Choosing Hegemony: Turkey, NATO and the Path to War
by Eric Draitser
<
http://www.globalresearch.ca> Global Research, August 2, 2012
As the destabilization of Syria has evolved over the course of the last year
and a half, what has become apparent to political observers is the seeming
incongruity of Turkey’s role in the region. While Ankara has attempted in
recent years to establish itself as a force for political and economic
change and progress, it has also assumed the role of a NATO attack dog,
becoming a crucial weapon in the arsenal of the Western imperialists. While
Turkey’s actions in Syria, in particular the
<
http://www.rt.com/news/syria-rebel-base-turkey-qatar-230/> sponsorship and
coordination of terrorists, must be vigorously condemned, it is also
important to note the geopolitical and economic issues at stake for Turkey.
In doing so, those of us around the world who reject imperialist meddling
and destabilization, who stand in opposition to Western hegemony and proxy
states, must help push Turkey back onto the path of peace and progress.
Turkey’s Role in Syria
Anyone who has followed the evolution of the imperialist aggression against
Syria has undoubtedly noted the insidious role that Turkey has played. From
a diplomatic perspective, Ankara has led the charge in
<
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/al-assad-cannot-stand-against-peoples-will
-turkeys-pm.aspx?pageID=238&nID=21130&NewsCatID=338> demonizing the Assad
regime, saying that it “stands against the will of the Syrian people” and is
“killing its own people.” However, the reality is that Turkey, along with
its collaborators in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon and elsewhere, have done
more to fan the flames of violence and instability than the Assad regime
ever could.
First and foremost, one must examine the overt sponsorship and hosting of
international terrorists on Turkish soil. As
<
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/27/us-syria-crisis-centre-idUSBRE86Q
0JM20120727> Reuters and other news outlets reported last week, Turkey has
been operating a terrorist base in Adana, in the vicinity of US-NATO’s base
at <
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incirlik_Air_Base> Incirlik. It is from
this base (and others, to be sure) that many of the terrorists have been
funneled into Syria. Moreover, these terrorists are not strictly Syrians
trying to destabilize their own country. In fact, the majority of those
operating from the Turkish base are from Libya, Chechnya, Qatar, and
elsewhere. Essentially then, it is clear that, at the behest of Saudi Arabia
and Qatar, under the command and control of the Turkish military and
intelligence apparatus, the destabilization of Syria has been led. So, it
would be fair to say that Turkey has been at the forefront of the attack on
its neighbor, acting as a willing partner of NATO, complicit in countless
horrendous war crimes perpetrated against the people of Syria.
Hosting and operating terror networks is not the only way in which Ankara
has played an instrumental role in exacerbating the conflict. In an article
entitled
<
http://ericdraitser.podbean.com/articles/war-at-any-cost-another-manufactur
ed-pretext-for-war-with-syria/> “War at Any Cost: Another Manufactured
Pretext for War with Syria”, I analyzed the way in which the Erdogan
government attempted to use the downing of one of its jets as a
legitimization of war against its neighbor. In the ensuing weeks, and after
careful investigation, it has become clear that, at the very least, the
Turkish jet had violated Syrian airspace and that the military acted within
the confines of international law in their response. It was the rhetoric of
Erdogan, Davotoglu and others that was more instructive however. In the
aftermath of this event,
<
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/26/turkey-threatens-syria-retaliat
ion> Erdogan threatened military action against Syria, claiming that the
military might pose a threat. Of course, this should be taken to mean that
Turkey would have taken upon itself the right to interpret the military of a
sovereign state acting within its own borders as a threat, a clear violation
of the principles of international relations and law. Essentially, the
entire episode with the downing of the jet demonstrated the fact that
Erdogan and Co. were willing to allow themselves to be used as NATO’s dagger
against Assad.
