Towards referendum (4): “High-level general called to testify as key military council continues”

High-level general called to testify as key military council continues

from Hurriyet Dailynews
The general expected to be named to head Turkey’s land forces has been called along with 18 other military officers to testify as part of the Ergenekon probe.

Turkeys PM Erdogan attends a wreath-laying ...

Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends a wreath-laying ceremony with members of the High Military Council at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara August 1, 2010.? Read more » REUTERS/Umit Bektas

FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – A critical YAŞ meeting

Turkey?s Supreme Military Council (YAŞ), where decisions regarding the promotion and dismissal of Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) personnel are made, convened yesterday.

The trouble with Turkish constitution-making by Aengus Collins

Is Turkish constitutionalism losing its way again? There was an encouraging decade of consensus-building and liberalization between 1995 and 2004, but since the multiple crises of 2007 and 2008 it is hard to avoid the feeling that the country?s capacity for effective constitution-making is on the wane.

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Towards referendum (3): AKP’s blogging contest: Best blog posts in favor of Constitutional changes

Check out the jury members.

Towards Referendum (2): PSYOPs in Dörtyol and İnegöl

Two towns whose populations are more intermixed due to domestic migration, Dörtyol and İnegöl have been targets of psychological operations in order to start communal strifes. This is a pattern that has been observed several times in pre-1980 coup d’etat. In the old days, Alevis vs. Sunnis tension was manipulated. Now comes Turks vs. Kurds tension. Kurdish populations increase in especially Western parts of Anatolia and this brings some social tension. There have been some other attempts to instigate strifes in recent years but İnegöl and Dörtyol cases that happened in the same week seem to be more deliberate. Mobs agitated by Turkish nationalist themes are mobilized after seemingly personal conflicts between persons that happend to be Kurds and Turks.

Unlike the previous cases, government acted swiftly this time and there have been arrrests in İnegöl and security forces patrol the city. Mobs are cowards. When they see security forces at work, they back down. In fact, in most of the cases, security forces are “called to wait” and then come the massacres. This time the government will not let this happen. It seems. Well, apparently these operations aim to destabilize the country and calls for “law and order” regime. Not more democratizations…

In the mean time, Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu who emerged as a symbol of hope for some in opposition continue to embarrass himself with ridicilous allegations.. That’s the best CHP  could reach…

In the mean time, judiciary battles continue.  There is a warrant to arrest 102 active and retired military officials although it is not executed yet… We will see the drama unravel in the next days…

Unrest against Kurdish Population in Hatay

from Bianet :: English
Four police officers were killed in an attack on a police car in the south-eastern city of Dörtyolu; the party building of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party was burned; shops owned by Kurds were demolished. Tension is still rising high in the region.

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Towards Referendum (1): a roundup

Unfortunately, I could not find an English translation of proposed changes. I am working on it. You can find a documents where all changes in Turkish are listed. Besides, AKP set up a website again only in Turkish about the changes here. I will declare my official position on referendum soon… The list of constitutional … Read more

Turkish politics roundup (1): Referendum and judiciary

ŞAHİN ALPAY – Referendum to further consolidate democracy The military in Turkey staged a coup d?état on Sept. 12, 1980, held power for nearly three years and adopted a highly authoritarian constitution that reinforced the tutelary powers of the military and judiciary over democracy before allowing elections and the reintroduction of multi-party politics. Turkey’s Prime … Read more

This week’s political agenda. Will there be referendum on Sept 12 or not

Constitutional Court will again decide…as CHP, main opposition party, again applied the Court for the rejection of reforms… ****************** Is CHP burying the hatchet with Gülen movement? Today’s Zaman Baykal and his party, joining with the opponents of Ergenekon, a shadowy crime network that has alleged links within the state and is suspected of plotting … Read more