Mediaboss Marketing

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan is massively expanding his own powers.

If it seems strange that Donald Trump telephoned an authoritarian to congratulate him on becoming more of an authoritarian, thats partly because we dont expect to see such bold displays of international solidarity among these mens ideological foes. Certainly their foes would not call themselves foes. After all, good liberals arent proud liberals.

Of course you could argue that it was just a business call, Trumps overture lastweek to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan. Youd be correct in pointing out that the family shop hawks rather a lot of goods in Turkey, including a couple of shiny towers. And its not like he hasnt tried this stunt before; one of Trumps first acts as president-elect was to chat with the president of Argentina on the phone, reportedly about whether Buenos Aires could please stop giving him such a hard time about building permits.

But never mind all that. If the most important leadership skill is knowing how to delegate, the United States can at least trust its leader to know he can always send his daughter off to play diplomat whenever it becomes imperative to score, say, a trademark in China and Japan.

So its not business. Not just business, anyway. Its personal. Trump called Erdogan because populist authoritarian strongmen tend to understand that its in their interests to promote their ideological friends.

Promoting authoritarianism can be a dry and discrete exercise in policy implementation. It may take the form of a regimes favourite fascist-leaning candidate abroad benefiting from the provision of support services support services that may be rendered by Kremlin-bankrolled hackers and bag men, for example.

But its often overt. Like most people, authoritarians may seek the company of those with whom they have things in common. This goes some way toward explaining Silvio Berlusconis bizarre friendship with Moammar Gaddafi. (Although, in addition to having a mutual aversion to basic democratic principles, the former prime minister and chief media mogul of Italy and the late brotherly leader and reigning nut-job of Libya also enjoyed a taste for underaged girls. Theirs was a relationship based on many shared interests.)

Even if strongmen dont genuinely like or respect each other, though, it may benefit them to pretend that they do. Like any idea, ideology or form of government, people probably wont buy authoritarianism unless its sold to them. Putin, Erdogan and Trump have made sure that theyre singing the same terrifying and mindnumbingly stupid jingle: Were being brought down by the (insert preferred scapegoat from list that includes immigrants, liberal ninnies and continental Europeans here).

The leaders of liberal democracies need to find a sales pitch that is at least this compelling. Then they have to find the courage to pitch it.

It seems to me that you can build a pretty convincing case around liberal convictions. It worked for some revolutionaries a long time ago, anyways, and then for some street demonstrators. Granted, they cant make their case in all the same ways that authoritarians can, such as congratulating a leader on particular referendum results; that would violate the democratic norms that authoritarians are attacking. But I suspect its mostly courage thats lacking.

Liberals may be, I think, the victim of their own mistaken interpretation of tolerance. Liberals value a respect for difference. This is admirable. But some may risk stereotyping the very societies they claim to tolerate, presuming these societies to be somehow inherently hostile to the most foundational principles of democracy and human rights, and to be lacking any internal advocates for them.

This is not admirable. Not only is this a tolerance nearly as ignorant as the racism and xenophobia it means to counter, but the one type of obtuseness accidentally affirms the other.

The people of Turkey and Russia are no less deserving of human rights and civil liberties than are the people of the United States; the people of the United States, no less susceptible to the call of authoritarianism. To counter this call, perhaps liberal democrats need to make more calls of their own.

ShannonGormleyisanOttawa Citizen global affairs columnist and freelance journalist.

Visit link:
Gormley: Brutes of a feather flock together - Ottawa Citizen

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday released a statement marking the 1915 events, expressing his condolences to the grandchildren of Ottoman Armenians, who passed away at that time.

Erdogans message was read during a religious ceremony at the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul.

"This year, I once again pay our respects to the Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives under the harsh conditions of the First World War and convey my condolences to their descendants," the president said.

Turkey dismisses allegations of genocide but acknowledges there were casualties on both sides during the events in World War I.

Erdogan said Turks and Armenians shared a common history and culture "as two ancient nations of this region".

"It is our common objective for these two peoples, who have shared the grief and happiness of centuries, to heal the wounds of the past and strengthen people-to-people ties," he said.

Noting the "many steps" taken in this direction in the past 14 years, and the "historic reforms" launched, Erdogan said Turkey was determined to advance efforts and preserve the memory of the Ottoman Armenians and Armenian cultural heritage in the future.

He emphasized that the peace, security and happiness of the Armenian community were "of special importance" to Turkey.

"We have no tolerance for the alienation and exclusion of our Armenian citizens nor for a single Armenian citizen to feel second-class," he stressed.

Erdogan also expressed his hopes for a "speedy" conclusion of the election of the Armenian patriarch of Turkey.

According to Turkey's viewpoint, the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia in 1915 occurred after some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Turkey describes the 1915 events as a tragedy for both sides.

