A Turkish flag is seen as Palestinians attend a rally in support of Hamas in Gaza city, Friday Jan. 30, 2009. Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan is winning praise from Gazans after his public spat with Israeli President Shimon Peres over Israel’s Gaza offensive. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) (Hatem Moussa – AP)
Pictures of Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are seen during a rally in support of Hamas in Gaza city, Friday, Jan. 30, 2009. Erdogan is winning praise from Gazans after his public spat with Israeli President Shimon Peres over Israel’s Gaza offensive. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) (Hatem Moussa – AP)
By BEN HUBBARD
The Associated Press
Friday, January 30, 2009; 1:30 PM
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — More than 5,000 Hamas supporters rallied in Gaza on Friday, as a leader of the Islamic militant group emerged from hiding to declare victory in the 23-day Israeli offensive that devastated much of the Palestinian territory.
Hamas lawmaker Khalil al-Hayeh appeared in public for the first time since the war’s start on Dec. 27 and remained defiant despite Hamas’ heavy losses.
“We thank God when we see our houses bombed and our institutions destroyed, but our people say yes to the resistance and yes to martyrdom for the sake of God,” al-Hayeh said, standing in front of the damaged Palestinian parliament building. “We say proudly that Gaza has won the war, the resistance has won the war, and Hamas has won the war.”
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Israeli launched its offensive to stop eight years of near-daily militant rocket fire from Gaza at southern Israeli towns. Nearly 1,300 Palestinians were killed in the fighting, about half of them civilians, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. Thirteen Israelis were also killed, three of them civilians.
The aerial and ground offensive ended with a tentative cease-fire on Jan. 18. Hamas has since resumed its rocket fire toward Israel.
On Friday, the crowd waved red and white Turkish flags next to green Hamas banners. Al-Hayeh called Turkish Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan “a hero” for criticizing Israel over the Gaza offensive during a panel discussion Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Erdogan stalked off the stage after telling Israeli President Shimon Peres: “You kill people.”
Demonstrators burned and stomped on posters of Peres and other Israeli leaders and held up placards with Erdogan’s picture on them.
Al-Hayeh repeated previous declarations that Hamas would not agree to a long-term cease-fire with Israel that does not include lifting the 18-month blockade on the tiny, impoverished seaside strip and opening its border crossings with Israel.
In London, a European Union spokesman, John Clancy, said Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid flows into Gaza are “unacceptable” and must be lifted. He said about 120 supply trucks are currently entering Gaza each day, compared to about 500 in 2007.
Clancy said the EU had asked Israel to allow its aid workers to be fast-tracked into the territory. It currently takes about five days for a worker to get into Gaza, and the EU wants to shorten that to 48 hours.
Al-Hayeh also said Hamas would only release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in exchange for Hamas members imprisoned in Israel.
I think the position taken by Turkey in this conflict was strategically right. Although the implementation of strategy wasn’t worked out well in terms of PR, it’s actually beneficial for Israel. Why?
Turkey is truly becoming a leader of the Muslim world, and instead of being an alien bystander, once more taking in hands the moral authority once held by Ottomans. It’s a well calculated policy, and Turkey is already influencing not only the politics but also the hearts and minds of all Muslims (sufficient to say that entire MidEast lives watching Turkish soap operas and television nowadays). Being the leading major secular democratic Muslim nation, NATO member with EU aspirations, Turkey has an excellent chance to become a respected Muslim superpower and a party to deal with in all matters pertaining to Islamic world… and it already is now.
Shimon Perez, being a brilliant veteran politician and a Nobel Peace prize winner knows this very well, which is why he called Erdogan further to say he was sorry about what happened. Because it is in Israel’s and US best interest to work with democratic secular Turkey on all Muslim issues, instead of doing so with a divided, mostly corrupt and radical Arab statehoods. It’s better for Israel to have Turkey as a representative of Islamic world than irrational Ahmadinejad who threatens to erase Israel. And this position taken by Turkey will actually seriously weaken Iran’s influence in the Muslim Middle East but such policy requires getting the hearts of Muslim folk first, which is precisely what Turkey is doing.
But, Erdogan was not the right person to deliver this Turkish message. His behavior was unprofessional, his speech delivered in Turkish instead of English was far weaker and irritating than that of Shimon Perez. This shows that Erdogan is an excellent strategist but a horrible diplomat. Doing so in perpetration by an Armenian-American host was not appropriate. I am not sure who arranged for David Ignatius to be the host of this panel, and perhaps, Erdogan was unaware of it, but a positive side is that even as a host of a major global forum, a person of diaspora Armenian descent was unable to hold off his biases and let Erdogan finish his talk.
