A12
S
KLMNO
THE WORLD
A growing force
in Turkey: skeptics
Military’s grip on secular democracy slips
by Janine Zacharia
in istanbul
ince the Turkish republic’s founding 87 years ago, the military has stood as un- questioned guardian of secular democracy, intervening when it deemed necessary to keep reli- gion out of politics in this over- whelmingly Muslim nation. But now, battered by allega- tions of corruption and scandal, the authority of the once-unchal- lenged military is being whittled away by an increasingly assertive and confident public. The critics are a diverse array of democracy advocates, head-scarf-wearing Muslim women, journalists and others who complain that the military’s grip on power has large- ly benefited wealthy and secular elites.
S
Old taboos are collapsing amid
the new questioning of a military- political order established by re- vered national founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Ceren Kenar, 25, a graduate student in Istanbul, re- called marching in the streets of Ankara to protest against a blunt military foray into domestic poli- tics in 2007. She said that when she wasn’t detained, “that was the moment I knew Turkey had changed.” Turks now freely discuss and criticize the military. Most re- markably, senior officers, once immune from any kind of pros- ecution, have been arrested in an alleged conspiracy to oust Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party from power.
A secret organization
The officers are accused of tak-
ing part in an underground or- ganization, known as Ergenekon, that allegedly plotted to over- throw Erdogan after he was elect- ed in 2002. The arrests have deep- ly demoralized and rattled the military upon which Washington
depends. The United States wants Turkey to continue with democratic re- forms, but it also wants its mili- tary to remain a strong, reliable ally in the region. President Oba- ma signaled the importance of Turkey — which borders Iran, Iraq and Syria — a year ago when he made it his first international destination as president. After visiting Ataturk’s tomb, Obama told the Turkish parlia- ment that the founder’s “greatest legacy is Turkey’s strong and secu- lar democracy.’’ That legacy is at the heart of Turkey’s current pow- er struggle.
Erdogan is pushing a major overhaul that would amend the country’s 28-year-old military constitution with reforms includ- ing changes to statutes covering the prosecution of military offi- cers. In a recent poll, 58 percent of respondents said Turkey needs a civilian constitution compared with 20 percent who said it doesn’t. Three months ago, a law was passed limiting the military’s role to guard against external threats rather than perceived do- mestic ones. The Turkish military is not clearly controlled by civilian lead- ers — unlike that of the United States, where the president is commander in chief of the armed forces. “The Turkish army chief of staff
doesn’t consider himself subordi- nate to the minister of defense. He does not consider himself sub- ordinate to the prime minister, ei- ther,’’ said Yasemin Congar, 43 and editor of Taraf, the two-year- old Turkish newspaper that has broken most of the Ergenekon stories. “In Turkey, the elected govern- ments have never been the real power,’’ she said. “That’s what’s changing now. It’s kind of an un- written law that they always abide by the military. It’s the founder of the republic, guardian of the re-
SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010
BURHAN OZBILICI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
A power struggle between Turkey’s Islamic-rooted government and its secular military presents a defining moment for a key Washington ally.
gime, guardian of secularism. Now it’s changing a bit. But it’s a very, very hard process.” Because of her dangerous cen-
tral role publicizing the Ergene- kon plot, Conger travels with bodyguards. She is careful not to take the ferry to work across the Bosporus, the beautiful strait that splits Istanbul and separates Eu- rope from Asia, presumably for fear that she could be assassinat- ed and dumped overboard. Ergenekon is maddeningly
complex and filled with pulp-fic- tion plots such as alleged plans by the military to blow up mosques to create chaos. Some Turks say the stories sound too fantastical to be real. But many others say that they ring true in a nation where the military has a history of orchestrating coups to oust gov- ernments it doesn’t like. For many, the most startling as-
pect of Ergenekon is that it is dis- cussed at all, and that the military has not been able to quash it.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, set its military-political order.
