The matter of chickenfeed and foreign policy advice

My dear associate, Yalçın Akdoğan, the deputy prime minister… 

I don’t know if you are aware of it or not but you have started speaking like President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan more and more. 

Look, I am telling you as a pal, it does not suit you. It does not go well. 

What might suit him does not suit you. For this reason, my advice to you is for you to be yourself and talk like your own self.  

I know; I understand; you are addressing the domestic market. I know; I am aware of it; you have the feeling that you have found a good phrase that is almost as good as Erdoğan’s and sounds good… You have taken the floor; you are on the podium and there is an esteemed audience in front of you, you are speaking… 

“Without giving money worth three kuruş (pennies), they are giving advice to us; they are counselling us…”

Obviously, what sounds good also felt good. It may be so, but you obviously have never thought of what it can also imply. It has never crossed your mind that a person would come up and ask you, “Hey, you say that without giving three pennies, they are giving advice. You are saying that but you don’t seem to have thought it over. If there is a person who is expected to give three pennies then there should be a person expecting these three pennies…”

Who is that person, pal, who would sell his soul and his conscience for three pennies? Or which state? 

My dear friend, I do not know you but these heavy sentences spilled over a giant refugee tragedy that looks like some three-penny bargaining in my opinion.    

Moreover it has reminded me of the “horse trade” talks of 2002 that sickened all of us. 

Write it down, put it in an envelope and keep it

If incidents continue like this, if there is no trace of our “red lines” left, and if a Kurdish corridor is formed across our Syrian border… How will young Turks view this incident in 10 years’ time? 

First option: It has been a very good development that a secular corridor has been formed between us and the Sunni Arabs. 

Second option:  It has been a very bad development because it has cut our connection with our Sunni Arab brothers. 

Third option: Half of us will believe in the first option; the other half will believe in the second option. 

Do like I have done: Write the predictions down and put it in an envelope. If you live 10 more years, you will open it. If not, your children or your grandchildren will open it and will have a lot of fun…

Good signs from two leaders   

I closely monitored the joint press conference of Prime Minister Davutoğlu and German Chancellor Merkel. I was happy because their meeting lasted longer than scheduled. I gather that they have solved politically what bureaucrats were unable to solve; thus, they were constructive. Also, I found it very significant that Germany and Turkey have decided to fight together against the human traffickers. 

I rejoiced that Turkish and German institutions were to cooperate for aid on the Syrian border and also prevent deaths on other borders.  However, knowing the psychological issues that erupted during the Patriot incident, I was hoping for the best for this. 

When Prime Minister Davutoğlu called on NATO only to help in aid operations at the border, I was thinking whether Turkey has expired all of its belief in NATO concerning its military capacity. 

I thought it was wise when PM Davutoğlu praised Turkey about the high rate of turnout at the elections. Also, I attributed his reference to the high rate of representation at the parliament respective to the votes cast to an assurance that the 10 percent election threshold would be lowered. 

It is only three kilometers 

It has been said that if needed, the Saudis and the Qataris would intervene in Syria… They are saying so but up until now, I have not seen anybody believing this or anybody taking this seriously. 

Wouldn’t one ask, “Hey, why don’t you make a deal with Jordan and cross Syria from there, and we will all see how it is done. Not talking about Damascus, etc., either: Why don’t you deploy a couple of your troops in the desert where nobody is present, let alone any soldiers?”