Article is written by the moderator of DAVOS David Ignaitus
The Dignity Agenda
By David Ignatius
Sunday, October 14, 2007; Page B07
“We talk about democracy and human rights. Iraqis talk about justice and honor.” That comment from Lt. Col. David Kilcullen, made at a seminar last month on counterinsurgency, is the beginning of wisdom for an America that is trying to repair the damage of recent years. It applies not simply to Iraq but to the range of problems in a world tired of listening to an American megaphone.
Dignity is the issue that vexes billions of people around the world, not democracy. Indeed, when people hear President Bush preaching about democratic values, it often comes across as a veiled assertion of American power. The implicit message is that other countries should be more like us — replacing their institutions, values and traditions with ours. We mean well, but people feel disrespected. The bromides and exhortations are a further assault on their dignity.
That’s the difficulty when the U.S. House of Representatives pressures Turkey to admit that it committed genocide against the Armenians 92 years ago. It’s not that this demand is wrong. I’m an Armenian American, and some of my own relatives perished in that genocidal slaughter. I agree with the congressional resolution, but I know that this is a problem that Turks must resolve. They are imprisoned in a past that they have not yet been able to accept. Our hectoring makes it easier for them to retreat deeper into denial.
The most articulate champion of what the administration likes to call the “democracy agenda” has been Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. When she talks about the universality of American values, she carries the special resonance of an African American girl from Birmingham, Ala., who witnessed the struggle for democracy in a segregated America. But she also conveys an American arrogance, a message that when it comes to good governance, it’s our way or the highway.
That’s why it’s encouraging to hear that Rice is taking policy advice from Kilcullen, a brilliant Australian military officer who helped reshape U.S. strategy in Iraq toward the bottom-up precepts of counterinsurgency. Sources tell me Kilcullen will soon be joining the State Department as a part-time consultant. For a taste of his thinking, check out his Sept. 26 presentation to a Marine Corps seminar (available at ).
As we think about a “dignity agenda,” there are some other useful readings. A starting point is Zbigniew Brzezinski‘s new book, “Second Chance,” which argues that America’s best hope is to align itself with what he calls a “global political awakening.” The former national security adviser explains: “In today’s restless world, America needs to identify with the quest for universal human dignity, a dignity that embodies both freedom and democracy but also implies respect for cultural diversity.”
After I mentioned Brzezinski’s ideas about dignity in a previous column, a reader sent me a 1961 essay by the philosopher Isaiah Berlin, which made essentially the same point. A deeply skeptical man who resisted the “isms” of partisan thought, Berlin was trying to understand the surge of nationalism despite two world wars. “Nationalism springs, as often as not, from a wounded or outraged sense of human dignity, the desire for recognition,” he wrote.
“The craving for recognition has grown to be more powerful than any other force abroad today,” Berlin continued. “It is no longer economic insecurity or political impotence that oppresses the imaginations of many young people in the West today, but a sense of the ambivalence of their social status — doubts about where they belong, and where they wish or deserve to belong.”
A final item on my dignity reading list is “Violent Politics,” a new book by the iconoclastic historian William R. Polk. He examines 10 insurgencies through history — from the American Revolution to the Irish struggle for independence to the Afghan resistance to Soviet occupation — to make a stunningly simple point, which we managed to forget in Iraq: People don’t like to be told what to do by outsiders. “The very presence of foreigners, indeed, stimulates the sense first of apartness and ultimately of group cohesion.” Foreign intervention offends people’s dignity, Polk reminds us. That’s why insurgencies are so hard to defeat.
People will fight to protect their honor even — and perhaps, especially — when they have nothing else left. That has been a painful lesson for the Israelis, who hoped for the past 30 years they could squeeze the Palestinians into a rational peace deal. It’s excruciating now for Armenian Americans like me, when we see Turkey refusing to make a rational accounting of its history. But if foreign governments try to make people do the right thing, it won’t work. They have to do it for themselves.
The writer is co-host ofPostGlobal, an online discussion of international issues. His e-mail address isdavidignatius@washpost.com.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Ignatius
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David Ignatius
David R. Ignatius (May 26, 1950), an American journalist and novelist of Armenian descent[1][2]. As of 2008, he is an associate editor and columnist for The Washington Post. He also co-hosts PostGlobal, an online discussion of international issues at Washingtonpost.com, with Newsweek ‘s Fareed Zakaria.
TURKISHFORUM: ORIGINAL OF ABOVE DESCRIPTION, BEFORE THE DAVOS INCIDENT WAS
David R. Ignatius (born May 26, 1950), an Jewish-American journalist and novelist. As of 2008, he is an associate editor and columnist for The Washington Post. He also co-hosts PostGlobal, an online discussion of international issues at Washingtonpost.com, with Newsweek ’s Fareed Zakaria.
