The balance sheet of Gaza via Davos

As always, everyone is talking all at once but the general attitude is quite positive. A spirit of national unity regarding Erdoğan’s historic reaction is there. And this is frightening actually. If liberal and openly fascist columnists and politicians are coming together on the ground of national proud, one should get suspicious about it. But we better leave the analysis of this national pride course to social psychologists. What could this state of spirit that appeared as if an atmosphere of a national football game bring Turkey? What this way of claiming its spot in the world not by human development but by rhetorical lash outs, bring Turkey? What would be the consequences of the sentence, "You cannot make rude gestures to our prime minister, especially if you are Jewish," and of Erdoğan’s response to Peres?

The effect for now seems to be an advantage on the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. In addition to those who were satisfied by Erdoğan’s scolding there are said to be others who joined to the choir at the Yeşilköy Airport while waiting prime minister’s epic return from Davos, and who would vote for the government party in the March 29 local elections. Some even are said to be getting prepared to become an AKP member. Polls taken after the Davos incident give similar results. Some other observers keep saying that the Davos incident was a sheer electoral engineering by AKP which is dreadfully concerned to see the negative impacts of the global economic crisis over the local elections.

Following Davos drama some columnists suggested that governments international mediation role is now getting stronger. So they exaggerated a bit and declared that Turkey has replaced Iran in the Middle East. The translation of this new development could be: Since Iran provides financial aid and arms to Hamas so will Turkey from now on; therefore, will include Hamas in its existing military relations with Israel based on the principle of equal treatment! You never know, perhaps Hamas will even have access to Israeli arms via Turkey! This absurd scenario for now is like music to the ear but is waiting for the decisions to be reached after Hamas leader Khaled Mashal’s contacts in the Iranian capital Tehran in the beginning of the week. Most probably though Hamas and Iran have already decided for a role for Turkey as the most eager actor in the Middle East.

Reading foreign repercussions right
Repercussions, perception and the effect of the Davos incident is very different abroad. Arab adoration of Erdoğan stems from his being an unconditional Hamas supporter from now on, not from his efforts as mediator. What I mean by Arabs are those not against Hamas and Iran.

As for the repercussions of the Davos incident in the world, if we sweep negative reactions aside perhaps the only thing that could be registered as income on the balance sheet is that Erdoğan has gone beyond the customary rules adopted since decades by the international community in the face of Israeli arrogance, preferring to remain silent. He managed to speak out the things that have been kept inside by many. But his being straight forward has indirectly cured his government’s chronic mediation disease since 2005 and has placed Turkey into a very different frame. This new frame could be the resurrection of the Islamic caliphate or Erdoğan becoming the new Nasser of the Muslim world, as suggested by some weird commentators.

And plausibility of course. It has been written so many times but it is better to repeat once again. Erdoğan’s ethical move has no equivalent for Turkey. Or it has, regarding hardships Turks/Sunnis/Muslims are subjected to. The Prime Minister is having a hand-shake with Hamas but he cannot do it with the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP, in Turkey. Erdoğan’s sensitivity toward the injustice and atrocity in the world is limited with those committed against Sunni Muslims, on one condition though: if they are kept away from Turkey. For instance, Iraqi Sunni Arab asylum seekers are not welcome in Turkey. As for the Muslims slaughtered by Muslims in Darfur, there is a serious discernment problem. The prime minister again mocking the international community hosted a dinner for Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, aide to the Sudanese President Bashir who is being charged for genocide, on Tuesday night. During the bilateral talks, U.N. Security Council member Turkey was apparently asked to ’protect’ President Bashir from international indictment for crime against humanity and it was conveyed to the Sudanese official that Turkey is ready to mediate for bringing peace into Darfur... It’s like a joke, isn’t it?