See original here:
Erdogan pays respects to Armenian dead from WWI - Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, April 17, 2017. (photo byREUTERS/Umit Bektas)

Author:Week in Review Posted April 23, 2017

Erdogans high hopes for Trump

Amberin Zaman reports that US President Donald Trumps congratulatory call to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the April 16 referendum to give Turkey's presidency greater powers may have only served to heighten differences over US support for the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG).

The US State Department had been hesitant to congratulate Erdogan on the referendum, according to Zaman, based upon reporting from an observer group from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Council of Europe. The group's statementsaid fundamental freedoms essential to a genuinely democratic process were curtailed. The dismissal or detention of thousands of citizens negatively affected the political environment. The head of the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said, The referendum did not live up to Council of Europe standards. The legal framework was inadequate for the holding of a genuinely democratic process.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry slammed the OSCE report as politically motivated and accusatory and reflecting a biased and prejudiced approach.

Zaman writes, The prevailing consensus within the administration was that knowing how badly Erdogan wanted Washingtons seal of approval, some concessions could be wrested in exchange, particularly over the bitter differences between Turkey and the United States in the US-led coalitions campaign in Syria. But such calculations came to naught when Trump placed the phone call without seeking the State Departments advice, thoughAl-Monitor learned from sources familiar with details of the exchange that [US Secretary of State Rex] Tillerson was in the room when the call took place.

Zaman adds, ATurkish official speaking to Al-Monitor on strict condition of anonymity denied speculation that Trumps business partners in Turkey had helped arrange the phone call. Rather, Erdogans office had sought the conversation with Trump prior to the referendum and it was agreed in advance that it would take place. The official described the conversation as very very good and confirmed that it was mostly focused on Syria. The official said Erdogan had repeated Turkeys concerns over the USalliance with the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and had urged they be excluded from a planned offensive to liberate Raqqa.

In an interview on Al Jazeeratwo days after the call, Erdogan was optimistic about animprovement in US-Turkey relations under Trump, implying the United States would back off its support for the YPG.We previously had an agreement on the issue of the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party], Erdogan said, according to his official website. There was also an agreement during Obamas tenure but Obama unfortunately deceived us over the PYD/YPG. But I dont believe the current administration will do the same. The PYD is the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party.

This column in February noted that Erdogans hopes for a US turnaround on the YPG may be misguided, given the position of US military leaders.Zaman observes that Erdogans hopes may again be misplaced.US Central Commandcommander Gen. Joseph Votel and other senior administration officials are said to be pushing Trump to sign an executive dispensation that would authorize the Pentagon to directly arm the YPG and its Arab affiliates who fight under the banner of the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), she writes. While Trump is believed to already be on board with this action, the White House delayed announcing that it was proceeding with theplan until after the Turkish referendum, reportedly because it didnt want Erdogan touse the issue to whip up anti-Americanism during thecampaign. It remains unclear whether the White House will now wait until Erdogans visit before signing. Many analysts say all the prevaricating points to the conflicting goals of defeating IS with the help of the Syrian Kurds without alienating Turkey,a key NATO ally.

Iran limits Iraq-Saudi rapprochement

Ibrahim al-Hatlani writes, Riyadh appears not to have high expectations about rapidly improving ties with Baghdad. A Saudi diplomatic source in Riyadh who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said that the appointment of a new Saudi ambassador to Baghdad is the best that can be expected in the short run. Other issues, such as opening the border, investments and cancellation of debt, cannot be seriously looked at before the Iraqi government gains control over the sectarian militias and their arms and shows that it has the ability to circumscribe Iran's influence in the country.

Ali Mamouri has written on Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis efforts to improve ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia, andthis column noted in January that improved Iraqi-Saudi ties could provide a much-needed spark for an Iran-Saudi dialogue on regional issues.

Hatlani observes that the Saudi and Iraqi governments are aware that normal bilateral ties would serve both their interests beyond any advantage to placating the United States desire for better relations between its allies. Yet there is not much trust between the two countries. Riyadh, which has no military or political influence in Iraq, is not ready to deal with Baghdad in light of Iraq's sectarian issues and the potential of armed groupssmuggling arms to Shiites in Qatif or facilitating the movement of extremists from and into the kingdom to Iran's advantage. That said, Baghdad cannot provide Saudi Arabia the assurances it seeks at the expense of losing its Iranian ally.

Al-Bab returns to life

Mohammad al-Khatieb reports that al-Bab has come back to life after the defeat of the Islamic State by Turkish-backed armed groups, including the Free Syrian Army, in February.

