Is the Resignation of Military Force Commanders A Turning Point for Turkey?
Only a short while ago something happened in the history of the Republic of Turkey for the first time.
The Chief-of-staff General Isik Kosaner and the commanders of the land, air and naval forces all resigned simultaneously.
This was interpreted by the media and the public as a “TURNING POINT” in Turkey’s history, in the sense that this incident was the indication that the authority of the army over democracy had come to an absolute end and the only way for the army to protest something they did not like was to resign (and not make a coupe).
There were other opinion leaders however that had different interpretetation of this incident such as EMRE KONGAR a true secular and democratic academist and writer.
In below article (taken from CUMHURIYET) Emre Kongar analyzes the recent events from a different perspective.
According to Kongar, the resignations were part of a process and did not constitute a beginning.
Editor
BUSINESS TURKEY TODAY
ARTICLE
by EMRE KONGAR (Cumhuriyet columnist)
“Milat” is a word of Arabic origin, which has been adopted into the Turkish language meaning “turning point, milestone, birth of Christ”.
It derived from the word “veladet”, which means birth in Arabic. But in the figurative sense, it indicates the start of an event or a process.
At the basis of this analogy lies the birth of Jesus, which marks the beginning of the Gregorian calendar. As we know, dates after the birth of Jesus Christ to the present day increase, whereas the years before Christ are indicated with the letters BC and increase backwards.
Authors, commentators, journalists like to use the word “turning point” very much.
It is used to highlight how and where an event, a process or a subject started…
Or it is used to indicate a new occurrence, a change, or the start of a process.
The media tends to exaggerate a little in order to attract the attention of the reader or listener by using the word “turning point” when discussing the importance of their story or an event. We have seen this trend in the case of the commanders’ resignations.
Many writers and commentators described the event as a “turning point”… However, everyone’s “turning point” differs a little from the other.
July 29, 2011 was according to some, a turning point in terms of the AKP-military relations …
According to some, the AKP declaring unconditional sovereignty … According to some, Ataturk’s Republic transforming into a second Republic … According to some, the army’s complete exit out of politics … According to some, the process of democratization in Turkey …
In fact, the resignations of the top commanders was a first and undoubtedly an important event …
But never a “turning point”, in the meaning of a beginning.
At most it was a part of the globalization process, which started after the collapse of the Soviet Union …
And within this process, this was a result of other events connected to internal and external developments in Turkey.
For those that want to in any case connect the resignations of the top commanders to a “turning point”, these dates can be suggested:
The first and fundamental turning point, as I mentioned above, was the Cold War that ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, marking the beginning of globalization in 1991.
Naturally connected to this, the Al-Qaeda attack on September 11, 2001, which marks the second phase of the globalization process, needs to be added. The year 2001, in which this attack was used as an excuse by the U.S. to invade Iraq was also a “turning point”.
For those who want more concrete events in Turkey, to connect the resignations to, two turning points can be offered:
The first “turning point” were the November 3, 2002 elections in which the AKP came to power.
The second turning point was after the collapse of the Soviet Union when with the vanishing of anticommunism the alliance between the already weakened Turkish military and the US foreign policy was damaged on March 1, 2003. The military was made to pay for the March 1 resolution, which was vetoed, by the AKP government, which played a double game and US observers. After making it look like parliament was going to approve it, Turkish troops were not sent to take part in the US occupation of Iraq.
Thus, the unshakable alliance between the Turkish military and the US (which is also what lies behind the military coups) was broken, US officials clearly stated that this would have certain consequences.
Those who want to analyze today’s incidents coolheadedly, instead of crying out of joy or despair, will be able to make clearer conclusions by looking closely at these “turning points” and accordingly at the processes behind these events.
August 05, 2011, Cumhuriyet Daily
