Hamas' October 7 attack against innocent civilians, women, and children enraged the Israelis (and rightly so; any decent person would have been upset). Still, a few weeks earlier, the Israelis themselves had supported the Turks and the Azerbaijanis in their slayings and ethnic cleansing of 120,000 Armenians from their ancestral land, Nagorno-Karabakh.
Our government, which declared war against international anarchy and championed a rule-based global order in its crusade against Russia, sadly remained idle amid the tragedy of the Artsakh Armenians.
Regrettably, our British counterparts who stand alongside us in our commitment to defend democracy and international law refrained from intervening to assist the Armenians, too. Their oil and gas investments in Azerbaijan and their relationship with Azerbaijani petro-dictator Heydar Aliyev were more important than saving human lives.
The loss of life in Palestine after Israel's disproportionate response to Hama's crimes enraged the Turks (and most of the world). The Turks, who have grandiose dreams of recreating the Ottoman Empire and leading the Muslim world, accused Israel of being a “terrorist state” and “an occupier.” Erdoğan even compared Netanyahu to Hitler. Yet the Turks support terrorist organizations, including ISIS and Hamas, and occupy parts of Cyprus and Syria. They bombard and kill innocent Kurdish and Yazidi women and children—all actions under NATO's cover.
Hamas, for the Turks, is not a terrorist organization, but the brave Kurds of YPG who help the United States in the war against ISIS are.
Turkey's refusal to join the rest of the NATO allies in the sanctions against Russia provides Putin with a lifeline and prolongs the war in Ukraine. Victoria Nuland, the neo-con from the Bush administration, visited Turkey this week. Not to twist Turkey's arms to align its policies with the other NATO allies in the war in Ukraine. Not to remind the Turks to end their human rights violations and abide by international law, but to give them a gift, F16 air fighters. And to tell them that if they behave and get rid of the S400 Russian missiles, they may also get F35s.
Meanwhile, in the United States, an American citizen, Enes Kanter, is under 24-hour watch by the FBI. The Turkish government put a $500,000 bounty on his head because he spoke against human rights abuses in Turkey.
In an exhibition that sheds light on Turkey's Social Genocide, Mesude Çamalan recounted her harrowing experience as a teacher associated with the Hizmet Movement in Turkey, facing persecution that led to a travel ban. To reunite her family, she made the difficult decision to cross the border with her 18-month-old son, Enes, hidden in a suitcase, sedated with a sleeping drug.
In Turkey, the regime continues to imprison journalists, oppress women, and brutalize the LGBTQ+ communities.
Back home, our focus is on the upcoming November election. The prevailing discourse revolves around donors – will they uphold her candidacy? How much money does each candidate have? Who has the most? Etc.
As I pondered the state of our democracy, a question loomed in my mind: How has money become intertwined with our political system? My thoughts turned to the examples of former President Jimmy Carter and Senator Bernie Sanders—two rare beacons of political honesty. The realization struck me: It is a plutocracy, plain and simple.
Plutocracy, indeed, but still better than most other countries. Even my Republican cousin Joanna concurred on this point. But hold your horses; we are better than most, not all countries. Donald Trump learned this the hard way from the Norwegians.
'No, thanks': Norwegians pooh-pooh Trump's crude invitation to emigrate
In the Iowa caucus, 41% of Republican voters who supported Trump cited a shared set of values as their reason. The question arises: what values are being referred to here? Is it the act of holding the Bible upside down, the marginalization of women, or the traits associated with a malignant narcissist?
According to studies, Trump exhibits malignant narcissism, a diagnosis coined by Erich Fromm to explain the psychology of dictators. Beyond typical narcissistic traits, Trump's condition combines narcissism with paranoia, sociopathy, and sadism, making it more difficult. This amalgamation, described by Fromm as the “quintessence of evil,” surpasses mere narcissistic personality disorder, defining a potent and dangerous psychopathological profile. (John Gartner, et al., Rocket Man: Nuclear Madness and the Mind of Donald Trump (2018))
Walking to the neighborhood supermarket, I often encounter a young migrant family seated on the sidewalk. A couple and their three adorable children, one boy and two girls. Near them was a shopping bag on which they wrote “HELP.” Their facial expressions showed the children derived greater joy at receiving lollypops and candy than money. It is almost heartwarming to witness these little ones cherishing such simple delights. Who could have said that these angels from heaven poison “the blood of our country”? Only a madman.
Just a short stroll from where this precious family sits lies the school of my childhood. There, our teachers instilled in us a deep admiration for our president, emphasizing their inherent goodness. Being a person of integrity was a fundamental prerequisite for aspiring to the presidency. Yet, I cannot help but wonder: what has transpired to alter or diminish this once-prominent prerequisite?