The Vain Vane

By Jirair Tutunjian, 07 December 2024

Surprisingly Arab governments and public were shocked by Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s conspiracy with his “arch enemy” Benjamin Netanyahu to bring down President Bashar el-Assad of Syria, a key supporter of the Palestinian and Hezbollah resistance against Israeli occupation of Palestine. Erdogan, whose propaganda machine presents him as a supporter of Palestinians, was unmasked last week as a modern Judah when Syrian rebels (a gaggle of rebranded Al-Qaida and ISIS terrorists who call themselves Hayat Tahrir el Shams) took Aleppo and Hama as they headed south to take Damascus. Most likely funded by the U.S., the terrorists had been trained in Turkey and provided intelligence, weapons and war paraphernalia by Turkey to defeat Assad. It’s also likely Turkey sent its own soldiers to Syria. For example, when the statue of el-Assad’s brother was toppled the Muslim terrorists celebrating the crashing of the statue were shouting in Turkish. Why would an Arab terrorist express himself in Turkish?

The Arab surprise is surprising because anyone who spends an hour researching Erdogan’s record will conclude the man has more faces than a cracked mirror.

Erdogan has, more than once, said Turkey has no designs on its neighbors. In the same breath, he has threatened Greece, Cyprus, Armenia, and Syria. His army has also made forays into Iraq. He has made no secret that he longs for a facsimile of the execrable Ottoman Empire which would dominate the Middle East.

While struggling to convince Europeans that Turkey is a West-leaning democracy Erdogan blackmailed the EU by charging a $6 billion “ransom” to prevent 3.6 million refugees from moving to Europe through Turkey.

Erdogan’s Turkey is second, after China, in the number of jailed journalists. Ataturk II has seized control of the courts and the organization that oversees elections. It has passed laws to censor comments on social media platforms and even charged a 13-year-old boy for making anti-Erdogan comments on social media.

Erdogan’s government owns 90% of Turkey’s media. During the last election he received 32 hours of air time on the state-run TV network while his rival received 32 minutes. His rival (Kemal Kilicdaroglu) called the election “the most unjust ever.” Erdogan’s government has shuttered 180 media outlets and imprisoned 120 journalists, His government indicted 30,000 civil servants and has fired an unknown number of judges. He also confiscated the assets of over 40,000 dissenters. “Democratic” Erdogan also demonstrated his misogyny at an international women’s conference in Istanbul.

The man who has reigned Turkey for two decades has said: “Democracy is like a train. You ride it until you arrive at your destination. Then you step off.”

Although his knowledge of economics can hardly fill a thimble, Erdogan has devised uniquely impractical economic “solutions” intended to pull back Turkey from the economic precipice.

NATO member Turkey’s leader has been playing footsie with President Vladimir Putin and has asked Russia to sponsor Turkey’s application to join BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).

While benefiting to the tune of billions of dollars from the European Union’s financial largesse, concessions and markets, Erdogan has publicly insulted/threatened the leaders of EU member states. He even insulted his main patron…the former Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.

While professing to lead a modest religious life, Erdogan built a $600 million Presidential Palace which is the biggest residence of any head of state. Erdogan and his “modest” wife (parading in an Islamic scarf) enjoy shopping sprees at high-end European stores.

While professing to back the Palestinians, Erdogan has allowed the transport of Azerbaijani oil to Israel through Turkish pipelines. The fuel amounts to 40% of Israel’s war needs.

There’s no point in citing the number of times Erdogan has threatened Israel and insulted Benjamin Netanyahu since Oct. 7, 2023. He has also said if Israel invades Lebanon, Turkish troops would enter Lebanon to defend that country. As we know, there was no peep from Erdogan when the IDF entered southern Lebanon a few weeks ago.

Erdogan famously also lies about his ethnic roots. This so-called ur-Turk is not Turk. Although he claims his parents were Turks who had immigrated to Turkey from Georgia, there is credible evidence (by a Turkish historian) which reveals Erdogan’s parents were ethnic Greeks from Pontus. When they moved to Istanbul, they settled in Beyoglu (Pera) neighborhood where most of Istanbul’s Greeks lived. He now lies that his family lived in the Kasimpasa Turkish neighborhood. When he was a teenager, Erdogan worked for a Greek shopkeeper. But the best evidence that Erdogan lies about his Greek origins is the identity of his grandfather. The man was a member of nationalist Greeks who fought Ottoman oppression in the 19^th century. The Turkish historian, who was researching Ottoman tax books, noticed that next to Erdogan Sr.’s name was the notation: “Islamized.” The grandfather’s Greek name meant rebel. Rebel against Ottoman Turkey.

But amazingly, despite his mountain of duplicitous acts and words Erdogan has retained his mask. The above revelations have been water off a duck’s back; despite his mendacity and multiple crimes (oppression, megalomania, aggression against Alevis, Armenians, Iraqis, Kurds, Syrians, and the Yezidis) the world maintains a blind eye to Erdogan’s criminal shenanigans.

But it’s now possible Erdogan’s “enchanted” career is about to shatter: A few weeks ago Turkish demonstrators accused him of providing Israel with fuel so that Zionist forces could continue their genocide of Palestinians. Erdogan’s clandestine cooperation with fascist Netanyahu to back the rebranded Al-Qaida, ISIS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Jaysh al-Watan and other murderous riffraff to attack Syria exposed Erdogan-Turkey as Judas writ large. Erdogan’s strategic blunder revealed to Arab states (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the Emirates, Jordan) and to Iran  Erdogan’s imperial ambitions to revive the Ottoman Empire and occupy the Arab Middle East. Following Erdogan’s support for the “warriors” who relish beheading innocent civilians, Arab leaders and public are furious and have lost faith in the Vain Vane. They have finally realized Erdogan was always ready to stab the Arabs in the back.

Erdogan’s and Turkey’s treachery should not be considered a surprise. Turks, who among themselves refer to Arabs as “eshekler” (donkeys), dream of retaking Arab Middle East in imitation of the corrupt and-psychotic sultans who oppressed the Arabs for 400 years. Meanwhile, Erdogan’s buddy in the Kremlin has learned the true nature of Erdogan. Ditto the Iranians, the Chinese…