"From'Lula' style to 'Chavez' model

September 22, 2008 by erkan

although I do not agree with him totally, it has some relevance for sure:

From’Lula’ style to ‘Chavez’ model

SOLİ ÖZEL:

Six years ago Brazil held presidential elections as Turkey headed for general elections. Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party, deemed too radical, was the favorite candidate, and the Justice and Development Party, or AKP had a similar position in Turkey. International finance actors panicked. Lula tried to convince these actors that he would not make radical changes. AKP leaders, at the same time, were trying to convince international finance actors and the outside world that their party would stick to the market dogmatism and to the system……….

"New era signaled in army-media relations in Turkey

September 17, 2008 by erkan

New era signaled in army-media relations in Turkey

Turkey’s new army chief Gen. Ilker Basbug signaled Tuesday a new era has started regarding the relations between the military and the media.

Chief Of Staff Meets With A Select Group Of Media Organs
BİA – İstanbul,Turkey
Sedat Ergin, chief editor of the newspaper Milliyet, told that they had asked the chief of staff what their accreditation criteria regarding the newspapers

AND "New era signaled in army-media relations in Turkey…

"Memories of Sept. 12 coup still haunt Turkey

September 14, 2008 by erkan

Erdal Eren, a high school kid, was one of the executeds…

Never without confronting Sept. 12

Sept. 12: Military coup, violence, torture, executions and lost generations.

Memories of Sept. 12 coup still haunt Turkey

Yesterday was the 28th anniversary of a bloody military coup that took place on Sept. 12, 1980, the effects and vestiges of which still cast a dark cloud over Turkish politics.

Doğan Media Mogul vs. Tayyip Erdoğan; no one backs off

September 11, 2008 by erkan

PM Erdoğan promised to open up new files by this weekend. As the deadline gets closer, no side seems to be backing off. Today Hürriyet’s chief editor, Ertuğrul Özkök replied back/threatened angrily in NTV channel. Once again I have to underline: This is not a case of freedom of speech. Only this media mogul’s own papers (and plus the staunchly Kemalist, Cumhuriyet) support their bosses at the moment…

A quick primer on Doğan vs Erdoğan

What is Lighthouse e.V? Lighthouse e.V. was a Germany-based charity foundation that operated between March, 2001 and April, 2007. Its director Mehmet Gürhan, his successor Mehmet Taşkan and

"Yet Another Threat to The Turkish Republic: Postmodernism

September 11, 2008 by erkan

Yet Another Threat to The Turkish Republic: Postmodernism

[Originally published in Turkish Daily News] Did you know that the Turkish military sees postmodernism as a “threat” that should be fought against? We all learned that about a week ago when the new Commander of Land Forces, Gen. Işık Koşaner, made a speech which summarized all the enemies that the Turkish Armed Forces despise. These included the usual groups: “Separatists,” religious orders, and “unpatriotic” circles. But the latter included a new cadre of treacherous citizens: “the post-modernists.” The high-brow general openly stated: “The propaganda network that consists of a postmodern clique of some media, academics, finance circles and NGOs are working in order to weaken and disintegrate national unity and national values.” He also added that these “postmodern” traitors are “manipulated by global powers.”

Day 2 in the battle of AKP vs. DMG

September 8, 2008 by erkan

I thought after yesterday’s speech Mr. Erdoğan would not talk back immediately, and i spent the day out without recognizing today’s speech until the evening. Well, Mr. Erdoğan gives "1 week" to correct the false news disseminated by Doğan group dailies. Mr. Doğan replied back in Kanal D to declare that his media will not be an obedient media in sum. I found Mr. Doğan a little bit scared. But only a little bit. He has a giant media empire, his journalists occupy many Press institutions, his daughter is the head of powerful businessman association, TUSIAD. Although he said last night "all state institutions belong to AKP, they can finish us easily, we know that things do not work like that. A leftist TV channel, Hayat TV was closed nearly all summer and no body could help that but DMG is not a small marginal media group and dynamics of politics is much more complicated. Never politically correct Mr. Erdoğan waited for more than 2 years to attack back, and only after the Constitutional Court case, he felt more secure to start the battle.
Mr. Erdoğan claimed that Mr. Doğan visited him and requested some privileges for the Hilton Hotel site located in near the super valuable Taksim square. (In tonight’s interview at Kanal D, Aydın Doğan said "of course, we always have requests from the government, we do lots of business and we have needs to discuss] When he was rejected, DMG dailies began to attack. DMG is known to request some sort of airwave rights for CNN Turk. That is also refused. After tens of TV channels, anti-trust laws do not allow him for more airwave but Mr. Doğan wants more basically. Anyway, we will see new files to be opened in the next few days. In the mean time, in today’s papers Abdullah Gül’s visit to Armeania and the "battle" news competed in headlines. DMG’s flagship Hürriyet replied back. Milliyet also. [circulation report of dailies are given in the end]

DMG’s newly acquired furiously anti-AKP Vatan columnists charged their weapons like the ones above:

Now open warfare between AKP and Doğan Media Group (DMG)!

