliament Hakan Sukur, a well-known follower of Gulen, quit the Party on Monday in protest over the prep school plans.
Erdogan, still by far the most popular Turkish leader of modern times, said he would not tolerate corruption, but saw in the raids a conspiracy to “create a state within the state.”
Prof. Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA) at Bar-Ilan University, told the Jerusalem Post, “The Gulen movement has been critical of Erdogan for some time on issues such as growing authoritarianism, anti-Western orientation, and relations with Israel.”
“The opening rift between them weakens Erdogan and the AKP. A big test is the upcoming municipal election in the spring,” said Inbar.
If the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), along with other opposition parties, do well, they would be able to block AKP party initiatives.
Erdogan will be ending his third term in 2015 and unless he has the numbers in parliament to extend the country’s term limits – beyond the current three terms — he may have to settle for running for president, a less powerful position.
Erdogan’s party has been seeking to make constitutional changes that would keep him in charge of the country, but Gulen may throw a wrench into these plans.
A coalition between Gulen’s more pragmatic supporters and the opposition, could force Erdogan to focus his energies and political capital on domestic politics, leaving less room for his aggressive neo-Ottoman foreign policy.
“The events in Turkey suggest that what goes around comes around,” Michael Rubin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a former Pentagon official told the Post.
“Erdogan used the Gulen-dominated security forces to go after his enemies, but now that they’re targeting his allies, he’s whining like a toddler,” said Rubin.
Rubin does not believe that the AKP Party will be toppled any time soon because they still have too many assets.
“But the AKP-Gulenist rivalry might exacerbate splits in the party and lead Erdogan to face more internal challenges,” he said adding that “we already are seeing that with Bulent Arinc, his deputy, who is close to the Gulenist movement and is increasingly challenging Erdogan.”
Rubin sees a chance that Erdogan ends up in prison or in exile in Saudi Arabia.
“After all, Erdogan still has more than a dozen corruption cases against him pending, delayed only by his parliamentary immunity,” he said concluding, “What’s clear is that the illusion of invincibility that once surrounded Erdogan is crumbling.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/89647/Egypt/Politics-/Muslim-Brotherhood-Rabaa-channel-launched,-airing-.aspx
Muslim Brotherhood ‘Rabaa’ channel launched, airing from Turkey
Ahram Online , Saturday 21 Dec 2013
New Muslim Brotherhood satellite channel opens hosting controversial Islamic scholar Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
The Muslim Brotherhood’s new satellite channel, “Rabaa,” launched Friday and is being aired from Turkey, reported Al-Ahram Arabic website.
The channel is named after Cairo’s Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square, where hundreds were killed when security forces forcibly dispersed 14 August a sit-in held by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
The channel’s sign is the four-finger Rabaa sign that Brotherhood and Morsi loyalists use in regular ongoing protests against what they describe as a “coup against the legtitimate president” in Egypt.
Turkey has been a supporter of Morsi. Turkey and Egypt’s new interim authorities got into a row after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan flashed the Rabaa sign and made comments against the country’s post-Morsi administration. Egypt in response downgraded its diplomatic ties with Turkey.
Morsi was ousted 3 July amid mass nationwide protests against his one year rule. General commander of the armed forces Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced in the presence of political party leaders and religious figures a new political roadmap to include amending the Islamist-drafted 2012 constitution followed by parliamentary and presidential elections.
The Brotherhood’s January 25 channel, which was airing from Egypt, was closed by authorities upon Morsi’s ouster, together with several other religious channels, on allegations of incitement.
The new Rabaa channel opened by hosting pro-Brotherhood Egyptian cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.
Al-Qaradawi, a prominent Egyptian Islamic scholar close to the Muslim Brotherhood, has had a firm stand against the ouster of Morsi. He presented his resignation earlier last month from Al-Azhar’s Supreme Clerical Committee in defiance of what he considered as bias in the committee regarding political events in Egypt.
Al-Qaradawi, who is currently based in Qatar, described Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb and other key leaders within the institution as supporters of “a military coup that raped the office of the Egyptian president.”
Several Al-Azhar scholars had already called for his membership to be revoked after he made divisive comments attacking the institution and praising the Muslim Brotherhood.
