This week in US-Turkish relations - the Armenian genocide resolution and Iraq

The U.S. got themselves in quite a fork this week vis a vis Turkey regarding the Armenian genocide declaration and the possibility of a Turkish incursion into northern Iraq.

After a House committee vote to call the killings of Armenians during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire “genocide,” Bush, Rice, and other top officials “are shifting to damage-control mode” and trying to avoid the same vote occurring in the House.


Turkish backlash and consequences in Iraq

Turkish President Gul slammed the resolution declaring the Armenian genocide as historical fact as "small domestic political games." It is another political game, neither small nor domestic, however, that may ultimately determine the fate of the resolution; the one still playing out in Iraq.

As one of America’s only strong allies in the Middle East, the US-Turkish relationship is seen very important to operations in Iraq and stability in the region. Remember the missiles pointing at the Soviet Union the US installed in Turkey during the Cold War? Well the geopolitical space of Turkey is once again indispensable in our troubles with Iraq, as a means for transporting supplies to troops by ground and sea.

America’s potential moves in this game are severely narrowed this reliance on Turkey in the war in Iraq. The invasion more than 4 years ago has yet to stabilize the region in any meaningful or lasting way, and has become a major liability in many arenas. But this liability is now creeping into matters unforeseen and influencing decisions in other matters.


At what cost?

Many government officials, bloggers and members of the Bush administration seem to be echoing the politically correct "At what cost?" analysis regarding losing a close ally in Turkey for the war in Iraq over the Armenian genocide declaration.

House member Adam Schiff (D, California) talked about this cost in March of this year, responding to Condolezza Rice’s opposition to the declaration, stating he was:

… concerned [about Rice’s opposition] for a number of reasons, not the least of which that I don’t see how we can have the moral authority that we need to condemn the genocide going on in Darfur if we’re unwilling to recognize other genocides that have taken place, if we’re unwilling to recognize the first genocide of the last century, where a million and a half people lost their lives.

An excellent point. But it seems that “moral authority” doesn’t come cheaply. And with Iraq a top priority in the eyes of America at the moment, exercising moral authority is contingent on the agreement of war-time allies.

And it is not just Turkish support on the table here. A much more likely scenario is that Turkey will plan and execute and incursion into Northern Iraq to root out rebel members of the PKK. America is not excited about this prospect either.


American contradictions in Iraq

And while on the topic of war and contradictions, there are quite a few striking parallels between the operations of the United States in Iraq and the proposed operations of Turkey, which the U.S. would very much like to quell.

In 2007, Turkey wants to invade Northern Iraq to fight rebel members of the PKK, a group widely considered terrorist in nature. The European Union is not opposed to this invasion, as it sees that Turkey has significant security interests in the area. It is unclear if this will contribute to a stable Iraq.

In 2003, One of the stated reasons for the US invasion of Iraq were asserted links between Saddam Hussein and al-Queda, a group widely considered terrorist in nature. Although the main argument was Iraq’s possession of WMDs, we are now all too aware of the veracity of that claim. The coalition of the willing, including many European countries, supported it, and even sent troops, considering that the US and Europe had significant security interests in the area. It was unclear if it would contribute to a stable Iraq.

Perhaps one of the biggest differences between these two situations is this: While the United States is thousands of miles away from the country in question, Turkey shares a border with it. There is also the matter of pressing national security – if one can use such a phrase concretely anymore - and ongoing violence in the region for decades.

I have no sympathy for the U.S. Government and the mess they’ve gotten themselves into in this and other matters. Transparently throwing aside a priority for “moral authority” because it has allowed a situation where it can be politically blackmailed by a war-time ally in a losing war.

Not a good week in US-Turkish relations, not a good week for the future of a credible American foreign policy.

Turkey, the Wordpress ban, and a frustrated blogger

Last week, while I was back in the States visiting family, I decided to write a blog about Istanbul. I decided to use Wordpress.com, because it is quite aesthetically pleasing, among other positive points.

