Faux Pas

For John, BLUF:  Turkey sometimes wants to be part of Europe, and sometimes not.  Its great city of Istambul is in Europe, as is Turkish Thrace.  But, much of it is in Asia, including its Capitol, Ankara.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Two presidents visited Turkey. Only the man was offered a chair

From The Boston Globe, by New York Times Reporters Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Carlotta Gall, 7 April 2021, 5:25 PM.

Here is the lede plus two:

If diplomacy is part theater, acted out on meticulously crafted sets, then a protocol blunder this week turned a top-level visit by European Union leaders to Turkey into high drama.

Whether by design or by oversight, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive arm, was left awkwardly standing as her colleague Charles Michel, the president of the council representing the bloc’s 27 members, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey took the only two available seats between the EU and Turkish flags.

“Uhm …” von der Leyen was heard saying in a video as she stood, lingering, in the grand room in the Turkish presidential palace Tuesday while Michel and Erdogan settled in their gilded seats, perfectly centered for a photo op.

To be clear, this was in Ankara, Turkey, not Brussels, Belgium.

The article goes on to explain that Turkey is looking to revive its bid to join the European Union, something which had once been a slow journey forever, slowed, wrongly, by the Europeans early on, when Turkey becoming part or the European Union might have made a difference.  But, no, the members weren't having it.♠  Now we see a more autocratic Turkey, again pushing for entry to the EU.

I used to be supportive, but now I am one of those hesitating.

Keep in mind that current Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, quipped, while Mayor of Istanbul, “Democracy is like a tram.  You ride it until you arrive at your destination, then you step off.”

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  For one thing, European folks hadn't gotten over 1453 AD and the fall of Constantinople, or the more recent Treaty of Lausanne, on 24 July 1923, which resulted in a population exchange, or the turmoil in the Balkins.

Ilhan Omar Choose Poorly

For John, BLUF:  Bless her little heart, she just doesn't understand the larger cultural ramifications.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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This InstaPundit Blog post, by Mr Ed Driscoll, was up on 30 October 2019.

Here is the post:

UNEXPECTEDLY:  Ilhan Omar one of three House reps to vote ‘present’ on Armenia genocide bill.  “Omar refused to back a resolution Tuesday that recognized the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during WWI as a ‘genocide.'”

How her District votes in 2020 will tell us more about the Voters than it will about her.

To me, it seems this issue is exacerbated by the modern Republic of Turkey not being able to break with the Ottoman Empire, which it replaced in 1923.  If a distinction could be draw then there might be reconciliation.  But, it would require recognition that terrible things happened, things Representative Omar can't see—"some people did something."

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Syria Troop Question

For John, BLUF:  Does opposition to President Trump now define how the Left approaches foreign policy?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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On 21 December 2018, the Althouse Blog has this post:  Glenn Greenwald calls Rachel Maddow on her hypocrisy.

Glenn Greenwald
Follow @ggreenwald

Glenn Greenwald Retweeted Michael Tracey
The most bizarre aspect of Rachel @Maddow's deep anger over troop withdrawal from Syria is that she wrote an entire book in 2012 denouncing illegal US Endless War without congressional approval - exactly what Syria is.  I interviewed her about it here: https://www.salon.com/2012/04/04/interview_with_rachel_maddow/ …Glenn Greenwald added,

Michael Tracey
@mtracey

MSNBC coverage of the Syria/Afghanistan withdrawals is just sickening. It's legitimately difficult to watch.  I am angry that liberals are being taught by former Bush lackeys (Nicole Wallace, Bill Kristol) that removing troops from pointless wars must be some corrupt Russian plot.
5:02 AM - 21 Dec 2018

Yes, I am very concerned about the Kurds in Syria, but this is a much more complex issue than just the Syrian Kurds.  For one thing the Kurds sit on junction of several nations.  There are Kurds in Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran.  There is the question of what happens if Turkey, claiming Turkish Security issues, goes after the Syrian Kurds?  Will the United States expand by a factor of ten or twenty our forces in Syria to protect the Kurds?  What happens to our US forces on Turkey's Incirlik Air Base?  Do we pull out our troops and equipment and tell our NATO Ally Turkey to go pound sand? 