On 9 December, the Supreme Clerical Committee released a statement saying that its members had voted to accept Al-Qaradawi’s resignation. El-Tayyeb did not participate in the vote.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/akp-gulen-set-for-battle-until-end-investigative-journalist.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59876&NewsCatID=339
AKP, Gülen set for battle until end: Investigative journalist
ISTANBUL — Hürriyet Daily News December/20/2013
Print Page Send to friend »
The power struggle between Turkey’s ruling party and Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s movement will not be stopped until one of them is brought down, prominent journalist Nedim Şener has said. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
The power struggle between Turkey’s ruling party and Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s movement will not be stopped until one of them is brought down, prominent journalist Nedim Şener has said. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
Vercihan Ziflioğlu Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The power struggle between Turkey’s ruling party and Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s movement will not be stopped until one of them is brought down, prominent journalist Nedim Şener has said.
Dozens, including three ministers’ sons, a mayor and a state bank CEO, were detained as part of a gripping bribery and corruption investigation that became public on Dec. 17, in what is believed to be another chapter in the clash between ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Gülen movement (Cemaat).
Following the investigation, the government shied from naming the Gülen movement, which has key members in Turkey’s justice and police system, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called it “a dirty operation” against his party and pointed the finger at “some circles inside and outside of Turkey.” Some pundits called the source of the operation as “a parallel state,” but Şener rejected the claim.
“This is not a parallel state, but there is a secret entity within the state. The prime minister is also part of this entity, so is the Gülen movement. The two sides share the power,” Şener said.
“This will not be an easy process,” the journalist said. “Either Cemaat will finish off the AKP, or the AKP will finish off them.”
Şener, the writer of a 2009 book titled “Fethullah Gülen and Cemaat in Ergenekon,” was arrested in 2011 as part of the case of the OdaTV, online news portal known for its fierce criticism of government policies. As part of the case, which started during the police’s Ergenekon coup plot case investigations, Şener and another prominent journalist, Ahmet Şık, spent a year behind bars under arrest, drawing criticism from public.
Şener claims his and Şık’s imprisonment were a result of the Gülen movement’s influence in the judiciary system, and that has also created a rift between the two sides.
Şener says the clash between the AKP and the Gülen movement emerged after a raid on the Mavi Marmara aid flotilla by Israeli soldiers in May 2010. It mounted with an investigation on the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) on Feb. 7, 2012, and blew into the open with the “dershane” crisis. The government wanted to close the private prep schools, called dershanes, many of which are owned by people with close links to the Gülen movement.
“The dershane row was just a trigger. This operation officially started the war between the AKP and the Cemaat,” Şener said. “The Gülen movement wants to finish off Erdoğan, because they want an AKP without Erdoğan. The Gülen movement wanted to have a word in power. So far, Gülen and the AKP had a ‘united fate,’ as they call it. Together they made many injustices and they are indebted to each other. Once, the prime minister said, ‘We gave them whatever they wanted.’ The prime minister should explain this.”
December/20/2013
http://www.dw.de/turkeys-parliament-adopts-controversial-internet-controls/a‑17411213
06.02.2014
Turkey’s parliament adopts controversial internet controls
Turkey’s parliament has approved controversial legislation that would tighten government control over the internet. Critics say it will limit freedom of expression, but the government insists it is to protect privacy.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government
Turkish lawmakers adopted the new internet legislation late on Wednesday following hours of debate involving fierce objections from the opposition.
The new law would allow a government agency, the Telecommunications Communications Presidency (TIB), to block websites without a prior court decision, if they are believed to violate privacy or contain content considered insulting.
It would also force internet providers to keep retain users’ data records for two years. They would then be obliged to provide authorities with that information upon request without a court order and without notifying the user in question.
The measures build upon existing internet restrictions introduced in 2007 that, according to a Google transparency report published in December, make Turkey equal to China as the world’s biggest web censor.
Under the 2007 law, websites including blogging tool WordPress and video-sharing services DailyMotion and Vimeo have been blocked temporarily. YouTube was also blocked for two years until 2010.
‘Fascist’ measures
Turkey’s parliament approved the draft bill in December, further angering anti-government protesters who have been out in force for several months in response to a corruption scandal that has drawn in several top political figures.
Opposition politicians and critics have branded the latest legislation as censorship. They claim it is a fresh assault from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government on freedom of expression, press freedoms and access to information, particularly in light of recent protests.