Upon returning to Istanbul and attempting to access Wordpress, however, I found the message that Turkish Wordpress authors and readers have been seeing since August:

Bu siteye erişim mahkeme kararıyla engellenmiştir.

T.C. Fatih 2.Asliye Hukuk Mahkemesi 2007/195 Nolu Kararı gereği bu siteye erişim engellenmiştir.

Access to this site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/195 of T.C. Fatih 2.Civil Court of First Instance.

There are many ways to circumvent this ban, as many Turkish internet-savvy You-tube addicts circumvented the 2-day You-Tube ban in March of this year, as the site was simply blocked Turkey's only Internet service provider - and indeed only phone company - in a way similar to how schools and businesses block "inappropriate" material or social networking sites. As a result, from now on I'll be mirroring this site here on Blogger while also updating my Wordpress account.

Although the buzz on this issue has echoed widely across the blogging world, as it naturally would, it seems to have virtually little to no coverage in traditional internet media sources. The widely covered You-Tube ban was picked up in many major newspapers, but the lesser-known Wordpress hasn't seemed to cause a stir. I think it is a safe assumption to say that is why the You-Tube ban lasted 2 days, while the Wordpress ban has continued since August.

I think it is highly unfortunate that Turkish courts have again chosen censorship of an entire site as a method of dealing with dissent. Even more distasteful seem to be the causes for these bans. Is it dignified to respond to immaturity, i.e. the You-Tube video literally painting Ataturk homosexual? How respectable is it for a court to respond to anyone who is upset with the results when they Google their name?

I do not agree with bloggers who wish to liken Turkey with repressive regimes who heavily restrict internet access to their citizens. I think these recent bans ordered by Turkish courts, seem more the paranoid decisions of anxious naivety than a strong authority to fear. I believe it is worth repeating - who fears an authority that flips out over a You-Tube video?

In an interview with the Turkish Daily News, Elif Şafak makes an interesting comment in this vein. Speaking of the censorship and legal troubles she has faced after publishing her most recent novel The Bastard of Istanbul, she comments

This ultranationalist movement is taking place not because nothing is changing in Turkey, but just the opposite, because things are changing...The bigger the transformation, the bigger their panic.

I am not an apologist on this matter and I am not indifferent to free speech matters. Of course I think the ban should be lifted immediately. I do not, however, think that this should necessarily be seen as "a step backwards" - as if any of us can easily chart "steps" or even know where they are going in such matters. I would instead like to view this "panic" as a response to many changing currents in Turkish society. And, from some perspectives, this is a good thing.

With internet costs in Turkey still quite high but falling, and more users logging on every day, I think we can afford to be a bit optimistic when looking to the future, rather than call Turkey, as did a blogger who recently suspended content on his site, " join[ing] the ranks of firewall enthusiasts like Iran, China and North Korea." Of course the ban is a negative on Turkey's free speech score card. But discussion surrounding this infringement on free speech should be informed and not - like the ban itself - purely reactionary.

Elif Şafak on Turkey in a polarized world

As a fan of Elif Şafak’s novels, I’m always watching for periodic columns in the Turkish Daily News. If you’re not familiar with her, more about her at the end of this post.

One of her recent pieces, One Hundred Years of Angst, especially caught my eye. Written before the recent elections and related controversy, the piece describes the anxiety and gloom many felt in its anticipation. I liked her description of the relationship between the the “Islamic fundamentalists” and the “Western Islamophobics,” and relational nature of “East” and “West”:

It is not easy to be a Turk in a world that is becoming more and more polarized...A world in which more and more hardliners claim that Islam and Western democracy cannot coexist. At first glance, Islamic fundamentalists and Western Islamophobics might seem to be poles apart. But they are not. They share the same prejudice and narrow-mindedness toward the Other and the same desire to exclude everyone who doesn’t echo their views. Hardliners in one country produce more hardliners elsewhere.

