Authorization pains

The propaganda machine of the government, the majority of Turkish “information channels” and the written media were full of stories yesterday, Oct. 2, regarding Turkey’s preparedness to go deep into Syria and Iraq, change the Syrian government, teach the Islamist beasts a lesson and put the region back in order with the magical touch of Turkish boots.

As is said, it is no big deal for a bachelor to get a divorce, but it is a fact, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said in explaining his flip-flop approaches to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists, there is merit in handling delicate issues as if handling a basket of eggs. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Turkish Republic, had said “War is a crime unless undertaken for the defense of the nation.” One need not be a Kemalist to listen to this wise remark of Atatürk, though the current Islamist government is becoming increasingly Kemalist – at least in style – nowadays.

It was wrong, of course, to engage in war-mongering when ISIL was holding 46 Turkish nationals hostage [or should I say, “human shield-guests?”]. It is wrong today as well to engage in war-mongering. Turkey cannot and should not engage in palliative deals in the region and, as Erdoğan rightfully said, cannot be part of schemes or courses of actions that would provide only palliative solutions, meaning that every decade or so there will still be the need for “foreign interference” for peace, security and stability.

Anyhow, has there ever been peace, security or stability in this region ever since, let’s say, the First Gulf War or the first operation of the American-led coalition to save Kuwait, punish Saddam Hussein and carve a Kurdish statelet out of Iraq? Worse, has there been a secure day in Iraq since Saddam was overthrown, Baathism in Iraq was dissolved and the Iraqi army was disbanded? Yes, he was a ruthless dictator, he was removed and Iraqis were provided with democracy…

Now, there is a desire to bring democracy to Syria. Erdoğan declared in Parliament that the parliamentary authorization government has sought to deploy foreign troops on Turkish territory and send Turkish troops into Iraq and Syria was not just aimed at ISIL, but Turkey’s fundamental target is the removal of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. Confused? Not at all; Turkey’s Islamists have never hidden that they wanted al-Assad toppled. To achieve that, they collaborated with every beast available in the region. Was it not why many people consider Turkey one of the breastfeeding sources for ISIL, al-Nusra and such al-Qaeda-sort terrorist gangs?

Now the hostages are back, the egg basket has been placed in a comfortable place, and Turkey can act on ISIL, or so the government believes. Probably right, but what is the scenario for the day after?

Already some 150,000-160,000 refugees have arrived over the past two weeks, adding to the almost 2 million refugees already hosted by Turkey alone. The aim is to create a “safe haven” inside Syria and keep the refugees there. Will that be a lesser burden on Turkey or a bigger threat that might pull Turkey into a swamp?

The war drums are beating hard… The almond-mustached prime minister of the “new Turkey” is demanding everyone unite behind the government in awareness that those opposing the war would indeed be supporting ISIL. After Americans, British and the other Western allies, the government’s propaganda machine is working hard to make Turks believe joining the war is in their best interests.

Is there international legitimacy behind this war? No, there is no Security Council decision. Will there ever be international legitimacy? As long as Russia is against it, no way. Then what is Turkey talking about? Is Turkey preparing to save Syrian Kurds or occupy Syria’s Kurdish area using the ISIL advance as a pretext?

Confusing, but what if Turkey does not take action and tens of thousands are killed by the ISIL gang in close vicinity to the Turkish border…

What was that saying? Dates eaten with pleasure might bring pain after a while… Was it like that or what?