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WILSON CENTER'S AWARD TO DAVUTOGLU
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjMwOTU0ZTQzM2ZjODkwMDRhOTQxMDI2NmNiOTc1YTM=
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Josh Rogin details the back-and-forth relating to the congressionally
funded Woodrow Wilson Center's award to Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu, including the ire of congressmen unsure about why the
Wilson Center's head would choose to honor Davutoglu, given Turkey's
recent support for the Iranian nuclear program and Hamas. The Wilson
Center notes, however, that the honoree was selected in August 2009.
What they don't mention is that, as Prime Minister Erdogan's chief
foreign-policy adviser even prior to assuming his current ministerial
rank, Davutoglu has been embracing not only Hamas but its most militant
and terror-bloodied faction since February 2006. He has also played
a role in Turkey's embrace of blood libel.
The Wilson Center said in an e-mailed statement that the award is part
of its fund-raising effort. This is itself problematic. As the Turkish
daily Cumhuriyet has pointed out, the AKP and the Islamist cult leader
Fethulleh Gulen have both become more prolific in funding overseas
think-tanks (Cumhuriyet singled out Brookings). If the Islamist money
is flowing, does the Wilson Center hope that, by showering praise on
a controversial supporter of Hamas, it can get a cut of that as well?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjI2ODkwZGY3YzRkZjU1Mzg5YTljOWIxZDI0ZTAxZjc=
The Wilson Center Honors Turkey, Part II [Michael Rubin]
The Armenian Weekly looks into the Woodrow Wilson Center's award and
finds that a lobbyist for Turkey sits on its board (h/t Martin Kramer):
DLA Piper is a gigantic, worldwide legal and corporate services firm
that has registered with the U.S. government as a foreign agent for
Turkey. The firm is well-known for having lobbied against Armenian
Americans and is currently setting up an office in Istanbul.
Ignacio Sanchez is a lawyer employed by DLA Piper. He "represents
national and international clients on a broad range of issues...before
Congress" for his firm.
Sanchez also happens to sit on the Wilson Center's Board of Trustees.
Given the Wilson Center's receipt of public funding, director Lee
Hamilton should certainly explain in detail the process by which the
Wilson Center settled on Ahmet Davutoglu, a Hamas cheerleader, crude
anti-Semite, and pro-Islamic Republic activist, as the recipient of
its award. He might detail who served on the committee and whether
anyone recused themselves.
At the very least, while the Wilson Center makes a mockery of itself,
we should be glad that no registered agents of Syria sit on its board,
as it would be only slightly more inconvenient for Lee Hamilton to
defend an honor to Bashar al-Assad, who, after all, is not only a
leader of an important regional state, but also a Western-educated
eye doctor.
From: A. Papazian
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjMwOTU0ZTQzM2ZjODkwMDRhOTQxMDI2NmNiOTc1YTM=
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Josh Rogin details the back-and-forth relating to the congressionally
funded Woodrow Wilson Center's award to Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu, including the ire of congressmen unsure about why the
Wilson Center's head would choose to honor Davutoglu, given Turkey's
recent support for the Iranian nuclear program and Hamas. The Wilson
Center notes, however, that the honoree was selected in August 2009.
What they don't mention is that, as Prime Minister Erdogan's chief
foreign-policy adviser even prior to assuming his current ministerial
rank, Davutoglu has been embracing not only Hamas but its most militant
and terror-bloodied faction since February 2006. He has also played
a role in Turkey's embrace of blood libel.
The Wilson Center said in an e-mailed statement that the award is part
of its fund-raising effort. This is itself problematic. As the Turkish
daily Cumhuriyet has pointed out, the AKP and the Islamist cult leader
Fethulleh Gulen have both become more prolific in funding overseas
think-tanks (Cumhuriyet singled out Brookings). If the Islamist money
is flowing, does the Wilson Center hope that, by showering praise on
a controversial supporter of Hamas, it can get a cut of that as well?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjI2ODkwZGY3YzRkZjU1Mzg5YTljOWIxZDI0ZTAxZjc=
The Wilson Center Honors Turkey, Part II [Michael Rubin]
The Armenian Weekly looks into the Woodrow Wilson Center's award and
finds that a lobbyist for Turkey sits on its board (h/t Martin Kramer):
DLA Piper is a gigantic, worldwide legal and corporate services firm
that has registered with the U.S. government as a foreign agent for
Turkey. The firm is well-known for having lobbied against Armenian
Americans and is currently setting up an office in Istanbul.
Ignacio Sanchez is a lawyer employed by DLA Piper. He "represents
national and international clients on a broad range of issues...before
Congress" for his firm.
Sanchez also happens to sit on the Wilson Center's Board of Trustees.
Given the Wilson Center's receipt of public funding, director Lee
Hamilton should certainly explain in detail the process by which the
Wilson Center settled on Ahmet Davutoglu, a Hamas cheerleader, crude
anti-Semite, and pro-Islamic Republic activist, as the recipient of
its award. He might detail who served on the committee and whether
anyone recused themselves.
At the very least, while the Wilson Center makes a mockery of itself,
we should be glad that no registered agents of Syria sit on its board,
as it would be only slightly more inconvenient for Lee Hamilton to
defend an honor to Bashar al-Assad, who, after all, is not only a
leader of an important regional state, but also a Western-educated
eye doctor.
From: A. Papazian