The sounds of motorbikes, a frequently used means of transportation in the city center, are a constant as civil defense members removerubble from the roads, Khatieb writes. As the regime has been cutting off the Euphrates River flow to the city ever since it took control ofal-Khafsa station March 8, residents have been forced to rely on water tanks filled from wells. While many shops in city markets had reopened their doorsincluding wholesale stores, shops selling gas cylinders, pharmacies and bakeries activity was limitedin comparison with the usual commercial and industrial activity, considering that al-Bab is one of the most populous cities inAleppo province.

Turkey believesthat al-Bab can serve as a haven for displaced Syrians due to the large residential areas stretching from the city and the towns liberatedby Operation Euphrates Shield over an area of 30 square kilometers, Khatieb reports. In this regard, Turkeys Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Sahinsaid in a statement April 6 that she was optimistic that al-Bab would be cleaned up from IS, which, she added, would lead to a win-win situation.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/04/erdogan-trump-hopes-iran-tempers-iraqi-saudi-rapprochement.html

Read the original post:
Does Erdogan expect Trump to ditch Syrian Kurds? - Al-Monitor

A decade ago, when then-Prime Minister of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan consolidated power with a sweeping electoral victory giving his Justice and Development Party almost 47 percent of the vote, both supporters and opponents loudly spoke out.

Whether they loved or hated him, there was no denying one out of two people you see in the street voted for Erdogan, in the words of his jubilant supporters.

Nearly a decade later, that sense of jubilation has been tempered among some Erdogan supporters. Because while preliminary official results showed 51.4 percent of the Turkish electorate voted on Sunday to change the constitution in a move that critics say will give Erdogan nearly dictatorial powers, this time the feeling was more one of rejection by nearly half of those Turks in the street 48.6 percent.

In fact, the no votes won out in three of Turkeys largest cities Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Erdogan also lost in his old parliamentary constituency of Uskudar, one of the busiest commercial and residential districts on the Asian side of Istanbul.

The reported Uskudar no vote of 53.3 percent the figure could have been much higher, say Erdogan critics who are contesting the national results delivered a blow to the ego of the leader who typically takes great pride in collecting votes from even the most remote parts of Turkey.

Some appear to disdain the results, Erdogan said late Sunday. Dont even try; He who grabbed the horse has already passed Uskudar, he added, referring to a Turkish proverb and indicating he had already moved on to planning his consolidation of power in the aftermath of the referendum.

Many took to social media to remind him that literally passing Uskudar wasnt so easy this time around. He who grabbed the horse has already passed Uskudar he says, but he could not even win the district, said one tweet.

Others were reminded of much-publicized incident from 2003 (https://twitter.com/hhseyinylmz/status/853946057583153152) where Erdogan was thrown from the back of a horse, which proceeded to promptly kick him in the groin as it ran off. He says he passed Uskudar with a horse, but neither the horse nor Uskudar accepted him, another social media user tweeted.

The no vote extended to other, formerly more reliable Erdogan areas like the Turkish capital of Ankara, home of Erdogans much-maligned 1,150-room presidential palace, and to the mega-metropolis of Istanbul, where his tenure as mayor in the 1990s catapulted Erdogan to greater national prominence.

Levent Gultekin, a prominent Turkish journalist and columnist, said despite having the convenience of exploiting all state institutions to reach their goals, the yes camp still could not exceed 51 percent.

They lost Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Diyarbakr, and Mersin, said Gultekin, Despite all the pressure, all the threats, all the lies and the media bombardment, 49 percent of the country resisted them The people refused to grant everything he wanted, to do anything he wanted, to own everything forever.

Critics also note that Erdogan jailed or exiled many opposition figures in the run-up to the referendum, including the co-leaders of pro-Kurdish HDP opposition party. The HDP managed to secure more than five million of a total of 49 million votes in Turkeys last general elections, in November 2015, despite a series of bombings and accusations of having ties with the Kurdish separatist group, the PKK.

That already-heavy hand of Erdogans control on Turkish media and other institutions, particularly since an aborted coup attempt last year that resulted in the arrest or detention of more than 100,000 Turks, actually left more of his opponents almost claiming victory in the results.

He dissected the entire country, and terribly polarized it, said Hasan Cemal, another Turkish journalist, who said the large no vote was a victory for the anti-Erdogan camp, despite all the oppression and all the pressure.

This 49 percent is what gives me hope for democracy, law, and the future of freedom.

Read the original:
Turkey's Erdogan, once greeted jubilantly, now rejected by ...

ANKARA Turkey's main opposition began a battle on Tuesday to annul a referendum handing President Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers, while the bar association and an international monitor said an illegal move by electoral authorities may have swung the vote.

A defiant Erdogan, whose narrow victory exposed the nation's deep divisions, has said Sunday's vote ended all debate on the more powerful presidency he has long sought, and told European observers who criticised it: "talk to the hand".

