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THE BENEFITS OF THE DERSIM APOLOGY TO TURKISH-US TIES
by Ali H. Aslan
Today's Zaman
Nov 28 2011
Turkey
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's apology made on behalf of the
state to the Alevi-Kurdish citizens of Dersim for the massacres and
deportations they were subjected to in the 1930s will improve Turkey's
image in the West and in the United States, and will particularly
increase its capacity to act in the US Congress.
The representatives of certain non-Muslim groups of Ottoman origin in
the United States use every opportunity to defame Turkey. At the base
of these extrajudicial executions in the Diaspora lie past accounts
and prejudices. Many tragic events that took place in our region,
the Armenian deportations in particular, are constantly put under
scrutiny with great exaggeration. The claim is that Turkey always
denies its past mistakes and that is why it is not a democracy
that deserves a place in the western world. The self-criticism on
Dersim that Prime Minister Erdogan's made on behalf of the state,
will weaken such accusations and will provide the friends of Turkey
in Europe and the United States with a precious counter-argument.
This month, the US Congress opened once again its history books
against Turkey. The Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs
at the House of Representatives asked to discuss draft bill 2362 in
favour of Turkey. (The bill allows Turkish companies to invest in
lands assigned to native tribes without a need for approval by the US
federal government.) Certain congressmen affiliated with the Armenian
and Greek lobbies that were disturbed by the possibility that Turkey
will be put on the agenda in a preferential position, sent a letter
to Subcommittee Chairman Don Young. The letter signed by the Democrat
Congressmen John Sarbanes and Frank Pallone, claimed that the right
to use the tribal lands were given to Turkish companies "selectively."
The letter read: "Turkey's recent and past actions make this draft law
'indefensible.'" The opposing members of the House of Representatives
requested that Turkey's recent and past mistakes including their
treatment of the Kurds and Armenians be also addressed at the session.
Their request was not accepted. The draft law, which was later brought
before the Natural Resources Committee was sent to the Plenary Session
with 27 votes against 15, despite all the efforts to sabotage the
process.
Obama Gained a Trump Card Against Congress
Turkey has made notable progress in the field of democracy including
the latest Dersim apology, however, it seems like there will always
be critics at home and abroad who will prefer to focus on the empty
half of the glass that is getting increasingly smaller. For instance,
lately, problems concerning the freedom of press and expression have
been on the agenda. The claims and criticisms are undoubtedly not
baseless. For instance, the problems in the Counterterrorism Law are
to a great extent the factor that led to the situation of the detained
journalists who are suspected of being a member of the Ergenekon and
fall in the grey area between the right to freedom of thought and the
crime of membership in a terrorist organization. On the other hand, we
cannot deny the fact that a group of Turkish intelligentsia, among them
journalists, reflect the problems in the system to the public at home
and abroad with exaggeration and by giving misleading information. As
a result of this, there is an increase of publications that harm the
image of the Turkish democracy in the international media. Those who
are jealous of Turkey's increasing soft power in its region could not
be any happier. They say: "How can Turkey be an example to the Arab
revolutionists with this defective democracy?" The self-criticism
on Dersim will strengthen Turkey's exemplary position in democracy,
and will clear its way in the international arena.
Then, what does the prime minister's apology mean in terms of
Washington? The Obama administration has gained a trump card against
Congress which always tries to obstruct the establishment of close and
strong relations with Ankara on the pretext of Turkey's current and
past problems concerning human rights. The fact that the apology will
potentially alleviate the controversies between the Turks and the Kurds
and the Alevi and the Sunni, is another advantage for the White House
that is in favour of democratic stability in Turkey. Washington will
be pleased to see a maturing Turkish democracy becoming more compatible
with the US democracy. On the other hand, the great political goal that
Prime Minister Erdogan scored against the CHP [Republican People's
Party], especially against its chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, in the
Dersim discussions, will cause great concern among many US authorities
and observers who wish to see a better opposition against the AKP
[Justice and Development Party]. In the final analysis, the Americans
would not want the Turkish secular circle, which they feel is closer
to themselves in the cultural sense than the religious, to lose too
much power. The people in Washington, where there is still a great
concentration of Kemalists, are particularly disturbed by the fact
that the arrows of criticism have reached Ataturk.
The prime minister's Dersim apology is a historic development. The
Americans who openly discuss the shameful events in their history
such as slavery, discrimination against the blacks, and massacres
against the Indian population are familiar with such self-criticisms
and apologies. I am sure, though, that they were a little surprised
that Ankara achieved this. Turkey must continue its historic process
of transparency not defensively by productively like Prime Minister
Erdogan has done it. We must be able to teach certain historical facts
that we are not proud of in the formal training of our children as
it is done in leading democratic countries such as the United States.
This will help the new generations learn the virtue of apologizing,
and gain the capability of critical thinking which is one of the
fundamentals of advancement. I believe that we will have a much
stronger stand at home and abroad once all the oppressed of this
country are honoured.