Then there is the question of the impact of US presence on Sunni led nations trying to work with Syrian President Assad to reduce tensions and rebuilt the nation (parts of which look like 1945 Berlin), thus allowing people to return home and rebuild their lives.

I think President Trump is right to try and wind down US involvement in this particular imbroglio.  Is it the intention of Ms Maddow that the US be involved in asserting the rights of all minorities, everywhere?  What about when they are in conflict?

Hat tip to the Althouse Blog.

Regards  —  Cliff

Truth in Reporting

For John, BLUF:  This sounded dubious from the start.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Trump 'Not Considering' Extraditing Erdogan Foe Gulen in Bid to Ease Turkish Pressure on Saudi Arabia

Here is the sub-headline:

NBC News reported the Trump administration had explored whether it could extradite Gulen, as a way to persuade Tayyip Erdogan to ease pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi

From Heeretz, from Reuters, 17 November 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he was not considering extraditing a U.S.-based Muslim cleric to Turkey as part of an effort to ease pressure on Saudi Arabia.

“No, it’s not under consideration,” Trump told reporters when asked about potential extradition of Fethullah Gulen, who is wanted in Turkey over accusations he was involved in a failed 2016 coup.

So, is this item from NBC what we call "Fake News"?  Or, was it a trial balloon?.

I wonder why NBC fell for this?  Did they do their due diligence? 

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Sunday Vote in Turkey

For John, BLUF:  This is one of those little noted, in the United States, elections that could have big impacts on us, as the results unfold.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Turkey’s Erdogan Strains to Turn Strongman Rule Into Dominance at Polls

Here is the sub-headline:

President looks set to win new term but economic pain and united opposition threaten his leadership

From The Wall Street Journal, by Mr David Gauthier-Villars, 22 June 2018.

Here is the lede plus four:

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is bidding to extend his 15-year rule on Sunday in elections that rivals deem unfair—a growing pattern in countries from Russia to Hungary to Egypt, where leaders are using ballots as a waypoint to cement their authoritarian grip on power.

But with economic woes weighing heavily on Turkish voters, Mr. Erdogan’s prospect of entering a five-year term with a rubber-stamp parliament isn’t guaranteed, threatening a period of uncertainty in this strategic linchpin between the West and the Middle East.

Since a 2016 military coup attempt that nearly swept him away, Mr. Erdogan has jailed former allies he accuses of plotting the attack and run the country under “extraordinary rule” that allows for exceptional police measures and governance by decree.  He has cracked down on political opponents and assembled a coterie of loyal oligarchs; he has repressed independent press and purged the military.

This one-man drive has given Mr. Erdogan unprecedented control over all state institutions, including the electoral authority, ahead of Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary ballots.  A re-elected Mr. Erdogan would also gain vastly expanded executive powers over legislation and the judiciary, thanks to constitutional changes voters narrowly approved last year.

And yet, unlike in Russia where President Vladimir Putin was re-elected with 77% of the votes in March, Turkish pollsters predict a divided result.

The Reporter uses the term "linchpin", and so Turkey is.  Turkey moving into instability would be bad for Europe, Asia and the Middle East.  It sits at the cross roads of Eurasia and if it does well others have a chance of doing well.  While I have no special affection for Mr Erdogan, I do wish the voters well in a very important decision.

Regards  —  Cliff

Turkey Objects to President Trump

For John, BLUF:  Going nowhere with President Trump in office.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Erdogan: Muslim nations to seek UN ‘annulment’ of Trump’s Jerusalem move

Here is the sub-headline:

Any bid to have world body counter decision to recognize holy city as Israel's capital would be blocked at Security Council, non-binding at General Assembly

The source is The Times of Israel, 15 December 2017.

