The immediate wake of Friday evening’s failed military coup in Turkey looked like it was going to have a significant impact on US-Turkish relations, with power cut to the airbase at Incirlik, from which a significant number of US forces operate. There were even suggestions that the US might’ve been involved in the coup attempt.
Secretary of State John Kerry denied such claims, and insisted it was “irresponsible” to even suggest the US might’ve been involved with the coup, despite all those coups the US has been covertly involved with over the years.
Indeed, much of the speculation related to Kerry’s own statements in the early hours of the coup effort, in which he emphasized a US desire for “stability and continuity.” It was only when it became apparent that the coup was failing that US officials began issuing statements condemning the effort.
Still, by Sunday it was clear US-Turkey ties were not going to be seriously effected, with Turkish officials allowing the resumption of the US attacks on ISIS out of Turkish bases. US officials even raised the possibility of extraditing Fethullah Gulen, an exiled reformist cleric who Erdogan has blamed for the coup.
Kerry’s apparent ambivalence about which side would win during the coup likely reflects the administration’s practical view of the matter, as opposed to a sign they might’ve been directly involved in it. The US interest in Turkey is primarily as a military ally, which has meant that all other concerns are treated as decidedly secondary. Since the coup itself would not likely impact the US use of Turkish soil for its Syria War, it’s unsurprising US officials didn’t have much to say about it.
I do not think they will ever be same again. This coup is the culmination of a series of attempts to force Turkey to play by US/NATO rule book. The conflict is between Turkey’s national interest — economy, infrastructure, development of its potential — and the role of US geopolitical tool. Turkey resisted to impose sanctions on Russia, as a great deal of its economy depends on its northern neighbor. It resisted subtle and not so subtle curbs that West is trying to impose on Turkey to prevent its further economic integration with Eurasian region, and regional organizations and banks.
The laziness associated with the media refusal to tackle the issue of Fethullah Gulen tells me that this CIA asset will be protected, and his mysterious trillions kept under raps. As he is expanding his brand of “international Islam”, which is just a more westernized version of ISIS caliphate, we are giving him full support through a network of NGOs and our own propaganda outfit, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has defended Gulen supported Salafists in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Even after they have declared their preference for caliphate. Our propaganda portals have defended them on the grounds that they are “peaceful religious people” that only want their caliphate — peacefully! I was in awe at such blatant lying and treating those countries like ninnies who can be forced to follow whatever we order. Lately, not only Russia but Uzbekistan as well, banned Gulen’s Hizmet schools. Yet, he is running them in Europe as well — trying to corral Turkish population away from its native Sufi Islam, into his brand of political Islam. It should give us pause knowing that he collaborates with Saudi Arabia, and that he worked very closely with George Soros, on directing the refugees from Turkey to Germany.
While every now and then there are good articles in the media. Example is Washington Times article of Gulen. And while by no means very comprehensive, it laid out facts, proven facts of his involvement and activities. It is not like this government does not know of his bribery schema in Turkey to pocket prosecutors, judges, police, universities and a vast number of TV networks and press. I for one was happy when Erdogan shut down his flagship, Today’s Zaman. It was nothing but a typical neocon globalist drivel, choke full of “academics’ and “bloggers” that drummed the familiar narrative into the Turkish media space.
And the fact that he is earning money for his “moderate” Islamism by running over ONE HUNDRED US charter schools — is sickening. Poor people cannot win — not only that they are graced with poor quality public schools, but then they are turned over to private operators that are syphoning money from US taxpayer into his building of parallel state in Turkey and possibly elsewhere.
I think that the relationship between US and Turkey will have to change. it cannot go on like this forever. This is not a first time attempt was made to destroy not Erdogan, but the ruling party, Justice and Development. They are delivering on the development, and just a few weeks ago, immediately after the split in the party was resolved overwhelmingly in favor of Erdogan and against Davutoglu, China and Turkey signed a massive deal on the development of an online platform for trade, in multiple languages of Eurasia. The emphasis is on various Turkic languages, from Uyghur across Central Asia to Turkey. It is clear that as a part of Chinese Silk Road strategy and Russia’s growing transit regulations infrastructure that eliminates border complications for movement of goods — there is a coordinated movement of integrating Eurasian space, Middle East and Balkans. Why would Erdogan, who has always been the proponent of economic growth over geopolitical, neo-Ottoman ideologies, now give up his hard fought for independence, both internally from the pro-NATO groups, and externally, from Atlantic alliance demands? This will be his time to move decisively, with no time to waste. He has already burned bridges with the West, and is popular in his country as well as in the neighborhood. His struggle against his detractors has not been perceived elsewhere as his “power grab”, but as his surviving a number of attempts at diminishing the power of the political elite that is more interested in Eurasian orientation then in the moribund EU pontifications. US has not balanced its approach to Turkey — expecting obedience against the ally’s economic interests. Telling them who they can trade with, and who their enemies must be — has not set well in Turkey for a long, long time. All polls of public opinions for a decade or so, including the latest ones, show that people see US as its top enemy. This is a state of affairs that cannot last. Either US will have to bail out of Middle East, and let region settle, or Turkey will bail out of all US initiatives. US can let legitimate states — whatever one thinks of them — control their territory and establish institutions that populace can rely on in their daily lives. That means letting Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey support each other in stabilizing the region, and establishing the rule of law. But that would require a complete stop of arming and supporting a motley crew of “rebels’ and Kurdish secessionists. Specifically, Turkish and Iraqi Kurdish secessionists. Syrian Kurds never had an issue with Damascus.
One of the outcomes may be Turkey’s exit from NATO. Of course, it will be parlayed as NATO’s dissatisfaction, not Turkish adieu. Turkey has already stated that NATO has not supported Turkey against terrorism, against Kurdish armed secessionism, and continues to demand that Turkey stops dealing with Russia and even China, against its key economic interests. These are serious differences, and if this is not resolved now, it will be harder and harder — as the armies of Gulen’s and Soros NGO’s are already being readies to cry foul over “brutality” as Turkey rounds up the military being involved in the coup, as well as their institutional supporters. Judiciary is particularly infiltrated by Gulen, and if some decisive steps are not taken, it will shortly assert itself in the manner of an old Mubarak’s constitutional court that declared itself competent to nullify elections for Parliament. Turkey does not need a constitutional crisis with judiciary being controlled from the outside. And while it may look strange for judges and prosecutors to be rounded up — it is worth seeing Washington Times article that described Gulen’s efforts at coopting judiciary. It was rather prescient.