Who is directing Turkey?

Mümtazer Türköne

Vice Adm. Kadir Sağdıç, who is a suspect in the Sledgehammer (Balyoz) case and is currently being held under arrest, answers the question, “Who is running Turkey?” with the response, “We are.” The Balyoz case is one that includes numerous different conspiracies and attempted murders. And Sağdıç is one of the most important suspects in this case.

Alright, so should we be taking his assertion, “We are directing Turkey,” seriously? If we interpret these words as meaning, “We are directing important developments and discussions,” then clearly there is a larger and important reality we are facing here.

The court decision on the Hrant Dink case brought all of Turkey to its feet. The societal conscience is damaged, and it is making its feelings known. Everyone is certain that, in fact, despite the court decision, there was an organized effort involved to murder Dink. But who and what is this organization? It is known to be Ergenekon, an assertion with which few would argue. And yet, we face a certain discrepancy on this front: All of the Ergenekon supporters out there actually laid the blame on the government when the Dink decision was revealed.

The Hrant Dink case is just one example. As a basic strategy, Ergenekon aims to denigrate the justice system in general. It accuses all of the decisions coming from this system as being one-sided or unjust. It alleges that, in fact, the justice system operates under orders coming from the government. This is the same strategy implemented by likeminded opposition parties.

The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, with the help of developments taking place in the Ergenekon case, has been able to gain control over the influence of coup supporters in the military. The fact that 58 generals and, perhaps most importantly, a former chief of General Staff have been arrested is in itself enough of a deterrent to any future coup planners. But it is not enough to dissuade them altogether. According to some of the simple calculations made by the military on the balance of power, it would be possible to regain power if and when the ruling party changes its own calculations. After all, coup calculations and plots are not based on realistic analyses that take society or the economy as their base. For coup planners, society is something that can be directed and guided by way of psychological operations. As for the economy, this can be directed by pulling at least part of the private sector to their own side.

When one considers the various techniques used by coup plotters in creating national agendas and using psychological warfare to direct society, Vice Adm. Kadir Sağdıç’s words become clearer in terms of meaning. But then, which of the various topics on the agenda these days in Turkey are the work of coup plotters trying to run Turkey from prison? It is clear now that all the news about the chasm growing between the government and the Gülen Movement, as well as the arguments aimed at reducing the esteem and respect held for the justice system, are in fact the creations of Ergenekon supporters.

There are no actual coup conditions in place in Turkey. Even if some members of the junta were to attempt a coup and actually grab control, they wouldn’t last in power for more than a few weeks. Our rich economic and societal dynamism simply would not stand for this. At the same time though, let me remind my readers of an anecdote: A crazy man thinks he is a stalk of wheat. After a long period of treatment at a local mental hospital, he is finally persuaded that he is in fact not a stalk of wheat. As he is leaving the hospital for good, he asks his doctors, “I know now I am not a stalk of wheat. But will the chickens out there also know this?” If we were to place the coup supporters in the place of the chickens, this would kind of sum up Turkey’s situation.

It is the government that is directing Turkey. There is an atmosphere of democracy and freedom in place. For five years now, criminal groups within the state have not been carrying out mysterious murders. Basic rights and freedoms are secure. And the justice system is rendering independent decisions.

If anyone claims the opposite, he or she is simply falling victim to Ergenekon propaganda.

Published on Today's Zaman, 23 January 2012, Monday

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