Turkey

Sun, 2017-04-16 17:46

kropotkin1951

josh wrote:

Not aware that Harper or Trudeau threw their political opponents in jail and banned opposition rallies.

https://mobile.twitter.com/DavidLammy/status/853675136456806401

I thought we were talking about changes to their system of government.

In Canada we mostly only throw dissident aboriginal people in jail for opposing the government not main stream middle class people. Bill C51 was not even worth mentioning because it is our government that can use those powers against its own citizens not an evil foreign dictator. We already have our intelligence agencies with agent provacateurs in every anti-pipeline group they can infiltrate. Take the plank out of your eye.

Sun, 2017-04-16 17:51

(Reply to #203) #203

josh

kropotkin1951 wrote:

josh wrote:

Not aware that Harper or Trudeau threw their political opponents in jail and banned opposition rallies.

https://mobile.twitter.com/DavidLammy/status/853675136456806401

I thought we were talking about changes to their system of government.

In Canada we mostly only throw dissident aboriginal people in jail for opposing the government not main stream middle class people. Bill C51 was not even worth mentioning because it is our government that can use those powers against its own citizens not an evil foreign dictator. We already have our intelligence agencies with agent provacateurs in every anti-pipeline group they can infiltrate. Take the plank out of your eye.

And take the blinders off of yours.

Mon, 2017-04-17 00:59

#204

lagatta4

Trudeau père used the War Measures Act against political opponents. The FLQ kidnappers were nabbed via normal police work.

Mon, 2017-04-17 04:13

#205

NDPP

Ballot Dispute Erupts as Erdogan Declares a 'Yes' Victory in Turkish Constitutional Referendum

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/04/17/turk-a17.html

"The referendum was marked by large-scale voting irregularities. The constitutional amendment is a reactionary measure replacing Turkey's parliamentary system with an all-powerful presidency exercising total control of the legislature and the judiciary..."

Turkey Referendum: CIA-NATO Operation to Tip the Balance of Power (and vid - April 6)

https://www.newsbud.com/2017/04/06/turkey-referendum-cia-nato-operation-...

"NATO needs Turkey..."

Mon, 2017-04-17 07:48

#206

lagatta4

A long article by three Turkish intellectuals/activists, which has appeared in Jacobin.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/04/erdogan-constitutional-amendments-cou...

Tomorrow is a crucial day for Turkey. The past few years, marked by tumult and repression, have led up to a constitutional referendum that will help decide the country’s future. If approved, the amendments would install a state system with a dictatorial president at the center.

The referendum is the culmination of a deep-running hegemonic crisisin Turkey. It is also the culmination of various authoritarian measures intended to fix that crisis. Considering the current balance of power, it seems unlikely that the referendum will resolve the crisis. What will truly determine the future direction of the country is the political struggle around the referendum itself.

Mon, 2017-04-17 09:18

#207

josh

International election monitors have delivered a scathing verdict on the conduct of Turkey's controversial referendum to grant expansive new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Representatives from a coalition of international bodies said the referendum took place on an "unlevel playing field" with the "yes" campaign dominating media coverage. Voters were not provided with adequate information, opposition voices were muzzled and the rules were changed at the last minute, they said.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/17/europe/turkey-referendum-results-erdogan/index.html?sr=twcnni041717turkey-referendum-results-erdogan1249PMStoryLink&linkId=36575574

Mon, 2017-04-17 17:38

#208

NorthReport

Trump Reportedly Congratulates Turkish President On Referendum That Vastly Expands His Power

The changes could keep Recep Tayyip Erdogan in office until 2029.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-congratulates-erdogan-referend...

Mon, 2017-04-17 17:42

#209

josh

He's envious.

Wed, 2017-04-19 11:34

#210

NDPP

CrossTalk: Victorious Erdogan

https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/385255-erdogan-turkey-social-life/

"His critics call him a modern Sultan. Does Erdogan's victory only divide the country more?

Sat, 2017-04-29 11:53

#211

NorthReport

Turkey blocks Wikipedia under law designed to protect national security

Users trying to access online encyclopaedia via Turkish internet providers receive ‘connection timed out’ error message

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/29/turkey-blocks-wikipedia-un...

Sun, 2017-04-30 16:50

#212

josh

More fascism from Erdogan.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/world/europe/turkey-purge-wikipedia-t...