One integral element of the destabilization campaign has been the use of
foreign “diplomatic” entities, primarily the so-called Syrian National
Council to act as the ostensible voice of the opposition, while in fact
being the mouthpiece of US-NATO. The SNC, led by foundation-funded Western
proxies such as <
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassma_kodmani> Bassma
Kodmani, advocates regime change in Syria and supports the loose collection
of terror groups and death squads operating under the moniker of the “Free
Syrian Army” (FSA). The Council has been hosted by Turkey, receiving
financial and diplomatic support from Ankara. This dubious entity has failed
to unite the opposition, its one US-NATO delegated task, and has instead
become a lightning rod for criticism from much of the international
community. It has become clear in recent months that the SNC is, in fact,
composed of a number of factions including the Muslim Brotherhood, which has
been
<
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/world/middleeast/cia-said-to-aid-in-steer
ing-arms-to-syrian-rebels.html?pagewanted=all> implicated in weapons
smuggling along the Syria-Turkey border in tandem with the CIA. In addition,
the SNC and their Turkish hosts have attempted to foment chaos in Syria
using discontented Kurdish elements, many of whom view the SNC and the
dismantling of the Syrian state as a prelude to Kurdish independence.
Essentially, the Syrian National Council (and, to a lesser degree, the Free
Syrian Army) could not exist were it not for overt support, both financial
and diplomatic, of the Turkish government.
What the Turkish government has called “support for the Syrian people” has,
in fact, become support for international terror networks. It is now public
knowledge that Al Qaeda is operating on Turkish soil near the Syrian border,
using Turkey as a safe haven and command center from which to launch
incursions into Syria. As
<
http://landdestroyer.blogspot.com/2012/07/us-treasury-al-qaeda-runs-syrian.
html> Tony Cartalucci points out however, this trend is nothing new.
Cartalucci points to the famous New Yorker article by Seymour Hersh entitled
<
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/03/05/070305fa_fact_hersh?currentPa
ge=all> “The Redirection”, in which Hersh states:
"To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration
has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In
Lebanon, the Administration has cooperated with Saudi Arabia’s government,
which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken
Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also
taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A
by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist
groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America
and sympathetic to Al Qaeda."
Here we see the complicity of the United States and its proxies in the
region in organizing and unleashing Al Qaeda as a weapon against its
enemies. Turkey has merely allowed itself to be made into a staging ground
for this type of destabilization, precisely what the Assad regime has argued
since the beginning of the conflict. Aside from Al Qaeda, the
<
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4256187,00.html> Muslim
Brotherhood and other terror networks have been mobilized in Turkey in order
to smash the Syrian state. The attempt was to topple the Assad regime and
put, in its place, a government more amenable to US designs for a new Arab
World, one that would be subservient to Western imperialism for another half
century. What has taken place however, has been quite the opposite. Instead
of destroying Syria and the regime in Damascus, it is the terrorists and
their handlers in Ankara, Riyadh, and Washington who have had to backpedal
as Damascus has executed a successful counter-terrorism strategy and
maintained control of the country.
Geopolitics and Rationalizing the Subversion
Many times since the destabilization of Syria began, keen political
observers have wondered what Turkey hopes to gain from fomenting chaos over
the border. In addressing this perplexing question, one begins to gain
insight into more than Turkey’s reasons for doing so; one begins to explore
the Turkish mindset. For years, Turkey has maintained a “Zero Problems”
policy with its neighbors, essentially preferring to have relations with all
regional players, from Israel to Syria and Iran. However, as the
<
http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/turkey-rethinks-good-neighbor-
policy/> NY Times points out, this strategy has changed in recent years,
particularly under the leadership of Erdogan and current Foreign Minister
Davutoglu. With them at the helm, Turkey has instead chosen to allow itself
to become NATO’s enforcer, doing the dirty work of imperialism including
diplomatic attacks, terrorism, and countless other equally horrendous forms
of subversion. In doing so, the ruling establishment in Ankara has bought
into NATO’s insidious tenets of hegemony and domination.
The Turkish government seems to have succumbed to a form of hubris or, as
some might argue, the hysteria of power. Erdogan, Davutoglu and others have
chosen to try to make Turkey into a regional hegemon capable of dominating
its neighbors economically, politically, and militarily. However, what they
seem to have failed to realize is that Turkey itself is a fragile state,
created less than a century ago and comprised of a number of ethnic groups
at odds with each other. As author and historian
<
http://ericdraitser.podbean.com/interviews/interview-webster-tarpley-07-30-
12/> Webster Tarpley has pointed out, “Turkey has been bought off by the
Anglo-American elite and created a situation where the risk and possible
rewards are entirely out of proportion.” Indeed, it would seem that the
ruling establishment in Ankara has made the proverbial “deal with the
devil”, eschewing the rational and sound “zero problems” policy in favor of
an “endless problems” policy espoused by NATO and its masters on Wall St.
and in London.
