The culprit
How lucky is Turkey that finally it found the mastermind of all evil who has been hampering the prosperity of the country, derailing all-right foreign policy strategies devised by Ahmet Davutoğlu, as well as the Kurdish opening moves of Beşir Atalay, and condemning to failure whatever was good for the country.
Does anyone remember what happened on the night of Dec. 28, 2011, when Turkish jets bombarded a group of smuggler-villagers outside Uludere village on the border with Syria, killing 34 people? Now, it has become clear who orchestrated that massacre. Then Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu proudly declared that it was he who ordered the downing of the Russian jet last November. Now, Hoca is claiming that he admitted responsibility because as prime minister he was required to act that way but indeed he was sure now that it was the same “Gülenist terrorist gang” that downed the Russian jet in hopes of landing prospering Turkish-Russian relations in a deep crisis.
Relations with Israel were apparently spoiled as well by the same “terrorist Gülenists.” Did the dedicated efforts of the almighty, all-powerful, absolute ruler to normalize relations with Israel play a role in the Gülenist elements in the military attempting to stage that failed coup attempt? Indeed, the big eyed, tall, bald and bold and absolute powerful leader was yelling from the balcony of his extravagant palace that it was not a just coup attempt that the Turkish nation defeated by pouring onto the streets, filling squares and demonstrating their devotion to democracy, as the people indeed stopped a probable invasion of the country.
Well, which country or countries were to occupy and invade Turkey? He did not say that, but the Turkish intelligence that failed to report the start of the foiled coup to him until it got underway most probably presented him a thick intelligence report detailing the invasion plans of the “enemies.”
Gülenists who managed to escape the country were all trying to seek refuge in the United States, the country where Fethullah Gülen, leader of the Islamist fraternity, has been living as a “Lawful Permanent Resident” for almost past two decades. Now two officers at the Turkish military attache office in the Athens embassy were reported to be on the run, travelling to the U.S. to seek refuge there. Was the U.S. the “enemy” planning to invade Turkey? Was it because of this that senior government members continue to complain that the CIA was behind the coup and was anyway behind the Gülenist gang all along?
Were the Gülenists involved in the Greek occupation of Anatolia or were they among the people defending Gaziantep or were they on the French side? Were they collaborating with the British when Istanbul was de facto under their occupation in the waning years of the failed Ottoman Empire? With this mentality soon someone might come up with the claim that the serpent that convinced Eve – according to mythology – to eat the prohibited apple and tempt Adam to eat as well was probably the forefather of the terrorist Gülenists.
Needless to say this country and its people underwent an intense and unprecedented trauma on the night of July 15. For the first time in the history of the nation a group in the Turkish military staged a bloody coup, opened fire on Turkish people and even bombarded the Turkish parliament. Even the occupying enemies that came only about 40 kilometers away from Ankara during the War of Liberation did not attack the Turkish parliament. This trauma and the resulting psychological shock were exploited skillfully by the political machine that an oppressive climate of fear was created in the country. Anyone daring to criticize the president, government or complain of advances in consolidating autocracy or express concerns about revanchist witch-hunt type developments may found themselves accused of being a Gülenist, or a collaborator of terrorists.
Though the president and his men claim that they were not trying to take revenge for the July 15 coup attempt and the previous rampant charges of corruption, misuse of office and money laundering, prisons have been filled to such an extent that the government is considering adjustments to the serving of punishments. Of course Gülen supporters will not benefit from a probable reduction in prison terms.
Probably President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had the “Democracy Guard” of millions of Turks ended and thus his office and municipalities just stopped financing free dinner packets to millions of people gathering at squares every night, might now finance a free psychological treatment for the entire nation. It is obvious that in this roasting atmosphere we have all run off the rails…