“When you came to power you talked of enhancing democracy in Turkey, Now you are trying to implement fascism,” opposition lawmaker Hasan Oren said as the debate opened on Wednesday.
“Remember that Adolf Hitler used the same methods when he rose to power,” he added.
Meanwhile the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists argued that the measures would “compound” Turkey’s already “dismal” lack of press freedoms.
‘No censorship’
Erdogan’s government has dismissed opposition claims, however, asserting that the legislation is designed to protect privacy and does not amount to censorship.
There is “no such thing as internet censorship. We are freer compared to many other countries and have freedom of press,” said Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc.
The new legislation is part of a package due to be approved by parliament on Thursday and signed into law by the president.
Erdogan just announced a purge:
It will be interesting to see how this situation pans out.
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/cleveland-fbi-leads-investigation-of-charter-school-chain‑1.494782#.U5dGYApKRCU.blogger
Cleveland FBI leads investigation of charter school chain
By Doug Livingston
Beacon Journal education writer
Published: June 10, 2014 — 12:51 PM
Federal agents have raided 19 charter schools, including three in Ohio, where an FBI criminal investigation in Cleveland has led to search warrants in Indiana and Illinois over the past week.
The 19 schools are managed by Concept Schools, a charter school operator headquartered near Chicago.
Concept Schools, which emphasizes math and science, has been investigated previously by the U.S. Department of Labor for its use of foreign workers. Ohio audits found that public money for the schools had been used improperly for visas. Concept received more visas for immigrant workers than Google in 2009, and many of the school’s employees are of Turkish descent. Most of the nonprofit schools’ board members in Northeast Ohio are male and of Turkish descent.
The company manages 19 charter schools in Ohio, second only to Texas with 44 such schools. There are nearly 140 charter schools, spread across 26 states, associated with Turkish Cleric Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric exiled from Turkey, living in Pennsylvania.
The raid began last week as unmarked vans and agents seized documents from an Indiana charter school. The search warrants have been sealed.
“Last Wednesday afternoon we executed some search warrants in conjunction with the [U.S.] Department of Education and the FCC [Federal Communications Commission],” said Vicki Anderson, a special agent with the FBI Cleveland office.
“It is in regards to an ongoing white-collar crime investigation,” Anderson said, declining to divulge further details. “It’s a criminal ongoing investigation.”
Anderson confirmed that raids on Concept Schools in Indiana and Illinois were “all based on the investigation in the Cleveland Field Division.”
Katherine Beckwith, a spokesperson for Concept Schools operations in Indiana, released the following statement in response to the raid last week.
“Earlier this week we were asked to provide information to U.S. Department of Education officials as part of a larger federal audit of e‑rate technology grants. Those officials indicated they are auditing the funds dispersed to various schools to verify that work paid for with e‑rate grants was completed as reported.”
Anderson could not speak to the nature of the Indiana raid, or whether the audit also is part of the white-collar criminal investigation.
She also could not confirm or deny any connection with previous investigations, which date back to 2011.
A request for comment with Murat Efe, superintendent Concept Schools’ North Ohio Regional Office, was not returned Tuesday.
If you are interested, please check on the link and check out the outlandish graphic that was posted on the Austrian FM’s website.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/austrian-fms-website-hacked-after-warning-erdogan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=67860&NewsCatID=338
Austrian FM’s website hacked after ‘warning’ Turkish PM Erdoğan
VIENNA — Anadolu Agency
Turkish pro-government hackers have defaced Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz’s website, following his “warning” to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over his upcoming visit to Vienna.
“I warn Prime Minister Erdoğan explicitly: he should not introduce splits into Austrian society,” Kurz had told daily Österreich on June 13.
Hacker group Cyber-Warrior Akıncılar (Raiders) attacked Kurz’s website on June 16, proceeding to post photos of Erdoğan alongside 16th century Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. The group also posted a message in three languages:
“Austria foreign minister! Who do you think you are kiddy! You cannot decide how to talk to our prime minister! Erdoğan the prime minister is the grandson of ancestors who reached Vienna, the soil you’re walking on now! We are Akıncılar [Raiders], We are Ottomans, We are Turkey!.”
Born in 1986, Kurz is Europe’s youngest foreign minister.
Erdoğan is due in Vienna – home to many of Austria’s 250,000-strong Turkish community – on June 19. The visit is seen by many as a bid to win overseas votes for an expected run for the presidency in August.
