From: Zeynep Tufekcioglu <zeynept-AT-turk.net>
Subject: Re: M-I: military crisis in Turkey
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 06:54:47 +0200


Hi Jo=E3o,

The situation in Turkey is very very complicated right now. I'd have to
write a few posts over a few days. The National Security Council has
announced sweeping measures that are aimed at gagging all opposition and
shaping up Turkish politics the way they really want to. The National
Security Council, dominated by the armed forces, chaired by the President
and attended by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Interior plus Foreign
Affairs (a few other folks as well) is the organ that has been running the
country since the coup. It "advises" the government in its monthly meetings,
and its "advice" is always adhered to. Always.

There was a cartoon published in a daily, with the Prime Minister and his
coalition Partner, Ciller, giving the military salute, and saying "Sir, our
democracy is ready for your inspection". That sums it up.

The Welfare Government is mildly pro-Islamic. Very mildly, and in fact
they've been doing their best to court the military. (Yes sir, no sir, we
give you an extra 30 percent raise sir, we love our military sir). They
asked for a few token gestures (let women doctors and lawyers practice with
their religious headscarfs, etc.) the military said no, and they promptly
took back the proposals. None of this is good enough for the military.

Which, I think, is using the discontent in the country regarding the islamic
tint to clamp down even more in opposition. A few weeks ago, there was an
incident in which a Welfare mayor in Sincan had a "Jerusalem night", invited
the Iranian Ambassador, and they happily shouted Islamic slogans. Not the
first or last time something of the sort happens. The military changed the
course of some "routine" exercise and had tanks on the streets of Sincan.
One general openly claimed that the tanks had helped mobilise the society
against the islamists etc.

There were some protests for the past month against the drug-smuggling
death-squad gang that was exposed because of a car incident. (I had posted
about it). The event is taking more and more an anti-Welfare tone, instead
of the original anti-state-death-gang. The military clearly oriented the
society towards this.

The military has been giving clear orders for shutting up (real)
oppositional press. The NSC advised the government to stop people from
watching MED-television, pro-PKK satellite channel (they are now collecting
dishes, and drawing lists of people with dishes). There is now a surge of
activity against oppositional papers, arrests, etc.

I think that Turkey does resemble Portugal, Greece, Spain. Except, it is not
in the EU. EU is the great smoother-over of contradictions. We have had
nothing of the sort. The issue is very complicated (I'm hoping to write a
bit more clearly on this, later).

Let me try question by question.

>1. Why? I don't buy that line about any foundamentalist threat. What is
>really the issue behind this military bossing around?

The military does not want any sort of "out-of-control" situation in Turkey.
Imo, they are using the unease in the general population about the
government to further militarise the country.

>2. Who are these guys? It's now very apparent that state power has
>always been closely monitored from their headquarters. Are they fascists
>in any classical sense? Can you translate this conflict in terms of
>class analisis?

The military occupies a "beloved" place in Turkish history. Almost every
important development has its imprint. They are not "fascists" in the
classic sense, they have a very good sense of what the society needs in
order to be "molded". They don't let go of an iota of real power, but
they'll formally do that (for show, if they know it is just show).

Have you read Petras' book about Latin America in the time of the cholera.
There, he describes how the military "regimes" left power, without leaving
power. Plus or minus a few things, that's what happened here.

>3. We hear much about kemalism and secularism but I have never heard of
>a military establishment standing for such "enlightment" values. Does
>this mean simply submission to the imperialist order (consistent with
>the deals with Israel and the threats to Iran) or is there something
>else? Do you see any flames of war on the horizon?

Our "secularism" means religion is dominated by the state. Nothing else is
allowed. It does not mean that religion and the state are separate. There
are thousands of state funded religious schools, imams. All mosques are
state owned. Religion, as everything else, is under the jurisdiction of the
state.

The aim is to shape everything for integration into the imperalist order,
including religion. This is in many ways a suffocating country. Kemalist
secularism was in one very very contradictory sense, progressive. It was
better than the theocratic regime, BUT, even at the time of Kemalism's
birth, there were many other alternatives in the country with real support.
The 17 revolution in Russia had inspired many. Kemalism imposed its order by
killing, supressing all opposition, left and right.

>4. Are there any signs of direct CIA/State Department hand on the
>affair? Is Erbakan at stake? I suppose he is not politically reliable in
>any way but I loved his reply about american terrorism in Tripoli. And
>the guys in Washington are never going to forget that one. From a ally.

(Doug?) I'm confused about this. The military wasnot this outspoken for some
time. I can't believe that they do this independently, though it is a
possibility. The military in Turkey is well established, pro-secularism.
Although, it does obey the US to the letter, in the last instance, it does
also have an independent character. It is remotely possible they are
independent in the strength of their outspokennes, but not even remotely
possible that the US opposes it. I know that there's been a flurry of
coverage in the US press after the last visit (by a general plus a welfare
minister). They were like two ambassadors from two wings of the government,
contradicting each other.

Yes, the US does not like wiggling allies like the Welfare. But, then, the
islamic trend in Turkey is no joke. It is a real deep current, suppressed by
the Kemalist secularism. Welfare, with all its mildness, was a good channel
for this.

A group of workers in my branch of the Workers' University is preparing a
seminar about "Political Islam and the Workplace". They all work in
factories that include pro-islamic types. The stories are fascinating. Some
capitalists are from the islamic-oriented bourgeoisie, (flourishing lately),
some from secular (dominant) sections of the bourgeoisie. In some instances,
islamic workers end up cooperating with communists against islamic bosses,
communist workers ending defending the right of Namaz of pro-islamic workers
against secular ("enlightened") bosses. In other instances, the bosses
manage to divide the workers (as they wish), ally with one side to break the
resistance. The aim of the seminar is to start a proper discussion among the
working class about the role of religion in anti-capitalist struggles. The
old left line (religion bad, secularism good) does not cover the complexity.
We have to develop proper strategy for uniting the working class against all
bosses. Any stance that rejects religious freedom will completely fail.
However, religion is a serious backward force, and must also be opposed
without allowing that opposition let the bourgeoisie manipulate the
situation. The politics of this is delicate. The left has failed in Algeria
and Iran.


>5. Now that the european aspirations seem to be in tatters, where is the
>turkish bourgeoisie placing it's strategic bets?

Europe. No choice. We are already in Customs Union with EU. What else is
there to do for them. Perhaps, full membership is out of the question, but
trade-wise Turkey has little choice.

>Sorry to burden you with so much tough questions. Again, I meant to give
>you a break but I can see that these are definitely not cheerful issues
>either. And they're a lot more serious too.

Thanks! Yes, these issues are a lot more serious.

Zeynep



     --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---