The best interests of Turkey lie with Turkey and its people- the empire and its imperial interests notwithstanding.
I am sure many of you are familiar with Paul Revere’s famed midnight ride, which took place 239 years ago. It has been claimed that Paul Revere shouted the following legendary phrase as he passed from town to town: “The British are coming!” Reading the latest mainstream media headlines and highly charged lengthy articles on the coming local Turkish elections makes me think of a modified version of Paul Revere’s famous phrase: “Alert, alert, the Turkish local elections are coming!” With no recognition that this is about Turkey, or the Turkish people, or Turkey’s own local elections, but instead just a highly manic and propaganda-reeked style meant to induce tension and divisiveness.
Over 50 million Turkish citizens will be casting their ballots in local elections on Sunday- in less than 12 hours. They will be voting on mayors and local parliaments, however, the ballot results will also affect Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his party’s political future. Turkey has been in a special situation due to recent scandals, external influences, and a polarizing rift between Erdogan’s supporters and opponents, thus, the coming local elections are deemed significant with major consequences.
With the endless stream of externally produced and circulated propaganda, corruption claims, new leaks and scandals, in addition to the escalating war of attrition between the AKP and the CIA-supported Fethullah Gulen’s network, Sunday’s election has enormous significance for the Turkish people.
While all of these facts and circumstances explain the current tension and developing circumstances in Turkey and for the Turkish people, not many facts are being provided for the equally, if not more, vehement and aggressive positions, actions and counteractions assumed by outside nations and groups. After all, it is Turkey and it is Turkey’s local elections. Allow me to provide a few examples taken from many hundreds in the last couple of weeks:
The media arms of the imperial west have rolled up their sleeves to serve the imperial interests. The headline from Financial Times reads: Turkey must look beyond Erdogan! Financial Times’ twin brother in arms for the empire screams: An increasingly autocratic prime minister is losing touch with voters and damaging his country! The Langley Media Gate, Washington Post, foams at the mouth: Turkey’s prime minister acts desperately to hold onto his power!
The US Congress, long in acceptance of the most severe human rights violations by ‘friendly & ally’ nations (aka our own puppet regimes) such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and many more, begins to take issue and assume a ‘tough’ stance with Turkey in a strategically timed move: Senators Introduce Resolution Condemning Turkey for Blocking Twitter and YouTube .
This is mirrored by the imperial US’ imperial partners in Europe: EU officials react to Turkey’s YouTube ban and Judy Asks: Is Erdoğan Abandoning Democracy? That’s right. EU powers with vested interests have been equally up in arms. Carnegie’s European branch predicts in its wishful thinking: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Shallow Version of Democracy Will Falter .
Israeli media echo the same message: Something is rotten in Erdogan’s kingdom The Times of Israel paints and mocks the Turkish Prime Minister: Erdogan’s fight against a shadow enemy! So does the Arab Monarchy tied publication Al Jazeera: Erdogan’s ‘megalomaniac’ projects. Al-Monitor mimics similar lines: Turkey loses democracy at home, reputation in Mideast
With almost 200 countries in the world, the majority of which are characterized as dictatorships, with several major international conflicts such as Syria and Ukraine, dozens of bloody ethnic wars around the world, why in the world is there so much focus and interference with one nation’s recent struggle with what is supposed to be ‘internal’ conflicts? Why in the world so many actions and so much propaganda creation targeting this one nation- Turkey? Why so much attention on and meddling in what is supposed to be a sovereign nation’s own internal elections?
The United States’ interests are not the same as the interests of the Turkish people and the form of government that may represent their interests. US’ interests lie with its own imperial and absolute objectives, and with the interests of its 1% that profits from its global affairs, aggressions and violations.
Same with imperial Europe-They have zero concern when it comes to the stakes and consequences faced and suffered by the Turkish people. The EU is interested only in its own imperial web, interests and stakes.
Israel’s interests do not in any way or form include the interests of the Republic of Turkey and its people. They never did, and never will. Same goes for the puppet autocratic Arab regimes installed by and under the thumbs of their Western masters.
The coming local elections are the internal affairs of Turkey and the Turkish people. It will be their call; as it should be. Similarly, the results, all stakes and consequences of tomorrow’s elections are theirs to face and deal with. The best interests of Turkey lie with Turkey and its people, and tomorrow is the time and opportunity for the Turks to claim and prove their own sovereignty as they choose- the empire and its imperial interests notwithstanding.
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Sibel Edmonds is the Publisher & Editor of Boiling Frogs Post and the author of the Memoir Classified Woman: The Sibel Edmonds Story. She is the recipient of the 2006 PEN Newman’s Own First Amendment Award for her “commitment to preserving the free flow of information in the United States in a time of growing international isolation and increasing government secrecy” Ms. Edmonds has a MA in Public Policy and International Commerce from George Mason University, a BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology from George Washington University.