I have no idea how it came up but for some time, very much like a soap opera, self-proclaimed strategists discuss Turkey’s need for establishing a military base in Cyprus. Why? Does Turkey not have a huge military presence in the northern third of the island?
A pugnacious debate is continuing in the country regarding what should be the name of the new airport of Istanbul. Many might say “What’s in a name?” but in this part of the world where semantics often carry much more importance than context, it is perhaps rather reasonable to assume that if the new airport is to replace the old international Atatürk airport, the new one should also be named after the founding father of the Republic of Turkey.
There is probably not much meaning in questioning what grave mistakes Turkey has made in Syria. Such a question with obvious answers will not help resolve the explosive situation produced by the wrong policies. Now, there is the exacerbating Idlib problem.
In a country famous for its political and non-political swindlers, it might be wise to ask, “Why is it that the whole country is discussing a certain issue, while authorities are saying almost nothing to soothe public anxiety?” Is there a systematic deception campaign? Are Turks being fooled to discuss an artificial issue and stop discussing some very important developments?
The four-way left-right coalition of Northern Cyprus has been facing some serious problems ever since it was established some eight months ago.
Turkey is a country of freedoms and restrictions of freedoms. It all depends on the subject of the sentence. Praising the government is free. Praising the opposition might be problematic. Criticizing the government or daring to say a word against the president cannot be a reasonable act. However, attacking opposition parties, ridiculing the opposition leader or questioning the leadership quality of any opposition party chairperson is of course a bona fide act.
It is rather difficult nowadays not to hear Turkey’s repeated pleas to European capitals to carry their troubled relations with the European Union to a “new phase.”
Hopes are high nowadays among Turkish Cypriot “federalists” and in international circles wishing to impose a “federal settlement” on Cyprus. The expectation is that separate meetings of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will lead to the resumption of the Cyprus intercommunal talks that have repeatedly failed to provide the island some sort of a “federal” resolution over the past half century.
Taking the case of United States evangelical pastor Andrew Craig Brunson to the Constitutional Court with the demand that the continued house arrest and travel restriction has compromised the pastor’s rights may not yield any results. Carrying the issue to the European Court of Human Rights may not do any good either. Efforts to compel Turkey through various horse trade tactics to let the pastor travel to the United States may eventually produce results, but the crisis in Turkish-American relations will not be resolved anytime soon.