Mon, 2018-09-03 17:57

#213

NorthReport

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.bloomberg.com/amp/view/articles/2018-09-03/turkey-missed-its-chance-to-stop-this-emergency

Wed, 2018-12-26 14:49

#214

NDPP

The Turkish Parliament is Looking More Like the Ukrainian Rada Every Day... (and vid)

https://twitter.com/MatthewPaulos1/status/1077469703910567936

Wed, 2018-12-26 15:24

#215

NDPP

Deployment of Turkish Military Reinforcements to Syrian Border Continues (and vid)

https://twitter.com/TheArabSource/status/1078005940748775425

"Ankara is bolstering its military presence at its Syrian border..."

Wed, 2019-03-27 11:13

#216

NorthReport

Investors Scramble for Liras as Turkish Swap Rates Touch 1,000%

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-27/foreign-investors-are-trapped-in-turkey-days-before-elections

Wed, 2019-03-27 11:37

#217

iyraste1313

Thanks for this! Will this collapse extend across boundaries?

Mon, 2019-05-06 17:51

#218

NorthReport

Why didn't the Democtats use this approach for last Presidential election?

Turkey to rerun vote in Istanbul following opposition win

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48177740

Mon, 2019-07-29 20:06

#219

NDPP

Turkey's War in the West - Cyprus is Now Surrounded By Drill Ships and Warships: Cannon Ready to Fire at Europe - 150,000 People Per Month

http://johnhelmer.net/turkeys-war-in-the-west-cyprus-is-now-surrounded-b...

"Under cover of its Russian S-400 air defence batteries, and ignoring US and European sanctions, Turkey is going on the offensive at sea, surrounding Cyprus, and by land, launching a weapon against the European Union against which there is no defence: a Turkish cannon firing 150,000 people at Europe's borders each month. They are the refugees from the wars the US and NATO launched in Iraq, Syria and Libya..."

Thu, 2020-01-02 11:17

#220

NDPP

Breaking: Turkey Passes Bill To Send Troops to Libya

https://twitter.com/TheArabSource/status/1212756039931695105

"The Turkish parliament has passed a bill giving a green light to the deployment of Turkish troops in Libya.."

Sun, 2020-03-01 02:11

#221

NDPP

"Erdogan has announced that 18,000 migrants have passed through the Turkish border today and that he expects the numbers to rise to 25,000 before midnight. They are now stuck in a no man's land between Greece and Turkey. Turkish soldiers won't allow them back in. This is a declaration of war."

https://twitter.com/BasedPoland/status/1233795816927776768

Sorry Europe, Turkey's full so over to you Greece..

Sun, 2020-03-01 20:54

#222

kropotkin1951

This article, I found in one of NDPP's twitter links, has excellent coverage of what is happening on the ground in Edime, on the Greek border, and the fighting in Idlib.

Turkey backs the Syrian rebels fighting in Idlib province, and has sent thousands of troops into the area. Idlib is the last opposition-held stronghold in Syria, and is dominated by al-Qaida linked fighters.

A Turkish official said the fighting in Idlib was directly linked to Turkey’s decision to open the gates for refugees to Europe. He said Ankara had changed its focus to preparing for the possibility of new arrivals from Syria “instead of preventing refugees who intend to migrate to Europe.”

“Europe and others must take robust action to address this monumental challenge,” said Fahrettin Altun, the communications director for Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “We can’t be expected to do this on our own.”

Erdogan’s decision open his country’s borders with Europe made good on a longstanding threat to let refugees into the continent. His announcement marked a dramatic departure from a previous policy of containment, an apparent attempt to pressure Europe into offering Turkey more support in dealing with the fallout from the Syrian war to its south.

https://apnews.com/3d94d1e6de9d383bd310b94aa8bfc90a

Sun, 2020-03-01 20:22

#223

NDPP

Weapon of Mass Migration (and vid)

https://www.rt.com/shows/news/482003-rtnews-march-01-17msk/

"Greek police clash with migrants at the Turkish border after Ankara gives the green light to asylum seekers hoping to reach the EU - in an apparent bid to pressure NATO into supporting its offensive in Syria's Idlib..."

Thu, 2022-09-29 10:37

#224

epaulo13

Turkish Foreign Policy: Geopolitical Adventurism at a Crossroads

Perhaps no question concerning the Middle East and Europe today has been more loudly voiced than “What is Turkey doing?” (yet again). And rightfully so, for, Turkey, once hailed by the international community as a role model in its region, has become an increasingly ‘unpredictable’ and ‘unintelligible’ actor in the last 10 years of the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP).

