AT THE EXPENSE OF KURDS: BUILDING A NEW ERA IN U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS
By Sosun Welat
Kurdish Media, UK
June 25 2006
Every so often, we see an article here and there about the relationship
between the US and Turkey. In most of these articles regardless where
it comes from whether it is from liberals or conservatives they all
point to the alarming deterioration of situation between the two
countries. In addition, they all make the point that the course must
be changed; Turkey must be courted and appeased. They further defend
the point that Turkey is needed in the fight against terrorism as
gateway to spread America’s message to the rest of Islamic World.
Furthermore having a democratic Islamic Turkey in the western bloc is
a proof that an Islamic country able to adapt western democracy and
its values. Moreover, they all emphasize that Turkey can join the EU
only and only at the expense of all Kurds. These ideas are floating
around from Rand Corporation to Brooking Institute and from editorial
pages of NY Times to Washington Post and all other influential think
tanks and media outlets.
None of these analysts, specialists, writers and all others can see
the dynamics of change set in motion in the entire world specifically
in the Middle East right after the collapse of old Soviet Union. They
cannot understand that the good old days are gone and "The New World
Order" as paraphrased by the elder President Bush is taking place
with more liberty and justice for the oppressed.
They cannot win back Turkey by just clipping the wings of Southern
Kurds and preventing Kirkuk to be in Kurds control, because Turks
have more ambitions, such as uniting all Turks from Edirne to all
other Turkic republics such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan,
Azerbaijan and recover all Arab and Greek lands, islands lost during
the First World War I. Recent provocations of Turkish Air Forces and
Greek Air Forces in the Aegean air space just a reminder to these
facts. This is clearly against the America’s and EU interests. They
cannot understand that the status quo cannot go on as did during the
cold war era by helping Turkey of denying Kurdish national rights for
over 70 years. The biggest danger to Turkey is not PKK presence in
Qandil Mountains. The biggest problem to Turkey’s stability is its
denial of other nations within and outside its borders.
In addition, its policies of forceful Turkification of cultures,
languages, nations; its denial of Kurdish rights; its denial of its
own history by denying Armenian, Kurdish, and Assyrians massacres;
its denial of eliminating Greeks from western Anatolia.
Furthermore Turkey cannot see the point that the Turkish national
aspirations and interests are in collision course with the national
interests of United States, whilst the national interests of Kurds are
in tandem with the interests of United States. No matter what they can
do or suggest America cannot win back Turkey as trusted ally. On the
other hand, the relationship between America and Turkey will worsen
as stability and prosperity will take hold in Iraq particularly in
Southern Kurdistan.
Contrary to their suggestion, Turkey was never a democratic and never
will be. Turkey was not established on the basis of law and justice;
it was established on the basis of deceit and theft. Therefor it is
an illegal state. It promised Kurds and other Anatolian peoples a
motherland based on equality and Justice. Turkish National Assembly
in early 1920, there were more than over 30 Kurdish and other ethnic
Members of Parliament. After The Lausanne Treaty was signed all Kurdish
MP were eliminated by assassinations, exiles and imprisonment. One
of those MP requested in his will to be buried at one of crossroads
anywhere in Kurdistan so that passers-by can spit on his grave because
he realized that he betrayed his Kurdish nation by supporting Mustafa
Kemal in his negotiations in Lausanne during the negotiations in
early 1920. All Kurdish MP supported Kemal with understanding and
promise from him that Anatolia was going to be homeland for Kurds
and Turks. However, he retracted on his promises once the treaty was
signed. He started the elimination of all patriotic MPs and suppression
of Kurdish culture, language and severe persecution of Kurdish people.
Turkey has an identity problem. First, it was established by bunch of
losers of Ottoman Generals who run away from the Front Lines of war
with Allied Forces of World War I. They forced on Anatolian people
Turkish ideology, which was not in existence except among "Young Turks
"or "Jon Turks".
They are not democratic because they are not tolerant to other
ethnic and religious minorities. Up to early 1980 before PKK was
born, Alawi of Anatolia were severely persecuted. As I remember in
my early childhood, our rituals were held with fear of being busted
by the Gendarme of the state. When the Seid (Pir) was visiting our
village and holding a Ciwat (Mass) on one of our holiest days (Xizir
celebrations) some of the older kids had to be on watch out on the
rooftops to watch if any Gendarme regiment were coming toward the
village so that we could have early warning system. During my studies
through middle school to college in various cities in Turkey, I had
to hide my identity and face many slurs, curses, and insults thrown
on many different occasions as part of normal conversation without
any provocation. Only after PKK was born the Alawis were courted in
order to win them back to prevent the Kurdish Alawis to join Kurdish
national movement.
Up to 1980 Kurdish Alawi are seen as threat to the state due to first
Kurdish national uprising was in early 1920 in Kochgiri region of
Northern Kurdistan and then the 1937 Dersim uprising.
Even today, religious liberties do not exist in Turkey. The problems
with Greek Orthodox Church are widely known. There is no way any
Christian missionary can start a work in Turkey. Even previous
Christian churches are either demolished or converted to mosques
as the way the Ottomans Ayah Sofia Church to a mosque. Even today,
a Christian and Jewish or any other non-Muslim citizen cannot become
a judge, a general, a police officer or any other public servant.
It is not a democratic country because it is banning a language of
over 25 million of its own people, whilst even during the apartheid
era of South Africa the black people could spoke their own language.
It is not democratic country because it is denying all other Anatolian
peoples their existence (The Hurriyet Newspaper’s motto says it all
"Turkey Belongs to Turks") and forcing them to be Turks.
It is not democratic because it is trying to reshape entire Anatolia’s
cities, towns, villages and hamlets by force.
In short, they are suggesting to get rid of PKK, will give Turkey what
it wants and things will be as good as before. However, they fail to
recognize that PKK’s presence is more obstacles to Kurdish national
movement than to Turkey. To true Kurdish patriots PKK is obsolete. Its
demise will unleash the very natural desire of self-determination of
Kurdistan among all Kurds.
They fail to recognize that Turkey’s problems do not stem from under
development of East and South East but failing to recognize the
national rights of Kurdish people. A democratic country would have
done it long time ago. PKK is not Turkey’s problem. It is the product
of Turkey’s policies. It cannot complain to America or EU about it,
Turkey must put its house in order if wants better days ahead.
They fail to recognize that it is not Turkish friendship that America
needs anymore, it is The Kurds that America needs in the New World
Order. Under new socio-economic and political map, Kurds hold the
balancing power. They will rise to the situation as they did by
saving Jerusalem from destruction under the leadership of The Saladin,
the Great.
However, this time for their own National rights not for being the
soldier of Islam or any other religion.
In such hostile region, specifically in Iraq, Kurds have proven to
be reliable allies. Kurds of Southern Kurdistan are proving to Turks,
Arabs, Persians and to the rest of world that can govern by embracing,
pluralism, market economy and multi -culturalism, ethnicities and
religions. By ignoring their basic natural rights and denying, those to
their lands will lead to more catastrophic uncontrollable situations.
Do not trust unreliable Turks on the expense of reliable Kurds.