“East” and “West” are relational categories, and yet, they are often used as if they were mutually exclusive...Biases are produced mutually, and they keep breeding one another.

Read the whole article here.

Elif Şafak is, alongside Orhan Pamuk, one of Turkey’s most famous writers. Yet to call her a Turkish writer might be a bit simplistic; of Turkish descent, born in France, having lived in Spain and Jordan and attended university in Ankara, Turkey, she is now a professor at the University of Arizona.

Her novels, written Turkish and English, however, are generally tied to Turkey in setting, background, character and theme, exploring many issues related - but certainly not limited to - Turkey. Elif Şafak is one of the authors recently prosecuted (and acquitted) under Article 301, a law making it illegal to insult “Turkishness.” This law is quite controversial, and currently under revision to some degree.

You can also listen to this May 2006 BBC interview with Elif about her novel The Gaze, writing in English, nationalism, and her childhood.

Representations of Istabul - images of the East and West

Often described as a city “straddling the East and the West,” Istanbul has been and remains a much sought after, yet perhaps frustratingly unclassifiable, idea and geographical space. An ancient city passed through and inhabited by numerous cultures, the ideas and concepts of East, West, Europe, Asia, Religion, and Secularism dominate many discussions and representations of this present-day urban and cultural space.

Travelers, writers, artists, and other observers and observer/participants love to speak of the “meeting of the east and the west” in the city of Istanbul. The boundaries of the city do indeed expand into both Europe and Asia, separated by the Bosphorus. This oft advertised trivia is almost a tag line for Istanbul itself, adding an air of mystery to a city that is familiar yet exotic for many Western travelers. Who wouldn’t love to just pop over to Asia for lunch, or run over for a quick shopping trip in Europe?

Perhaps one aspect of this preoccupation with East and West and definition is encouraged by the seemingly “contradictory” currents in the city and throughout Turkish cultures. Many political scientists marvel at the ability of a majority Muslim populace to maintain a secular government. Many travelers include Istanbul on their whirlwind European tours; others include a visit to Turkey on trips through the Middle East. Those expecting the pink evening skyline of Istanbul, speckled with minarets and domes, to definitively reflect its residents may be disappointed or even dismayed. Observers and visitors often find it odd to find two women walking side by side if one wears and veil and one does not. While I understand the source of this amazement and confusion, I think seeing these pieces solely as contradiction is a bit off mark, a bit of an exercise in forcing a definition in relation to other more familiar places and spaces.

It takes only a short walk, such a stroll down the Galata Bridge crossing the Golden Horn, to realize that Istanbul is not simply a collection of similarly digestible neighborhoods. The sum of many trends, influences and districts, Istanbul can be quite elusive in terms of categorization. I do not wish to pin down this elusively, here and in later posts, but instead celebrate it. Feel free to join in.

My first view of Istanbul - a personal introduction

I can tell the story of how I came to this city in my sleep. As it is one of the first things people ask, it was the first story I was able to communicate somewhat comfortably, although never flawlessly, in Turkish. İlk önce öğrenci olarak geldim, Şubat 2006′nda. Ondan sonra…

I first came to Istanbul on an exchange program to Bogazici University for the last semester of my undergraduate education.

Perhaps it was the city, perhaps it was the quarter-life crisis, but after graduation, I stayed around; a few apartments, a few jobs, a few social circles later, I still call Istanbul home. It is a common story, I hear, among those who move to Istanbul from other countries and cities and cultures. Something about the city. Or perhaps something about those who come to it.

And yet at the same time I still feel totally new to this space - far from fluent in navigating its backstreets and customs, somehow always off-beat in its daily routes and routines, living in a haze of partial understanding of all that goes on around me. Many times I blend in with ease, but when I do not, I am often granted generous pardons, as those given to children who don’t know any better.

So I ask you to read this not as a definitive city guide but instead as a project in progress. If one could momentarily humor my desire for rhyme - inspirations, representations, and contemplations of the city.