September 6, 2008 by erkan

After a corruption case whose details given below, DMG papers and CHP started a new wave of attack against AKP and its leadership. As usual Milliyet leads the accusations. As far as I remember PM Tayyip Erdoğan uttered the name of "Aydın Doğan" for the first time and he accused him of not having moral … Read more

"What does the military?s surprise visit mean?

September 6, 2008 by erkan

What does the military’s surprise visit mean? by İRFAN YILDIRIM

The Ergenekon case is still shaking Turkey. Most recently, the visit paid on behalf of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) by Kocaeli Garrison Commander Lt. Gen. Galip Mendi to retired generals Şener Eruygur and Hurşit Tolon, who are being held in Kandıra Prison in connection with the case, has added a new dimension to the issue.

Good news in Turkish foreign policy decisions, Armenia, Cyprus

September 4, 2008 by erkan

Turkey’s national soccer team coach Fatih Terim talks during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008. Turkey will play Armenia in a World Cup qualifier in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Sept. 6.

(AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)

President Abdullah Gül decided to attend the national game in Erivan this Saturday. On the other hand, negotiations re-started in Cyprus. This time more optimism than ever….There may not be substantive developments in near future but symbolically these are giant steps…

"Our generals? selectivity of security threats

September 1, 2008 by erkan

Turkey’s new Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug, center, is flanked by President Abdullah Gul, right, and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, during the Victory Day reception in Ankara, Turkey, late Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008. The celebrations marking an 86-year-old victory over Greece which was considered crucial in Turkish Independence War which led to the foundation of modern Turkish republic.

(AP Photo)

Our generals used an updated terminology in which even Habermas was quoted but continued to maintain 1930s rhetoric. What I feel is that those anti-postmodernist, pro-status quo Turkish scholars might now be providing service to our generals. Better than nothing (!)

Some journalists like Ruşen Çakır read between the lines and provide a more positive outlook. But of course Mr. Çakır has shown signs of anti-Ergenekon case during summer. So it is your choice. I still liked some of his commentaries in NTV and I believe at the least the Chief of Staff- though classified as an hawk- will prefer not to explicitly intervene in politics.

As I noted before, I believe, as long as civil political authority is powerful, whatever rhetoric the military has, politics will be not be interfered…

Our generals’ selectivity of security threats

Today, telecommunications technology, globalization and increased education have transformed Turkey and provided it a level of transparency, leading many people to not be convinced by demagogic rhetoric.

JITEM Linked To Human and Arms Trafficking…

August 27, 2008 by erkan

Ergenekon divides Kurdish politicans, too.

Ergenekon Investigation: Military Unit Linked To Human and Arms Trafficking

By Jenny White on Jitem

Documents seized in a police raid on the house of an executive of a TV station as part of the ongoing Ergenekon operation have revealed that a secret and illicit military intelligence unit known as JITEM was engaged in several illegal acts, including drug and human smuggling and arms trade with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)….

"Ergenekon: worries and hopes

August 25, 2008 by erkan

last week something like a minor judiciary coup happened within judiciary circles. I realize today that I have not emphasized that enough. A prosecutor from Ankara ordered the search of Ergenekon’s Istanbul based prosecutor’s headquarters. The claim was that Ankara prosecutor believed there was illegal phone listening happening in Istanbul prosecutor’s office. So like an ambush, some officials visited the Istanbul office, then began to have a look who was being listened. This is a giant scandal. Some officials were found to be listing those who was being listened. This is a scandal. This is a judiciary intervention to an ongoing trial by another section of Turkish judiciary. I hear that some bureaucrats in Ankara are very anxious because of the Ergenekon trial.

although I do not agree with him totally, it has some relevance for sure:

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President Abdullah Gül decided to attend the national game in Erivan this Saturday. On the other hand, negotiations re-started in Cyprus. This time more optimism than ever….There may not be substantive developments in near future but symbolically these are giant steps…

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Our generals used an updated terminology in which even Habermas was quoted but continued to maintain 1930s rhetoric. What I feel is that those anti-postmodernist, pro-status quo Turkish scholars might now be providing service to our generals. Better than nothing (!)

As I noted before, I believe, as long as civil political authority is powerful, whatever rhetoric the military has, politics will be not be interfered…

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Ergenekon divides Kurdish politicans, too.

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I hear that there are already new ‘understandings’ after the AKP closure case. One shouldn’t be very hopeful any more (!).

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