To exemplify, Turkey has been flexing its military muscle for another major attack against the US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria and is keeping Finland and Sweden at the gates of NATO while actively participating in several NATO missions and selling armed drones to Ukraine for use against the Russian invasion.

It’s been keeping the Turkish Straits shut to Russian military vessels, and at the same time, procuring S-400 defense systems from Russia, all the while intending to act as a peace broker in the Ukrainian conflict. If you ask President Erdogan and his entourage, there is nothing surprising about any of that, for this is precisely what the “new Turkey,” as they like to call it, is about.

Geopolitically speaking, they say the new Turkey is both a staunch NATO ally and an independent regional player struggling against western imperialism. Economically, it is a fully functional market economy but one that thinks outside the box, implementing policies against western economic ‘dogmas’. Politically, it is even a liberal democracy, yet one with Turkish characteristics. For several critical commentators, however, whatever Erdogan himself chooses to believe, Turkey is now a textbook case for nationalist authoritarianism, economic irrationality, and geopolitical aggressiveness.

Foreign Policy for Domestic Purposes

What rests behind the ‘randomization’ of Turkish geopolitical economy and what are its limits?

In fact, the randomization of Turkey’s foreign policy has been fueled, at least partly, by the randomization of its political economy and vice versa. That is, on the political economy front, what has become crystal clear in the last decade is that with the downturn in the global economy and the concomitant draining of available credit channels, the AKP is no longer able to solve the heightening social contradictions at home through the financialized and rule-based forms of economic management.

Aggravated by the shift in 2018 from the long-standing parliamentary system to a centralized Russian-style presidential one, economic management has become more and more short-termist, arbitrary, and unaccountable, all to meet the government’s debt-recycling requirements and electoral concerns, as well as the credit needs of an increasingly indebted population. The lack of a clear and consistent economic strategy, perhaps useful for addressing some immediate financial and electoral concerns, has ultimately paved the way for a series of currency crises, extreme inflation, and widespread poverty.....

Thu, 2022-09-29 18:00

#225

kropotkin1951

In Syria, the bone of contention has been the US-backed People’s Protection Units (YPG), an organization that has deep connections to the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The PKK has been waging guerilla warfare against Turkey since the 1980s, and while it is considered a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, the YPG is not. The US has partnered up with and provided financial and military support to the YPG in an effort to fight ISIS and limit Russian and Iranian influence in the region.

Turkey has been adamantly opposed to the US backing of the YPG, raising ‘existential’ security concerns. It has pressed for the formation of a 30-km-deep buffer zone along its 800-km-long border with Syria to protect its borders from YPG attacks (if any) and to resettle Syrians who have been displaced by the conflict. Indeed, to this end, Turkey, empowered by a rapidly growing indigenous arms industry, has carried out four major cross-border operations since 2016, one against ISIL and three of which resulted in the invasion of parts of the YPG-controlled areas in Northern Syria.

Whether or not one agrees with the AKP’s security concerns, it is far from clear how the proposed solution, i.e., establishing an 800-km-long buffer zone, can improve Turkey’s security, let alone the near impossibility of effectively securing such a long corridor. There are huge question marks concerning the logistics of how to resettle and provide millions of displaced Syrians their most basic needs (food, water, and jobs) in an economically sustainable way.

Moreover, the so-called “buffer zone” shifts the Turkish border practically into Syrian territory, hence not necessarily protecting the lives of Turkish soldiers. From this angle, Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria looks to be much less about Turkey’s security per se and much more about scoring easy geopolitical points for domestic consumption and obtaining geopolitical bargaining chips that can be used in future rounds of international negotiations for Syria.

The US also occupies about a third of Syria somewhere around 60,000 km2. To put that into perspective the Donetsk Oblast is 26,5127 km2. Then there is that NATO friend in the Middle East that occupies the Golan Heights and is building settlements in defiance of the UN.

The rules based order approves of all of these activities.

Wed, 2022-11-16 01:02

#226

NDPP

Angry Turks and Talking Turkey About Ukraine in Turkiye?

https://sonar21.com/angry-turks-talking-turkey-in-turkiye/

"Following a terrorist bombing in Istanbul - attributed to the Kurdish Workers Party by Turkish authorities, Turkey's Foreign Minister told the United States to go screw itself. Let me translate - Turkey blames the US for the attack because of its role in funding and arming the Kurds in Syria and Iraq..."

Turkey

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