“The significant thing about Er-
genekon isn’t that it’s happening —because there’s some amount of truth behind some of these allega- tions,’’ said a Western diplomat in Ankara who spoke on the condi- tion of anonymity. “The signifi- cant thing about this is that
New Kyrgyz leaders ponder fate of deposed president
by Philip P. Pan
bishkek, kyrgyzstan — De-
claring it was at last in full control of the country, Kyrgyzstan’s new government began a divisive and emotional debate Saturday on the fate of the nation’s deposed presi- dent, who has been in hiding since his security forces fired on protesters in clashes that killed at least 79 people. Roza Otunbayeva, leader of the
transitional administration estab- lished after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev fled the capital Wednes- day, appeared to edge away from an offer of safe passage into exile if he resigned, saying she had been moved by appeals for justice at funerals for the shooting vic- tims. “Yesterday, I said we’d provide for his personal safety. . . . Our people didn’t like that. People say no talks, no negotiations, no soft statements, no guaranteeing his
safety, only courts,” she said. Speaking after a meeting with a special U.N. envoy, Otunbayeva said she had proposed that Baki- yev be prosecuted by an interna- tional court. But she acknowl- edged that “it’s a very time-con- suming process, and we need to stabilize the situation.” Any public trial of crimes com-
mitted by Bakiyev during his five years in office could prove embar- rassing for the United States, which has treated the authoritari- an leader as a partner in the war on terrorism because he let the Pentagon operate an air base north of Bishkek that is critical to supplying forces in Afghanistan. Otunbayeva thinks that Baki-
yev and his ruling coterie must be prosecuted for Wednesday’s shootings, as well as the murder and torture of political oppo- nents, but she is worried that the process could deteriorate into a “witch hunt,” said an aide, Edil Baisalov.
“That’s why we’re asking for an
international investigation,” he said. He added that a “high-pro- file exercise of national soul- searching and reconciliation” is needed to avoid repeating history. Bakiyev took power in 2005 af- ter mass protests ousted another autocratic president. But his predecessor was allowed to go into exile, and the former govern- ment was not investigated. Hailed as a democrat at first, Bakiyev quickly concentrated power in a small circle that included rela- tives.
Bakiyev, who is thought to be in hiding in the nation’s south, has said in interviews that he fears for his life and is willing to resign. “But I do not know what I will get in exchange. Therefore, we have to meet and discuss it,” he told Russian Newsweek. Such comments have enraged
many in the country, who think he has embezzled millions, and strained the coalition of former
opposition leaders that has re- stored order in the capital after two days of street violence and looting. The last regional gover- nor supporting Bakiyev agreed Saturday to abandon him and rec- ognize the authority of the new government.
Azimbek Beknazarov, the inter- im minister responsible for secu- rity and law enforcement, said po- lice were monitoring Bakiyev’s movements but have not arrested him because he retains immunity from prosecution as president. Beknazarov added, however, that the interim government could re- voke Bakiyev’s immunity and that he had drafted a decree to do so. But Otunbayeva said the gov- ernment had not discussed the proposal and was unsure what would happen to Bakiyev. After three days of hesitation, the Obama administration made its first public high-level contact with the interim government, in the form of a phone call from Sec-
DIGEST
SUDAN
On eve of historic vote, low expectations
When Sudan holds its first multi-party elections in more than two decades Sunday, little is expected to change in the East African coun- try’s political landscape. The elections — local, parliamentary and presidential — will unfold over three days. They represent a vital element of the 2005 pact be- tween the Muslim-ruled north and the Christian-dominated south that ended a 21-year civil war. But many analysts fear they could further ce- ment the country’s divisions. Key opposition parties are boycotting the historic vote, alleging cam- paign irregularities by the ruling National Congress Party. Human rights groups say the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has rigged voter registrations, bought off tribal leaders and had opposi- tion loyalists beaten. The government has denied the allegations. The Atlanta-based Carter Center, which observed the registration process, suggested the polls be postponed for up to 10 days, saying a fair vote is “at risk on multiple fronts.” But Sudan’s electoral commis- sion declared Saturday that the elections would go forward. Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court in
The Hague for war crimes over atrocities committed in Sudan’s west- ern Darfur region, is widely expected to remain in power, although the boycott would deny him fresh legitimacy. For most southerners, the elections are a needed step ahead of a referendum next year that would allow them to vote on whether to secede from the north.
— Sudarsan Raghavan
THAILAND
15 killed as troops battle protesters
Fifteen people were killed and more than 650 were injured in the Thai capital Saturday when
security forces and anti-govern- ment demonstrators fought run- ning street battles after troops tried to end more than a month of protests.