[translated from Turkish]
From: A. Papazian
by Ali H. Aslan
Today's Zaman
Nov 28 2011
Turkey
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's apology made on behalf of the
state to the Alevi-Kurdish citizens of Dersim for the massacres and
deportations they were subjected to in the 1930s will improve Turkey's
image in the West and in the United States, and will particularly
increase its capacity to act in the US Congress.
The representatives of certain non-Muslim groups of Ottoman origin in
the United States use every opportunity to defame Turkey. At the base
of these extrajudicial executions in the Diaspora lie past accounts
and prejudices. Many tragic events that took place in our region,
the Armenian deportations in particular, are constantly put under
scrutiny with great exaggeration. The claim is that Turkey always
denies its past mistakes and that is why it is not a democracy
that deserves a place in the western world. The self-criticism on
Dersim that Prime Minister Erdogan's made on behalf of the state,
will weaken such accusations and will provide the friends of Turkey
in Europe and the United States with a precious counter-argument.
This month, the US Congress opened once again its history books
against Turkey. The Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs
at the House of Representatives asked to discuss draft bill 2362 in
favour of Turkey. (The bill allows Turkish companies to invest in
lands assigned to native tribes without a need for approval by the US
federal government.) Certain congressmen affiliated with the Armenian
and Greek lobbies that were disturbed by the possibility that Turkey
will be put on the agenda in a preferential position, sent a letter
to Subcommittee Chairman Don Young. The letter signed by the Democrat
Congressmen John Sarbanes and Frank Pallone, claimed that the right
to use the tribal lands were given to Turkish companies "selectively."
The letter read: "Turkey's recent and past actions make this draft law
'indefensible.'" The opposing members of the House of Representatives
requested that Turkey's recent and past mistakes including their
treatment of the Kurds and Armenians be also addressed at the session.
Their request was not accepted. The draft law, which was later brought
before the Natural Resources Committee was sent to the Plenary Session
with 27 votes against 15, despite all the efforts to sabotage the
process.
Obama Gained a Trump Card Against Congress
Turkey has made notable progress in the field of democracy including
the latest Dersim apology, however, it seems like there will always
be critics at home and abroad who will prefer to focus on the empty
half of the glass that is getting increasingly smaller. For instance,
lately, problems concerning the freedom of press and expression have
been on the agenda. The claims and criticisms are undoubtedly not
baseless. For instance, the problems in the Counterterrorism Law are
to a great extent the factor that led to the situation of the detained
journalists who are suspected of being a member of the Ergenekon and
fall in the grey area between the right to freedom of thought and the
crime of membership in a terrorist organization. On the other hand, we
cannot deny the fact that a group of Turkish intelligentsia, among them
journalists, reflect the problems in the system to the public at home
and abroad with exaggeration and by giving misleading information. As
a result of this, there is an increase of publications that harm the
image of the Turkish democracy in the international media. Those who
are jealous of Turkey's increasing soft power in its region could not
be any happier. They say: "How can Turkey be an example to the Arab
revolutionists with this defective democracy?" The self-criticism
on Dersim will strengthen Turkey's exemplary position in democracy,
and will clear its way in the international arena.
Then, what does the prime minister's apology mean in terms of
Washington? The Obama administration has gained a trump card against
Congress which always tries to obstruct the establishment of close and
strong relations with Ankara on the pretext of Turkey's current and
past problems concerning human rights. The fact that the apology will
potentially alleviate the controversies between the Turks and the Kurds
and the Alevi and the Sunni, is another advantage for the White House
that is in favour of democratic stability in Turkey. Washington will
be pleased to see a maturing Turkish democracy becoming more compatible
with the US democracy. On the other hand, the great political goal that
Prime Minister Erdogan scored against the CHP [Republican People's
Party], especially against its chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, in the
Dersim discussions, will cause great concern among many US authorities
and observers who wish to see a better opposition against the AKP
[Justice and Development Party]. In the final analysis, the Americans
would not want the Turkish secular circle, which they feel is closer
to themselves in the cultural sense than the religious, to lose too
much power. The people in Washington, where there is still a great
concentration of Kemalists, are particularly disturbed by the fact
that the arrows of criticism have reached Ataturk.
The prime minister's Dersim apology is a historic development. The
Americans who openly discuss the shameful events in their history
such as slavery, discrimination against the blacks, and massacres
against the Indian population are familiar with such self-criticisms
and apologies. I am sure, though, that they were a little surprised
that Ankara achieved this. Turkey must continue its historic process
of transparency not defensively by productively like Prime Minister
Erdogan has done it. We must be able to teach certain historical facts
that we are not proud of in the formal training of our children as
it is done in leading democratic countries such as the United States.
This will help the new generations learn the virtue of apologizing,
and gain the capability of critical thinking which is one of the
fundamentals of advancement. I believe that we will have a much
stronger stand at home and abroad once all the oppressed of this
country are honoured.
[translated from Turkish]
From: A. Papazian