Playing a Dangerous Game
Turkey is risking quite a lot in attempting to destroy the Assad regime and,
with it, the Syrian state. First and foremost is the immediate blowback from
the destruction of its neighbor. Undoubtedly, the Kurdish minority in
Turkey, which makes up more than a quarter of the total population, will
then become more difficult to manage, uniting with their Syrian cousins and
beginning to cause unrest inside Turkey which has, for decades, been
fighting a perpetual separatist movement in the Kurdish areas. The
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pkk> Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been
engaged in terrorist activities in Turkey for years and, with the
destruction of Syria, would likely emerge as a much more immediate threat to
the safety and security of Turkey. Essentially then, Turkey’s
destabilization of Syria would, quite predictably, grow to destabilize
Turkey itself.
Secondly, Turkey risks very lucrative and long-standing economic ties with
Russia and China. Because of their belligerent position vis-à-vis Syria,
Turkey might jeopardize precisely those relations which stand to benefit its
economy and people most. With regard to Russia, Turkey has important
development deals that must be understood. Most prominent among these is the
proposed
<
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-269869-turkey-and-russia-develop-strategic-
alliance.html> Mersin Akkuyu nuclear power deal signed by Moscow and Ankara
worth upwards of $20 billion. This represents the largest single Russian
investment anywhere outside of the Russian Federation. Moreover, this deal
would move Turkey forward in the fields of energy production and high
technology, both of which are crucial for the maintenance and building of an
advanced economy in the 21st Century. Likewise,
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Stream_pipeline> the South Stream
Pipeline, long seen as integral to the economic futures of both Russia and
Turkey, could be in jeopardy. Additionally, the establishment of the High
Level Cooperation Council (UDIK) under Medvedev sought to bring together the
diplomatic and political leadership of the two countries to
<
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-269869-turkey-and-russia-develop-strategic-
alliance.html> jointly work toward building a common economic destiny. This
could be the beginning of tremendous economic and geopolitical progress for
Russia and Turkey, progress which is likely to be stymied by Ankara’s
incomprehensible folly in Syria.
Lastly, Turkey continues to look towards membership in the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO), dominated by Russia and China. Because of
the economic crisis in Europe and cloudy future of the EU more generally,
Turkey has put the brakes on possible full integration with Europe and,
instead, chosen to focus on the SCO.
<
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_07_27/Turkey-opts-for-SCO/> Just this week,
Erdogan explained that his country is looking more and more to integration
into the SCO instead of the EU. Naturally, Moscow and Beijing will not allow
a NATO attack dog state into the SCO and so, as with many other issues,
Turkey risks their opportunity to integrate themselves into the “developing
world” of the BRICS and SCO solely because they’ve allowed themselves to be
hoodwinked by US-NATO.
Turkey would do well to look at its own past to find the wisdom that will
light the path back to a sound foreign policy, back to progress and reason.
Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey once said, “Unless a nation’s life
faces peril, war is murder.” The truth and meaning of this statement must
not be underestimated. In fact, Turkey had to learn the hard way that the
path to progress is fraught with challenges; that notions of empire and
hegemony must be shed in order to better the lives of the people. In this
case, we must think not only of the lives of Turkish people, but of Syrians
as well and, for that matter, all people of the world. In so doing, it is
important to remember that no good can come to Turkey or the region if they
continue down the path of subversion, terrorism, and destruction in Syria.
As Ataturk famously said, “Peace at home, peace in the world.” Hopefully,
these words are not entirely forgotten in Turkey today.
Eric Draitser is an independent geopolitical analyst that maintains
<
http://www.stopimperialism.com/> StopImperialism.com, which hosts his
weekly podcast. He has been a guest on Dr. Webster Tarpley's World Crisis
Radio and has provided analysis on Russia Today.
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Received on Thu Aug 02 2012 - 15:17:30 EDT