Six hours of clashes in the
heart of old Bangkok came to an end long after dark when the
VINCENT YU/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Anti-government demonstrators push back Thai soldiers in Bangkok as security forces launch a large-scale crackdown on the protests.
head of the army called off the as- sault, further undermining the authority of beleaguered Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The government’s Erawan
emergency center said tallies from four Bangkok hospitals showed the death toll early Sun- day had risen to at least 15 — four
soldiers and 11 civilians. Among them was Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto, who worked for Thomson Reuters news agency. The protesters have been dem-
onstrating for a month, demand- ing the resignation of Abhisit, who came to power in a contro- versial parliamentary vote 16
months ago. Abhisit had offered to resign in nine months, but the protesters insisted on a deadline of 15 days. On Saturday night, their em- boldened leaders changed the deadline to immediately.
— Financial Times and Associated Press
Iran advocates Sunnis in new Iraqi government: The Iranian
ambassador to Baghdad said that any successful Iraq government would have to include former prime minister Ayad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc, which drew on heavy Sunni support to come out two seats ahead in a March 7 par- liamentary vote. Hassan Kazemi Qomi’s comments reflect a shift for neighboring Iran, which has advocated an Iraqi government dominated by fellow Shiites.
U.S. Navy holds 6 suspected pi- rates off Somalia: A U.S. warship
captured six suspected pirates af- ter a battle off the Horn of Africa — the Navy’s third direct encoun- ter with seafaring bandits in less than two weeks. The Navy has taken at least 21 suspected pirates since March 31 in the violence- plagued waters off Somalia.
“We’re allies, partners, and there’s going to be points of time when we have disagreements, and that’s how it is between good
friends.”
U.S. Ambassador Karl W.
Eikenberry, commenting Saturday at NATO headquarters in Kabul on the state of U.S.-Afghan relations after a week of rancorous exchanges.
Yemen declines to pursue U.S.- born radical cleric: Yemeni
forces are not going after a radi- cal U.S.-born cleric who has re- portedly been added to the CIA’s list of targets to be killed or cap- tured, the foreign minister said, adding that the United States has not handed over evidence to sup- port allegations that Anwar al- Aulaqi is recruiting for al-Qaeda’s offshoot in the country.
— From news services
they’ve managed to resolve these things up until now without any kind of crisis.’’ Beyond more open criticism of the military, society is shifting in more subtle ways.
Symbolic change
Ataturk’s image is still just
about everywhere, but when Tur- key issued a new currency last year, the founder of the republic was put on only one side of the bill rather than both. The military no longer guards the parliament building, a symbolic change. Still, the military has many fans who believe it has nobly guarded against religion undermining the nation’s secular character. Many here suspect, for example, that Er- dogan wants to turn Turkey into an Islamic state.
Critics cite Erdogan’s push to allow women to wear head scarves at state universities — a major political issue here — and to make adultery illegal. He failed
at both. His advocacy of taxes on tobacco and alcohol, both prohib- ited under Islam, also raised red flags.
Erdogan’s biggest political problem may be that he has failed to convince much of the tradition- al elite that he won’t take away their secular freedoms. One prominent critic, retired Brig. Gen. Haldun Solmazturk, said he doesn’t trust Erdogan to make de- cisions that will preserve Turkey’s secularism. Still, many Turks are question-
ing whether Ataturk’s vision is ap- propriate in modern, diverse Tur- key, a burgeoning economic and regional power with aspirations to join the European Union. Kenar, the Ankara graduate student, predicted that protests against the military’s dominant role in society would continue to grow. “The overuse of Ataturk created
a generation like mine,’’ she said.
zachariaj@washpost.com
DENIS SINYAKOV/REUTERS
Ethnic Uzbeks attend a rally in southern Kyrgyzstan to promote peace with ethnic Kyrgyz amid widespread turmoil.
retary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Otunbayeva. Clinton offered humanitarian aid and “United States support for Kyrgyz efforts to stabilize their political and economic situation,” accord- ing to a U.S. statement. Otunbayeva said her transi- tional administration would “abide by previous agreements” authorizing the U.S. air base in
Kyrgyzstan, the statement said. About an hour before the con-
versation, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin phoned Otun- bayeva as well. Putin had pledged Russia’s support in a call two days earlier, and the more cautious U.S. response led many in Kyrgyzstan to think that Washington was continuing to support Bakiyev.
panp@washpost.com
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