June/16/2014
Doesn’t Erdogan realized he’s not supposed to express admiration for Hitler until after he’s granted additional powers? Apparently not. Oops. It’s time for some bureaucratic bluster:
So Erdogan brings up Hitler’s government as an example of how his vision for a powerful presidency could operate. And following the uproar, the government issue statements about how Erdogan was actually referencing Nazi Germany as a warning of the potential abuses of power that could emerge from the constitutional changes Erdogan wants to happen.
So, at best, Erdogan’s Hitler reference was an argument against the constitutional overhaul he’s long championed. At, at worse (and more likely), Erdogan actually things Hitler’s Germany is a great model to emulate. Well, Turkey can’t say it wasn’t warned.
With that disturbing incident of foot-in-mouth syndrome in mind, it’s going to be extra interesting to see what happens to the people who shared an animated image of Mr. Erdogan’s face changing into Hitler. After all, the trial of Bilgin Çiftçi, the man who shared images comparing Erdogan to Gollum from the Lord of the Rings, is currently adjourned so experts to study whether or not being compared to Gollum actually qualifies as an insult (it’s a surprisingly nuanced question). So will the Hitler comparisons result in more trials for those that dare to insult Turkey’s wannabe Führer? Or, given Erdogan’s apparent attitudes towards Hitler’s Germany, would he even consider it an insult?
Here’s some good news/bad news for world travelers: If you’ve ever publicly insulted Erdogan and you’re planning a holiday in Turkey, the tickets should be a lot cheaper. You’re not going to need to buy return tickets. It’ll be a one way trip:
“In the free newspaper Metro last week, Umar called Erdogan a “dictator” and criticized a Turkish consular official in the Netherlands for asking all Turks there to report incidents of insults against Erdogan in the country. The call was widely criticized and later withdrawn.”
Turkey is now an Erdogan-insult snitch state. That should do wonders for tourism. So does someone suffering from Hubris Syndrome consider it an insult to point out that they’re suffering from Hubris Syndrome? That seems like a medically relevant question at this point.
And since the answer is probably “yes, they would consider that an insult and want you arrested”, you might want to keep any plans to finally discover and photograph Erdogan’s golden toilet of legend during your next trip to Turkey, you’ll probably want to keep that on the down low.
Here’s a development that sort of bodes well for Turkish and EU journalists fear prosecution over insulting Erdogan. But it also might end up making things worse: The European Commission agreed to a far-reaching deal granting Turkey’s citizen’s visa-free access to the Schengen Area in exchange for Turkey agreeing to take in a large number of refugees currently residing in the EU. But the Commission had also given Turkey a list of 72 conditions that had to be met before such a deal could be agreed to, and thus far Turkey hasn’t met five of those conditions. And one of those unmet conditions is an end to the persecution of journalists. So the EU is threatening to rescind this new agreement if Turkey doesn’t meet all of 72 conditions, but Turkey is threatening to unleash the refugee floodgates without the deal. And Erdogan obviously doesn’t want to end the persecution of journalists. Just imagine the mockery he’s earned at this point. It would be unrelenting and he’d probably have a psychological meltdown. And that’s just one of the conditions the EU set that Ankara just can’t bring itself to meet and it’s very possible that, in Erdogan’s mind, he’d rather just spitefully ditch the deal and send back the refugees than meet any of the unresolved EU demands.
So it’s looking like the EU might soon find itself forced to choose between defending journalists and seeing a renewed refugee crisis, or throwing the journalists overboard in the hopes of avoiding a refugee flood. In addition, the EU Commission has a new scheme for ensuring that refugees will be distributed between EU states fairly in the case of a new crisis: EU countries that refuse to accept their refugee quotas will be fined €250,000 per refugee, which will be paid to one of the nations taking in more than its quota. And refugees that refuse to go to their assigned countries will also lose their refugee benefits. So if Erdogan does drop the deal over the Commission’s demands and the crisis surges again, the inter-EU conflicts over which member states will accept which refugees could take on a very different dynamic than the prior showdowns.
So while it was hoped that this big EU/Turkey visa deal was going to have the effect of dissipating tensions within Europe and between the EU and Turkey, it’s looking like the opposite could end up happening. :
“In issuing the recommendation, the Commission said it “expects” Turkey meets the remaining goals that require new legislation. They include no longer designating opposition journalists and academics as terrorists, clamping down on corruption and preventing police forces from abusing personal data.”
