Turkish Military gives a warning to the Parliament

It is nice to be remembered. Since you asked my opinion, I'll write a May Day special.

 

I agree with Kotumeyil as usual.

 

This crisis is not a crisis of the system. It is a power struggle within the system, between the pro-Western nationalist capitalists and the pro-Western islamist capitalists. Whatever happens, you can be sure that Turkey will be a pro-Western capitalist country.

 

They are not very different from each other. This is one reason why something silly as headscarf is a big issue in Turkey: because they agree on most other things. Both have similar economic policies (neoliberal) and are dependent on the West. Military more on the US, AKP more on EU. Even religion is not that big a difference, remember as Kotumeyil writes, the Islamist Frankenstein monster was created by the Military (following the global American strategy at the time, of course) after 1980. Now that US no longer likes Islam, our Military doesn't like it much either.

 

No matter who wins this struggle, it will make little difference for the people of Turkey. We know this, because it is, in a way, the same struggle since the foundation of the Republic, the Military and its elitist civilian arm CHP (like my friend says 'just like PKK and ERNK') vs. not-so secular conservative parties the people elect (AP, ANAP, DYP, AKP). Ozal was exactly the same as Erdogan or Gul, except his wife wore no headscarf.  

 

 

 

 

Both the Islamists and the right-wing fanatic nationalists were organized as movements by fighting the left as attack groups, under police protection, back in the 60s and 70s.

 

I agree with Beylerbeyi's analysis, no matter which one gets the votes, from the mainstream parties, nothing ever changes. You still get the same dish with a different sauce.

 

 

Kotumeyil usta,

 

selam. Senin tezi okuyamadim kusura bakma. Basladim ama bitmedi. :)

 

If we exclude CHP from leftist parties, We have not even 10% left supporter(I also exclude liberals) in Turkey.(If you ask me a big problem.)

 

How? Vote for TKP, ODP etc. and they won't have more than 1%.

 

 

CHP is not leftist in any way.

 

I think you guys worry about percentages too much. Remember, in Turkey Genc Parti got 7%, starting from nothing. They got a lot of votes from Izmir, a modern town. Why did those people vote for GP? DSP got 22% in 1999, but 1.2% in 2002. Have 20% 'leftist' DSP voters became AKP supporters?

 

There are many poor, dispossessed, unhappy people, easily 20-40 percent of the electorate in Turkey, who will vote for anyone in whom they see hope for change. Now they vote for AKP, which is better than the military (TSK) and the CHP. But AKP is a part of the global system and it cannot solve the problems of these people. 

 

Before 1980, socialists mobilised these masses. It is harder today, but not impossible. Work with the people, organise in trade unions, form a joint party or at least front, and after the next political crisis/economic crisis, you can get 20-30%. There will be a political crisis like the one now, because the TSK kemalofascism can't keep the people under control any more, AKP-Kurds-EU they all increase the pressure. And there will be an economic crisis eventually, because Turkey is integrated into the world capitalist economy in general and the EU economy in particular. We still have the IMF giving orders. 

 

Also, you don't need to be the largest party at the beginning. Even if a party which fights for the poor, the workers and the underclass gets 10% or maybe even 5%, it will scare the ruling classes, who will have to do some reform. This happened before in Turkey. Read about Turkiye Isci Partisi.

  

I should also add, It if weird but AKP is both more pro-western and pro-liberal than CHP or army or priminister..(Specially last one.)

 

AKP is not that democratic either. See what they did in May Day. They use democracy to weaken the nationalists' hold on power. But, yes, they are more democratic than others. As to who's more pro-western, I think it is a tie. As I wrote TSK is pro-American, AKP is pro-EU.

 

And that is why people love Ozal? or AKP? Erdogan,  G�l? Because they think, nothing will change..(Or nothing changed after 4 year?) However, I agree with you, nothing will change for a socialist or communist. But lets not accept, All turks as socialist or communist.

 

Well, what I mean is problems of Turkey cannot be solved by either AKP or TSK. And I mean problems of everyone, not only of socialists (communist, anarchist, green all the same for me). What are the problems I am writing about?

 

1. Economy: We have a very large gap between the rich and the poor. Turkey has the worst GINI index in Europe. I am not exaggerating, I checked UN data. There is no single European country worse than us.  There are also important regional differences, the west is rich and the east is poor. You may say we are a Middle Eastern country, but that is not an excuse.

 

Turkish economy is growing now, but this is import-driven. We export much less than we import. And the growth benefits the rich, not the poor. Unemployment is high as ever. Most of our income goes to the West, paying the interest of our debt, accumulated thanks to likes of Ozal and Erdogan. How can you improve this situation without sending IMF home? Without balancing the trade with the EU (which means effectively quitting the Customs Union agreement)? AKP or CHP can't do these things. 

 

2. Kurdish problem: TSK and AKP both proved incapable of solving the Kurdish problem. CHP made Kurds shout 'I am a Turk' everyday, TSK burnt Kurdish villages, AKP talked about islamic brotherhood, but they all failed to solve the Kurdish problem. Admittedly, AKP is better than the others, and made something with EU support, but that proved to be inadequate. (Although here the Kurds have a say as well. They are the third power in Turkish politics, 1.Nationalist, 2.Islamist, 3.Kurdish ethnic.)

 

3. Foreign politics: Turkish people don't want to be part of the US-EU-Israel imperialist axis. Turkish people don't want to send troops to Iraq to kill Arabs, to Lebanon to protect Israel, to Afghanistan to protect American interests... But TSK and AKP are racing just to do that: During Israel-Lebanon war ammunition was sent to Israel from Incirlik airbase under TSK protection. 75% of the cargo airlifted to US occupation forces in Iraq passes through Incirlik today. Turkish firms are all over Iraq helping the occupation forces. AKP offered US Turkish troops, to be stationed in Sunni areas more than once. Tomorrow we may find ourselves in Iraq, or Iran or Syria because of TSK and AKP. Turkish people want peace and friendly relations with neighbours, something impossible as long as we are allied with the imperialists or we are imperialists ourselves. AKP or CHP cannot bring peace.

 

All that happens on 1st of May is an excuse for some anarchists to go around looting shops, smashing people's cars, causing violent protests. I mean common, these guys are still waving the Soviet flag, that flag of opression of Turkic, other muslim and religous groups and other nations...

 

Ah, the worst type of nationalist... I have met (and dealt with) your kind before. Wikipedia teen ethnic, bragging about a country he doesn't know anything about. Can you speak any Turkish at all?

 

Anyway, all violence in Istanbul this year was caused by the police. No shop was looted (this never happens in Turkish riots), no anarchist (do you even know what an anarchist is?) ever waved Soviet flag. Nor any group in Taksim, that I know of. Only Soviet related thing in Taksim square is the Taksim square monument, which has two Soviet generals in it. Built by Ataturk. To commemorate the Soviet help for the Turkish Republic. 

 

Only thing you are right about is that cars were smashed. By the police. They hit complaining driver's cars with their sticks.

 

May Day in Istanbul was a prime example of state terror, which made even the apolitical youth and the liberal press angry. But unfortunately we have no shortage of people eager to kiss the asses of people in power in Turkey, especially since 1980. The fact that you are not even from Turkey, makes me think that this 'sucking up to power' problem is genetic.

 

In any case, you'd better stop lying.