Here is the lede plus one:

Turkey’s president said Friday that Muslim nations will ask the United Nations for an “annulment” of US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the initiative would start at the UN Security Council and if it’s “vetoed there, we will work within the UN General Assembly for the annulment of this unjust and lawless decision.”

So President Erdogan is throwing his lot in with US Democrats?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Turkey's President's EMail Hacked

For John, BLUF:  While the South China Sea is a problem, Turkey is more of a problem right now, until this settles out.  Oh, and the Baltic States.  Someone suggested this last half year of President Obama's Presidency could be a dangerous time.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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WIKILEAKS DUMPS ‘ERDOGAN EMAILS’ AFTER TURKEY’S FAILED COUP

The author of this Wired article is Mr Andy Greensburg and the publication date is 19 July.

The good news is that something like this couldn't happen here.

Here is the lede plus one:

OVER THE WEEKEND, the Internet may have saved the regime of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as protestors organized online to fight a military coup, and Erdogan himself addressed the nation via Apple’s Facetime video-calling app.  Today, however, Erdogan may remember that he doesn’t particularly like the Internet, after all—as hundreds of thousands of his ruling party’s private correspondences allegedly spill onto the web.

On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published what it’s calling the Erdoğan Emails, a searchable collection of 294,548 emails it says are leaked from the AKP, Turkey’s ruling political party, and the organization president Erdoğan led before he was elected president.  Turkish citizens and the world community are still struggling to understand the context of Turkey’s coup and the crackdown that’s followed, all of which could make this alleged Erdoğan leak more significant than the secret-spilling group’s average data dump.  However, at the time of writing, it’s not at all clear yet what exactly the Turkish-language megaleak contains, or if the emails are what Wikileaks claims they are.

The coup in Turkey is troubling at several levels, including that members of the military thought they needed to invoke the old theory that the military was the defender of the constitution.  But also because the situation had gotten to this point.  President Erdoğan is known for having said, when Mayor of Istanbul, that Democracy was like a street car.  When you get to your stop you get off.  And given that the European Union has stiff-armed Turkey from the beginning, one imagines that nothing in that area will improve.  And then what direction will Turkey go from here?  The rest of us in the West (Turkey is, in fact, a Western nation) may find Turkey drifting away, perhaps reducing its support against Daesh and against the Syrian Government, and maybe even leave NATO.  If it continues down a Salafist path, will it begin to side with those who have a more rigid view of how society should operate?  Quite possible.

There are a lot of questions out there.

Regards  —  Cliff

Making False Promises

For John, BLUF:  The Europeans are very short sighted when it comes to Turkey.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Merkel: No EU Membership If Turkey Brings Death Penalty For Coup Plotters

This is from Reporter Chris Tomlinson, today.  The publication is Breitbart.

Who does she think she is kidding here?  There was no way the EU was going to admit Turkey anyway.  Apparently never has been.  And therein hangs a tale.  What if Turkey had been a member of the EU for the last 20 years?  Would we have had this "coup"?♠

Here is the sub-headline:

The German Federal government and Chancellor Angela Merkel have slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for suggesting the death penalty could be brought in for plotters of last weekend’s unsuccessful coup.

And here is the lede plus one:

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government has spoken out against a possible reintroduction of the death penalty in Turkey. President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said that the death penalty could be brought back to punish the plotters of the failed coup attempt in Turkey over the weekend.

The German government has said that if Turkey executes the plotters, it would be the end of negotiations for the nation’s potential membership of the European Union (EU), reports Die Welt.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  No.

Turkish Coup Comment From UK

For John, BLUF:  When all you have is a hammer, everything is a nail.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Here is a Tweet from Labour MP Chris Bryant:

Turkey is now and has long been a lynch pin in European and wider security.  Ludicrous Brexit lies undoubtedly contributed to destabilising

Brexit!  Is there any evil it can't bring to us?

Hat tip to Guido Fawkes of Order-Order.

Regards  —  Cliff