Those are the expectations. Whether or not they’re realistic expectations remains to be seen, although it’s not looking good
“Touching on possible results of today’s European Commission report, Turkey’s EU Deputy Minister Ali Sahin said that Ankara will not accept conditional approval from the European Commission under any circumstance after speculation has circulated in some media outlets coming from EU sources. “We stated that Turkey does not accept conditional approval in various platforms.”
Hmmm...it sounds like Turkey’s government isn’t interested in hearing any criticisms. At all. But we already knew that.
Turkeys Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu resigned follwing a surprise move by his AKP party strip him of powers to appoint provincial-level party officials in the midst of a deepening conflict between Davutoglu and Erdogan over Erdogan’s desires to overhaul Turkey’s constitution to give the President, current Erdogan, much more power. Davutoglu cited that move as the reason for his resignation, but also promised to not mention one negative word about Erdogan going forward. And observers are already declaring that Erdogan is basically the de facto one-man ruler of Turkey now, even without those constitutional changes in place. So it looks like Erdogan’s hubris syndrome is going to be a lot more difficult to manage going forward:
““Having mandated [Davutoglu’s] resignation . . . Erdogan is now head of state, but also de-facto head of government and head of the AKP,” said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.”
Yep. So now one of the countries that will be critical for any sane handling of both the crisis in Syria or the related flood of EU refugees is poised to become even more insane. And don’t forget that Erdogan’s ambitions go far beyond Turkey’s borders. A neo-Ottoman Empire is also on his to-do list. It’s all a highly unfortunate reminder that the Ring of Power isn’t casual wear.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/07/20/50000-arrested-fired-suspended-in-Erdogans-post-coup-crackdown-in-Turkey/8981469009834/
50,000 arrested, fired, suspended in Erdogan’s post-coup crackdown in Turkey
By Andrew V. Pestano UPI July 20, 2016 at 6:57 AM
ANKARA, Turkey, July 20 (UPI) — The Turkish government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has now arrested, fired or suspended a total of more than 50,000 people in its post-coup d’etat attempt crackdown.
Turkish media report that 15,200 teachers and other education staff have been fired; 1,577 university deans have been forced to resign; 8,777 interior ministry employees have been suspended or fired; 1,500 finance ministry staff have been fired; 257 employees of Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s office have been fired; over 6,000 military personnel have been arrested; 9,000 police officers have been fired; and 3,000 judges have been suspended.
The Turkish government has blamed Friday’s failed coup on Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania in self-exile. The coup attempt left more than 232 people dead and 1,541 injured.
The Turkish media regulation agency on Tuesday revoked the licenses of 24 radio and television channels on accusations of having links to Gulen.
Turkey is increasing pressure on the United States to extradite Gulen, who said the accusations that he was behind the failed coup are “ridiculous.”
“I urge the U.S. government to reject any effort to abuse the extradition process to carry out political vendettas,” he said in a statement.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Monday said any decision to extradite Gulen would be made under a shared treaty between the United States and Turkey.
Meanwhile, state-run Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday that pro-coup soldiers who attacked a hotel where Erdogan and his family were vacationing said they were ordered to “capture an important terrorist leader.” About 40 special forces soldiers were airlifted into an airbase with the order to attack a resort where Erdogan was staying, anonymous security sources told Anadolu. Sources said the soldiers began to fly away from the base but were told of the coup attempt during the flight. It is unclear how many soldiers continued on with the attack.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36835340
Turkey coup attempt: Who’s the target of Erdogan’s purge?
By Paul Kirby July 20, 2016
BBC News
After the failed coup, the crackdown. The numbers of people arrested or thrown out of their jobs are eye-watering.
From judges to teachers, civil servants to soldiers, the list is enormous.
There are very real fears among Turks about what will come next.
So who is being targeted and why?
As soon as it became clear that the coup had failed, the crackdown began — first with the security forces, then spreading to Turkey’s entire civilian infrastructure. In the words of one Turkish columnist it was a “counter-coup” — a cleansing of the system, in the style of a coup, that had taken place in the past.
The express aim of the president is to “cleanse all state institutions”. And the target is what he calls “the parallel state” — a movement headed by an arch-rival in self-imposed exile in the US, accused of plotting the coup.
