Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/03/20/rip-anna-campbell.html
…
14 Likes
I have thought about doing what she’s done for a long time, and for similar reasons, but clearly I haven’t. What the Kurds are continuously creating in the midst of so much trouble is really inspiring, and so is Anna Campbell. Thanks for posting this.
14 Likes
It’s past time to kick Turkey out of NATO. Erdogan is a fundamentalist fascist who poses a threat to the entire region, and his government is one of the principal supports of ISIS. We should kick them out of NATO before they destroy it by starting a pro-terrorist war and demanding we back them.
6 Likes
It is not a matter of kicking Turkey out, but kicking Erdogan out.
2 Likes
Yes, because regime change has worked so well in the past, hasn’t it?
1 Like
Unfortunately, kicking Erdogan out won’t fix the problem. He’s a symptom, not the root cause. The root cause is the slow dismantling of Kemal Ataturk’s 80 year old separations between the Turkish state and Islam that allowed Erdogan to rise and accelerate the process.
If Erdogan were to disappear tomorrow, he would simply be replaced by another, more virulent Islamist.
8 Likes
My point is the country is not to blame. We should also wonder why the NATO and EU have tolerated (or even supported) Erdogan in power. Turkey is the last barrier between Europe and Middle East. A radical change there would be scary for many people. So as long as Erdogan is bombing ISIS and Assad (especially), the EU will be mute while they bomb the Kurdish too. Erdogan knows that, and will play this card without shame.
Not sure how Islamist his is, or he just plays this role to remind Europe he could always become their worst enemy. “Don’t criticize my dealings with the Kurdish, or I will just jump to the other side completely”
His actions match his words. He’s funneled education monies toward religious schools for a “more pious Turkey” .
He has also famously said, “There is no moderate Islam.”
Imagine Mike Pence if there were no “establishment” or “free exercise” clause to the US Constitution. In Turkey, those things were de facto preserved by the professional officer corps in the military. Erdogan has pre-emptively shut that option down. I fear there is little hope to prevent Turkey from heading down the path towards Islamism.
5 Likes
But you don’t see NATO discussing this. The West has a pragmatic approach to any radical tyrant, as long as such radical is an ally. Kicking Turkey out of NATO could mean losing their proxy doing their dirty job in the region, no?
In any case, I think we agree that Erdogan is the problem, not Turkey. So what can be done about it?
Let’s look at his political history
Three banned Islamist parties before getting his current party into government. If he is faking it, he has been doing it for over 35 years.
8 Likes
Greatness lies within one’s actions. Sleep well good person.
6 Likes
The country are it’s people - and they voted, repeatedly, for Erdogan. So … yes, the country is to blame.
5 Likes
No. His attitude towards Kurds is the attitude of the majority. Previous Turkish governments also virulently denied the Armenian Genocide, and that denial is also a majority opinion among Turks. I would say denial of something like that is tatamount to admitting that you want to do it again. Fuck Turkey.
4 Likes
I found a really great post on IGD with the scoop on what’s going on and the resistance and solidarity efforts worldwide:
https://itsgoingdown.org/what-you-need-to-know-about-afrin-and-march-24th/
1 Like
5 Likes
3 Likes
2 Likes
I’m getting a strong “Spain 1937” vibe.
2 Likes
