The view is widely held that Turkey is ruled by a moderate Islamist party, the AKP, that is committed to democracy and integration with Europe and that it is the old secular elite that stands in the way of modernization and human rights. Many also believe that the decline in Israel’s previously good relations with Turkey can be explained entirely by Israel’s assault on the Mavi Marmara.
Continue reading ‘Foreign Illusions About Turkey And The AKP’
UPDATE: Davem on Harry’s Place, where this piece is cross-posted, points out that Hezbollah has declared its solidarity with al-Bashir.
Over at savedarfur.org, Megan Flemming explains the arrest warrant issued yesterday against the Butcher of Khartoum, Omar Hasan al-Bashir:
The judges found that there are reasonable grounds to believe al-Bashir is responsible for three counts of genocide committed against the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups.
Here are some good suggestions of action you can take to assist the process of bringing al-Bashir to a prison cell. Why should you? Here’s the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Louis Moreno Ocampo:
Continue reading ‘“It’s Not Possible for a Muslim to Commit Genocide…”’
My latest contribution to the Huffington Post, on Hezbollah’s foray into the rapidly-burgeoning flotilla industry, in full here.
Here’s a worthwhile piece from the Armenian Weekly which contains the photograph below, taken at a demonstration in Istanbul on June 5, in which the placard declares, “Legendary leader Adolf Hitler, our patience is running out, we need your spirit.”
How long before the flotillistas and their cheerleaders claim this image was faked?
But let us look beyond the Mavi Marmara. Though Israelis and Palestinians get most of the limelight, much of the script is written elsewhere. The newest entrant in the larger drama is Turkey, where the flotilla was financed and put to sea. Ankara’s fierce response to the incident was a rallying cry to the region.Next to Iran, Nato member Turkey is now the biggest headache for the west. With Egypt sinking into torpor and Riyadh firmly ensconced on the fence between Washington and Tehran, Turkey has seen the leadership of the region up for grabs - and is going for it. It has drawn Syria into its orbit and has reached a nuclear deal with Iran, its rival for hegemony.
What better way to pursue this end than to lead a crusade against the Jewish state? Going after the “Little Satan” is the card that trumps them all, and it embarrasses the “Great Satan” to boot. The real game is about dominance at the expense of America, which US President Barack Obama has yet to grasp. Neither has Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister. Sailing into the Turkish trap was a blunder worthy of General Custer at Little Big Horn.
A provocative, brilliantly-argued piece by Josef Joffe from the Financial Times, which in publishing it has done something to mend its growing reputation for Robert Fiskesque editorials on the Middle East.
The dominant narrative of Zionist storm troopers massacring innocent peace activists on the Mavi Marmara is now so well established that no amount of evidence supporting Israel’s version of events is likely to make any difference. Still, it seems to impossible not to comment on this series of photos published by the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet.
You are an experienced journalist and you have a column in a major newspaper. You interview a powerful man who talks of his fine moral instincts and how the pain suffered by others in foreign countries affects him. How do you react?
Reza Aslan, a California-based academic, has been speaking to Jimmy Carter about the Middle East. It is the kind of interview which all politicians dream about. Aslan bolsters rather than challenges Carter, leading him to his favorite topics and themes with dutifully worded questions. Two of Carter’s answers actually commence with the words, “That’s exactly right.”
Continue reading ‘What Carter Can Learn from the Erdogan Outburst’
The American Jewish Committee, which sponsors Z Word, has issued the following statement.
It’s been a bizarre and disturbing day. I have nothing to add to David T’s take on the Prime Minister who quoted an obscure raving antisemite in the hallowed surroundings of Davos. But if we’re shopping for quotes, examine this one, from the South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Of all the countries caught up in the current wave of antisemitism, Turkey is arguably the greatest worry. While Turkey has traditionally been a reliable diplomatic ally and an even closer military partner of Israel, that hasn’t prevented a rash of antisemitic statements and demonstrations in the short period since the Gaza conflict began.
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