Article Scan – January 7th, 2014: Five reasons 2014 could be tough for Erdogan

Five reasons 2014 could be tough year for Erdogan (by Kadri Gürsel)

Last year was an annus horribilis for Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP). Nothing went right for the ruling party.

While 2013 was an annus horribilis for Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), 2014 could be worse.

There is no reason to think that 2014 will be any better. To the contrary, a worse year may be in the offing for Erdogan and his party. The parameters that will determine the state of affairs in 2014 acquired their final forms in 2013. Just to recap:

Erdogan, who expedited Islamic social engineering with his oppressive actions, was personally responsible for the Gezi Park protests in June 2013, with his ill-judged decisions and reactions. The wave of protests that turned into a popular explosion spread through the entire country in a short time. According to police figures, about 3.5 million people came out into the streets to protest in 80 provinces.

Gezi Park resistance, while marking the birth of a democratic, libertarian and new civil society opposition, also exposed the oppressive nature of the government for the entire world to see.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/erdogan-elections-power-struggle-kurd-gulen-syria.html#ixzz2phTicpkN

Turkey must not get involved in this mess (Semih Idiz)

Share It is not clear what the truth about the Syria-bound truck, stopped on a tip-off by police for allegedly being laden with weapons, is all about. All we know is that the authorities did not allow it to be searched and let it continue on its way.

The policemen who stopped the truck and the prosecutor who tried to have it searched have since received their marching orders, thus adding to the intrigue. Prime Minister Erdoğan even sees a link between the current corruption scandal, for which he is blaming anti-government elements in the police and judiciary, and this incident.

Newly appointed Minister for Interior Efkan Ala said after Hürriyet broke the news about the truck that it was carrying supplies for Syrian Turcoman, refusing to elaborate further. The government says it is a state secret and will not divulge any details. What we do know is that the Turkish intelligence service MIT is involved.

The release on Sunday of Bünyamin Aygün, the Turkish journalist kidnapped over a month ago in Northern Syria, has added to the intrigue and stoked more speculation. Aygün said, after being brought to Turkey by an MIT team, that he thought his abductors were Al-Qaeda affiliated.

more: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-must-not-get-involved-in-this-mess.aspx?pageID=449&nID=60642&NewsCatID=416

Out of the frying pan (Mümtazer Türköne)

While the lawsuit against Ergenekon — a clandestine organization nested within the state that tried to overthrow or manipulate the democratically elected government — was under way, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan openly exhibited his stance.
“I am the prosecutor of this lawsuit,” he said. As the defendants were accused of overthrowing the government and planning to kill him, Erdoğan’s reaction was understandable. This statement was actually intended as support for the prosecutors, who were conducting the investigations under very difficult conditions.

The most challenging and noisy part of the trial was completed under heavy pressure from the military. The courts gave their final verdicts on not only the Ergenekon case, but also another coup trial against the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plan. Thus, Turkey closed the book on coups. The era of military tutelage that had started with the coup d’état of May 27, 1960, ended 50 years later with the courts’ verdicts on these two cases.

The prime minister today faces the hardest challenge of his political career. He may lose everything because of the corruption investigation. Being a skilled and charismatic leader, Erdoğan is currently making a superhuman effort to resist this investigation.

http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/mumtazer-turkone_335913_out-of-the-frying-pan.html