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It's time for the Bush Administration to
put Turks in their place
23.9.2006
By Rauf Naqishbendi |
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A friendship between
America and Turkey has been a liability for America
since the beginning, due to Turkey’s notoriously
dirty human rights record. During the Cold War
Turkey’s strategic location propelled America to
seek a close relationship with Turkey. Thankfully,
all that changed when the Iron Curtain fell
pronouncing Turkey a triviality. Moreover, the Iraq
War has proved Turkey’s uselessness to America.
While the Turks continue their human rights abuses
and threaten to cause trouble in Iraq, the Bush
administration has not put the Turks in their place,
as justice demands.
Since the Iraqi Liberation mission, Turkey has been
opposing the notion of an independent Kurdistan,
fearing that once the Kurds in Iraq are free and
democratic, their counterparts on the other side of
the border will demand the same. Clearly they are of
the opinion that, in order for the Turks to justify
their violation of Kurdish human rights in their
country, Kurds ought to be abused everywhere in the
world.
It is bewildering why America would want to support
and befriend a regime such as Turkey’s with all
their atrocities against humanity, not only against
Kurds but also Serbs, Greeks, Assyrians and
Armenians. The United States’ apathy is
overwhelming; for decades they have generously
provided assistance to Turkey without considering
the country’s human rights record. Common sense and
common justice has been rare with American leaders
regarding their relationship with Turkey. Think of
the Armenian genocide committed by Turks, yet
America ignored the plight of Armenians demanding
Turks to acknowledge their atrocities.
And reaching the height of absurdity, American
leaders and politicians have been calling Turkey a
great democracy in the Middle East, in order to
justify the United States’ immense support of
Turkey, citing the Turkish elections and
constitution as proofs. While it’s true that
election is a vital pillar of democratic
establishment which reflects fair representation,
and fair representation requires a sound and moral
constitution; these pillars of democracy need to be
genuine, otherwise their casual application will
weaken the foundation of the institution. A
constitution is vital to democracy, but it needs to
be moral and apply consistently to every citizen.
But Turkey’s constitution excludes all non-Turks who
live in Turkey by a simple declaration that all
citizens of Turkey are Turks. This is a moral
predicament since one third of Turkey’s population
is Kurds, and there are also Arabs, Assyrians and
Armenians. Where is justice and morality in a
constitution that is privileging one portion of the
population and demonizing the rest?
Turkey has been a violent country for decades as the
Kurdish rebel P.K.K has been fighting for an
equitable system of justice and equality for all.
During this period Turkey’s rulers usually have been
civilians on the surface, but military at heart.
Thus the rule of army and violence has made
democracy in Turkey scarce, for under the rule of
army and bloody violence there is no democracy.
Additionally, Turkey is not a pristine democracy;
rather, it is a corrupted country with bribery,
favoritism and cronyism ubiquitous. These attributes
encumber the glory of democracy, and go against its
true essence. As one can see, these arguments
contradict any proclamation that Turkey is a
democracy. If anyone claims that it is, that person
either does not have a true knowledge of Turkey or
does not understand the true meaning of democracy.
President Bush would display a new degree of
enlightenment if he were to address the prime
minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his next
visit to Washington as follows:
“Mr. Erdogan, we have heard enough of your
exploitation of the Kurds, and your opposition to
the inspiration of the world’s biggest nation
without statehood to obtain their independence. I
feel compassion for the Kurds because of what they
have suffered in your country; we let your leaders
be as intolerant as they desired for a long time. We
lavished you with monetary, political and military
assistance, and you utilized it as fodder for your
prejudice and pride. These are unfounded in today’s
world and are just relics of your past. We have gone
as far as arguing the case for your membership in
the EU, even though we knew your nation doesn’t
resemble Europeans.
You know it has been an established tradition of our
presidency for the US president not to apologize,
and I shall not violate this tradition, but were I
permitted to break that tradition, I would proffer
the Kurds in your country an earnest apology for our
support to your government and that of your
predecessors that they have turned to abuse against
the Kurds.
The Kurds have been our faithful ally in our war
against Saddam and terrorism, and America is looked
upon as respectable and popular among the Kurdish;
on the other hand, the degree of anti-American
sentiment amongst your people is shamefully high.
Therefore, we are not going to forsake our faithful
friends, the Kurds, to please an old friend who has
proven perfidious.
A free and independent Kurdistan is imminent for it
is the will and determination of the Kurdish nation.
The will of a nation is impassable and neither you
nor anyone else can hinder it. That leaves you with
no choice but to accept and put aside your bigotry
towards the Kurds. A free and independent Kurdistan
will be beneficial to you and your people, therefore
I ask you not to merely tolerate it but rather to
welcome it wholeheartedly. I will join you and your
people in celebrating the birth of a free and
independent country, Kurdistan, with its waving flag
visible from your border. We should let this new
nation prosper and bloom; we should all help these
great people who are good friends of ours. I assure
you, they too will be your and your people’s
friends."
Kurdishmedia com
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