No-one really knows how extensive that movement is, but followers of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen are suspected of infiltrating some of the posts closest to the president, including chief military aide Ali Yazici and air force adviser Lt Col Erkan Kivrak,
A “Gulenist clique” in the army was behind the coup, officials say. And they came so close, says the president, that they were within 10 or 15 minutes of assassinating or kidnapping him. More on the Gulenists later.
Erdogan — Turkey’s ruthless president
Who is being purged?
The purge is so extensive that few believe it was not already planned. And there seems little chance that everyone on the list is a Gulenist.
The sheer numbers are sobering. Some 9,000 people are in custody and many more are out of a job. Although accurate details are difficult to come by, this is the current list:
7,500 soldiers have been detained, including 85 generals and admirals
8,000 police have been removed from their posts and 1,000 arrested
3,000 members of the judiciary, including 1,481 judges, have been suspended
15,200 education ministry officials have lost their jobs
21,000 private school teachers have had their licences revoked
1,577 university deans (faculty heads) have been asked to resign
1,500 finance ministry staff have been removed
492 clerics, preachers and religious teachers have been fired
393 social policy ministry staff have been dismissed
257 prime minister’s office staff have been removed
100 intelligence officials have been suspended
The list may be incomplete because the situation is constantly changing. But it is clear that the purge has affected well over 58,000 people.
Turkey’s purge
Why education?
President Erdogan has seen the rise of Islamic education in Turkey’s schools and universities as a personal mission.
Since his Islamist-rooted party came to power in 2002, the number of children educated in segregated religious schools known as “Imam-Hatip” has soared by 90%. He has repeatedly said he wants to raise a “pious generation” and has reformed state education accordingly.
Mr Erdogan sought to reverse the many closures of religious schools that came in the wake of Turkey’s last coup in 1997, which he compared to the cutting of an artery.
They virtually severed our carotid artery. Can a person live when his artery is cut? No he cannot” — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Reuters
He has also moved to shut down Gulenist-run schools outside Turkey. Reports from Romania say Turkish officials have told 11 to close, but the schools argue they fall under Romanian rather than Turkish jurisdiction.
What is less clear is why university deans are also being targeted. The officials told to leave their posts are unlikely to be Gulenists. There is some suggestion that a revamp of Turkey’s 300 universities is being prepared.
On Wednesday, Turkey’s higher education authority banned academics from travelling abroad and said anyone currently outside Turkey should return home.
The curious case of Erdogan’s degree
And why so many civil servants?
This could hark back to a 2010 cheating scandal in Turkey’s civil service exams. When 3,227 were suspected of cheating because they scored top marks, the government suspected Gulenists.
The post-coup purge may be the time to get rid of the suspected cheats.
Another possibility is that the government is also weeding out opponents from Turkey’s Alevi community, which numbers some 15 million.
Turkey’s ruling AKP is predominantly a Sunni Muslim party which gains support from an Islamist base. The Alevi sect combines elements of Shia Islam with pre-Islamic folk customs.
What will Erdogan do next?
There are deep suspicions and widespread fears of what the president is planning next. He is expected to make a major announcement on Wednesday.
Some have compared the crackdown to the fallout of the military coup of 12 September 1980. But that resulted in executions and 600,000 detentions, so current events are far less dramatic.
There seems little chance of martial law being declared, as the army is so deeply damaged by the botched coup.
But emergency measures could be on the cards. Detention without charge could be extended and firing civil servants could be approved without the need for parliamentary approval.
Will there be curfews? That seems unlikely when it suits the government to have supporters on the streets at night.
Will the death penalty be reinstated 12 years after its abolition?
Will Erdogan bring back death penalty?
So who is his arch-rival anyway?
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s declared aim is to root out followers of a former ally, Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who became his arch-rival and went into self-imposed exile in the US in 1999.
Fethullah Gulen has made a lot of enemies but he also has a large number of followers and they are accused of plotting the coup. Gulenists, who espouse a tolerant form of Islam, are thought to donate up to 20% of their income to the movement. They have roles in all sectors of Turkish society and local reports say some Gulenists have confessed to involvement in the attempted coup.
The order, one follower was quoted as saying, came from a civilian teacher known as Big Brother.
Exactly who is a Gulenist is very hard to assess, but President Erdogan blamed the movement for damaging corruption allegations that entangled the sons of several Turkish ministers in 2013.