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Cihan News Agency (CNA), Turkey
September 26, 2013 Saturday
Coups, coup plots and plotters
ISTANBUL (CIHAN)- A number of high-ranking officers and influential
civilians were put on trial in Turkey because of their activities that
sought to overthrow the democratically elected government by force.
Most of them are now in jail, while others had to permanently leave
the country.
These coup trials have sparked a heated political debate in Turkey as
large segments of society had some unanswered questions in their
minds: For example, why we are judging only those who have "tried" to
overthrow the government, while many other generals and civilians who
in the past actually did intervene in national politics in one way or
another are walking free? When I say this, I am primarily thinking
about the Feb. 28, 1997 process, but one could add the 2007 military
memorandum to the list, as well. In addition, the public feels that
many other crimes committed to lay the groundwork for a military coup
also remain unpunished, like the murder of the Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink on Jan. 19, 2007. In that case, they have, of course, found
those who pulled the trigger, but not those who planned or cleared the
way for this murder. Similarly, I remember the assassination attempt
on the late President Turgut Özal in 1988, when they also caught the
gunman but never uncovered the masterminds.
All attempts to overthrow the democratically elected government with
political violence are crimes against democracy. One could even label
murders committed to achieve that goal as crimes against humanity.
Unfortunately, we are still not in a position to claim that there will
be no more coup plots from now on in Turkey simply because we had
dramatic coup trials. There are still many people who dream of getting
rid of the government by undemocratic means.
In the wake of the coup trials, the new trend is to effect a "coup"
without using the military. That means that the army stays behind and
remains silent while the "deep state" continues to work in different
ways. Don't forget that the military establishment is but a component
of the deep state, not all of it, and that the deep state includes
many other players.
We have some clues that the deep state is still very active. The
essence of their new strategy is to have social uprisings that will
paralyze the government. These people must be very smart, as they
manage to get the government make the necessary mistakes that provoke
people to go into the streets to protest.
Every time the government prepares to make important decisions about
one of Turkey's crucial problems, the deep state tries to prevent it
by using judicial and political tools. Social unrest, or contradictory
information about the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) intentions, or
false intelligence about foreign developments are all used to
destabilize the government, and the latter sometimes takes the bait
for various reasons.
2014 will be a critical year for Turkey, with two important elections;
those who oppose the government want to seize the opportunity. They
have a problem; however, as they want the current government to go,
but they have no idea yet who will replace it or what kind of policy
the new team, whoever they might be, will implement.
If the deep state is still functioning -- and I think it is -- it is
trying to limit the government's room to maneuver and buy time to
prepare those who are supposed to replace the current government. The
latter is well aware of what is going on, and perhaps that's the
reason why it uses very harsh language these days. The government
gives the impression that it is angry at every single player in the
country and abroad because it doesn't want to be destabilized or to be
limited. This struggle will probably deepen as the elections approach.
Maybe the way to break the vicious cycle is for the government to ease
the tension and find ways to cooperate with those who have problems
with the government.
BERIL DEDEOGLU (Cihan/Today's Zaman) CIHAN
September 26, 2013 Saturday
Coups, coup plots and plotters
ISTANBUL (CIHAN)- A number of high-ranking officers and influential
civilians were put on trial in Turkey because of their activities that
sought to overthrow the democratically elected government by force.
Most of them are now in jail, while others had to permanently leave
the country.
These coup trials have sparked a heated political debate in Turkey as
large segments of society had some unanswered questions in their
minds: For example, why we are judging only those who have "tried" to
overthrow the government, while many other generals and civilians who
in the past actually did intervene in national politics in one way or
another are walking free? When I say this, I am primarily thinking
about the Feb. 28, 1997 process, but one could add the 2007 military
memorandum to the list, as well. In addition, the public feels that
many other crimes committed to lay the groundwork for a military coup
also remain unpunished, like the murder of the Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink on Jan. 19, 2007. In that case, they have, of course, found
those who pulled the trigger, but not those who planned or cleared the
way for this murder. Similarly, I remember the assassination attempt
on the late President Turgut Özal in 1988, when they also caught the
gunman but never uncovered the masterminds.
All attempts to overthrow the democratically elected government with
political violence are crimes against democracy. One could even label
murders committed to achieve that goal as crimes against humanity.
Unfortunately, we are still not in a position to claim that there will
be no more coup plots from now on in Turkey simply because we had
dramatic coup trials. There are still many people who dream of getting
rid of the government by undemocratic means.
In the wake of the coup trials, the new trend is to effect a "coup"
without using the military. That means that the army stays behind and
remains silent while the "deep state" continues to work in different
ways. Don't forget that the military establishment is but a component
of the deep state, not all of it, and that the deep state includes
many other players.
We have some clues that the deep state is still very active. The
essence of their new strategy is to have social uprisings that will
paralyze the government. These people must be very smart, as they
manage to get the government make the necessary mistakes that provoke
people to go into the streets to protest.
Every time the government prepares to make important decisions about
one of Turkey's crucial problems, the deep state tries to prevent it
by using judicial and political tools. Social unrest, or contradictory
information about the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) intentions, or
false intelligence about foreign developments are all used to
destabilize the government, and the latter sometimes takes the bait
for various reasons.
2014 will be a critical year for Turkey, with two important elections;
those who oppose the government want to seize the opportunity. They
have a problem; however, as they want the current government to go,
but they have no idea yet who will replace it or what kind of policy
the new team, whoever they might be, will implement.
If the deep state is still functioning -- and I think it is -- it is
trying to limit the government's room to maneuver and buy time to
prepare those who are supposed to replace the current government. The
latter is well aware of what is going on, and perhaps that's the
reason why it uses very harsh language these days. The government
gives the impression that it is angry at every single player in the
country and abroad because it doesn't want to be destabilized or to be
limited. This struggle will probably deepen as the elections approach.
Maybe the way to break the vicious cycle is for the government to ease
the tension and find ways to cooperate with those who have problems
with the government.
BERIL DEDEOGLU (Cihan/Today's Zaman) CIHAN