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, whose job will cease to exist once the constitutional changes take full effect, said Erdogan would be invited to rejoin the ruling AK Party as soon as official results are announced, a sign the government has no intention of waiting to see the outcome of opposition appeals.

MORE FROM REUTERS:

* COMMENTARY: The real winners, and losers, in the Turkish referendum reut.rs/2oiA6bM

* COMMENTARY: Why Assad used chemical weapons reut.rs/2o5FMEV

Under the outgoing constitution, the president had been required to remain impartial and renounce party political ties.

Few in Turkey expect legal challenges to the referendum to lead to a recount, let alone a re-run. But if unresolved, they will leave deep questions over the legitimacy of a vote which split the electorate down the middle, and whose polarising campaign drew criticism and concern from European allies.

Turkey's bar association said a last-minute decision by the YSK electoral board to allow unstamped ballots in the referendum was clearly against the law, prevented proper records being kept, and may have impacted the results.

"With this illegal decision, ballot box councils (officials at polling stations) were misled into believing that the use of unstamped ballots was appropriate," the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) said in a statement.

"Our regret is not over the outcome of the referendum, but because of the desire to overlook clear and harsh violations of the law that have the potential to impact the results," it said.

The main opposition People's Republican Party (CHP), which has said it will take its challenge to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary, presented a formal appeal to annul the vote to the YSK.

CHP deputy chairman Bulent Tezcan said the number of missing votes was "unprecedented", although the exact number of unstamped ballots was unknown.

YSK Chairman Sadi Guven said on Monday the last-minute decision to allow unstamped ballots was not unprecedented as the government had previously permitted such a move.

An Austrian member of the Council of Europe observer mission said up to 2.5 million votes could have been manipulated, almost double the margin of Erdogan's victory, and that the YSK decision on unstamped ballots appeared illegal.

"These complaints are to be taken very seriously and they are, in any case, of such an extent that they would turn around the outcome of the vote," Alev Korun told ORF radio.

The European Commission, which unlike U.S. President Donald Trump has declined to congratulate Erdogan on Sunday's vote, called on Turkey to launch a transparent investigation into the alleged irregularities.

"There will be no call to Erdogan from the Commission, certainly not a congratulatory call," a Western official with knowledge of EU policy told Reuters. "Turkey is sliding towards a semi-authoritarian system under one-man rule".

"CONSIDERABLE COMPLAINTS"

Election authorities have said preliminary results showed 51.4 percent of voters had backed the biggest overhaul of Turkish politics since the founding of the modern republic, a far narrower margin than Erdogan had been seeking.

Erdogan argues that concentration of power in the presidency is needed to prevent instability. Opponents accuse him of leading a drive toward one-man rule in Turkey, a NATO member that borders Iran, Iraq and Syria and whose stability is of vital importance to the United States and the European Union.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Yildirim said "rumours" of irregularities were a vain effort to cast doubt on the result.

"The people's will has been reflected at the ballot box, and the debate is over," he said. "Everyone should respect the outcome, especially the main opposition".

Omer Celik, minister for European affairs, said criticism of the referendum was politically motivated, defending what he said were Turkey's strong legal framework and transparent election process.

The YSK said on its website on Sunday, as votes were still being cast, that it had received "considerable complaints" that voters had been given slips and envelopes without official stamps and that - after an appeal from a ruling AK Party official - it would accept unstamped documents as long as they were not proven to be fraudulent.

The bar association, whose head Metin Feyzioglu is seen as a potential future leader of the opposition CHP, said it had also received phone calls from many provinces about unstamped ballots on Sunday and that its lawyers had advised that records of this should be closely kept once ballot boxes were opened.

But it said that had failed to happen, and that evidence of irregularities had therefore not been properly archived.

On its website, the YSK gave four examples of cases in previous decades where unstamped ballots had been accepted at individual ballot boxes. But those cases only affected several hundred votes and the decision was taken days after the vote and only once the possibility of fraud had been ruled out.

The YSK has also decided to annul elections in the past because of unstamped ballots. It cancelled the results of local elections in two districts in southeastern Turkey in April 2014 and re-held them two months later.

And in Sunday's referendum, the YSK's overseas election branch had already rejected an appeal by a ruling AK Party official to have unstamped envelopes counted as valid.

YSK officials could not be reached for comment.

(Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara, Daren Butler in Istanbul, Shadia Nasralla in Vienna, Robine Emmott and Francesco Guarascio in Brussels; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Anna Willard)

PARIS The killing of a policeman by a suspected Islamist militant pushed national security to the top of the French political agenda on Friday, two days before the presidential election.

SYDNEY Denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula can still be achieved peacefully because of Washington's new engagement with China, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday, despite growing fears North Korea could soon conduct a new nuclear test.

See the original post here:
Opponents seek to annul Turkish vote as Erdogan's new powers ...