Counterterrorism perspective in transformation by MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE
Turkey has been accustomed to living with terror. This habit goes back many years.
A new search for solutions on the terrorism front
The struggle against terrorism is a multi-dimensional subject. The military involves itself mostly in the direct battle against terrorists themselves. And there are dimensions to this subject that concern political volition and civil society organizations.
Terror or the EU?
| There is a certain reality that the Democratic Society Party (DTP) needs to see and understand. This reality is that in the new world perception of how things really are, terror has fallen to the lowest rank in terms of vehicles for bringing about change. |
Will the AK Party fulfill reasonable requests from Kurds?
Will the AK Party fulfill reasonable requests from Kurds?
The moderate Kurdish citizens of Turkey, who make up the majority of the population in the Southeast, defend the idea of all living together.
The most unique general yet
Those who from the start said Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ was "the most unique general yet, the first of his kind to come to this position" have slowly but surely turned out to be correct.
Counterterrorism no longer responsibility of the army, but of politics
After so many tragic events, we should have clearly understood that counterterrorism is not the responsibility of the military, but rather belongs in its entirety to the political realm.
Başbuğ’s seven questions
Fehmi Koru, a columnist for the Yeni Şafak daily, was right on target yesterday. It is a different Turkey now, he said, because the language of the press on the Kurdish issue is different and, for the first time, even those who were once persistent in their devotion to all things the military did have started talking about a “civilian-led” solution. Agreed.
Will golf undermine the General Staff’s image?
A first is taking place in Turkey. For the first time, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are being criticized by all media organizations.
What is the Kurdish issue?
Following the shocking terrorist attacks on the Aktütün military outpost, killing 17 soldiers, and another on a police bus in Diyarbakır, killing five police officers, the “Kurdish issue” has been brought once again onto the agenda.
Peace in the world, but peace at home?
It took an earthquake to improve relations with Greece, a football match provided the excuse to establish dialogue with Armenia and a television soap opera is transforming Turkey’s image across the Arab world, where the Turkish government is also pursuing mediation efforts.
Kurdish crisis was invited by the state
The most common management strategy in times of transformation is inaction. We actually expect the reverse. We imagine that in such times the people who rule the country would predict the change, take the necessary measures and develop alternate plans for the future.
Turkey’s need for a new vision in counterterrorism
On Wednesday Parliament extended the duration of a motion allowing Turkish troops to carry out incursions into northern Iraq to hit bases of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for one more year.
Media attacks military’s defense of Babaoğlu
The mainstream media slammed yesterday a statement defending the commander of the Turkish Air Forces posted on the military’s Web site. The military statement, posted late Wednesday, said
Turkey’s poisoned pens
Does participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair mean making propaganda for the AKP? In Turkey, this year’s guest country at the Book Fair, writers have been feuding over this issue for months. Some of them have even called for a boycott. This time, however, it’s more than just a Kemalist-Islamist divide. By Constanze Letsch
Straight for the fire
It looks like the pitcher has truly cracked this time. Actually, it was about a year and a half ago that the first tiny cracks became apparent on the surface, when the mother of a soldier who had been killed during an attack said something like, “I can no longer say, ‘vatan sağolsun’ [thanks and health to the nation].”
Ranj Alaaldin: Turkey’s exercise in futility | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
Election fight over terrorism
Our concern should be heightened when, as a result of the latest attacks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), we hear demands for the reinstitution of emergency rule in the East and Southeast of the country.
Terror, cross-border motion and beyond
Turkey has decided to extend the government’s authority to conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq for one more year.
An open letter to the PKK
Let me clearly pose the following questions asked by every average person in Turkey: What is your purpose in escalating this terror?
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