MEANING HIS BACKGROUND SUDDENLY CHANGED…FROM JEWISH TO ARMENIAN AND MISTERIOUSLY AS OF THIS DAY OF JANUARY/29/2009
PLEASE ALSO SEE THE ARTICLE IN TURKISH SECTIONS ABOUT JEWS TRIBES BECAME ARMENIANS BY FORCE AMONG TURKISH SECTION OF TURKISH FORUM
Ignatius is a graduate of St. Albans School (Washington, DC), Harvard College, class of 1972, and King’s College, Cambridge.
He is married to Dr. Eve Thornberg Ignatius and they have three daughters.
Ignatius’ father, Paul Robert Ignatius is a former Secretary of the Navy and president of The Washington Post.
Career
After school, he worked for Washington Monthly and then the Wall Street Journal, where he covered the Justice Department and the CIA, and was a correspondent from the Middle East. He later went to the Washington Post in 1986, where he has since remained except for a stint from 2000 through 2002 when he was executive editor of the International Herald Tribune in Paris. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Foreign Affairs, and The New Republic. His columns are syndicated worldwide by The Washington Post Writers Group.
Bibliography
Ignatius has also written five novels in the suspense/espionage fiction genre, which draw on his experience and interest in foreign affairs:
Agents of Innocence, 1987
SIRO, 1991
The Bank of Fear, 1994
A Firing Offense, 1997
Body of Lies, 2007; Warner Bros. film adaptation, 2008
His 1999 novel The Sun King was a departure from the espionage genre – it is a re-working of The Great Gatsby set in end-of-the-20th-century Washington
In 2006, he wrote a foreword to the American edition of Enemy Combatant by Moazzam Begg.
References
^ [http://www.azgdaily.com/EN/2008121701 AZG Armenian Daily #234, 17/12/2008
^ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/12/AR2007101202147.html washingtonpost.com: The Dignity Agenda
External links
David Ignatius opinion columns at the Washington Post.
Washington Post, PostGlobal Moderator.
Page on Ignatius at the Washington Post Writers Group.
The writings of David R. Ignatius at thecrimson.com.
Video: David Ignatius discusses how he helped Leonardo DiCaprio prepare for the Body of Lies film.
Video (and audio) of debate/discussion with David Ignatius at Bloggingheads.tv
This article about an American journalist born in the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
This article about a novelist of the United States born in the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Ermeniler’i yöneten Yahudiler .. MUSTAFA AYDIN
Asırlarca Ermeni toplumunu yöneten Yahudi asıllı �Pakraduniler�in hikâyesi günışığına çıkıyor…
Selanikli Sabetaycılar, İspanyol Maranolar ve İranlı Meşhedilerden sonra Ermeniler içinde de Yahudi orijinli bir unsurun 2 bin 700 yıldır varlığını sürdürdüğü ortaya çıktı. Pakraduniler (Bagratuni/Bagratids) adı verilen ve asırlarca Ermeni toplumunu yöneten cemaatin hikâyesi M.Ö 730 yılında başlıyor ve günümüze kadar uzanıyor. İddianın sahibi, araştırmacı-yazar Levon Panos Dabağyan. Yahudi asıllı Pakradunilerin M.S. 1045 yılına kadar Ermenileri �acımasızca� yönettiğini ifade ederken, iddialarına dayanak olarak dünyaca ünlü Yahudi tarihçilerinden Prof. Dr. Abraham Galante�yi gösteriyor. Galante, �Pakraduniler veya Bir Ermeni-Yahudi Tarikatı� adlı kitabında, �Pakraduniler, varlıklarını Juda İmparatorluğu�nun sonlarından (M.Ö. 7. yüzyıl), 20�nci yüzyıla dek sürdürmüş olan Ermeni-Yahudi karışımı bir kavimdir.� diyor.
Bizans�ın krallıklarına son verdiği Pakraduniler, Selçukluların hakimiyetine girdikten sonra yüzyılımıza kadar hayatiyetini cemaat içinde devam ettiriyor.
Hikâye milattan önce 730 yılında başlıyor. O tarihte, Ermeni Kralı Sannasar, Filistin�e yaptığı seferde İsrail Kralı Osee�yi öldürerek, 10 Yahudi kabilesini esir alır. Sonra onları Fırat�ın ötesine, Güney Ermenistan�a yerleştirir. M.Ö. 700�lerde, bu kez Babil Kralı Nabukadnezar, Mısır Kralı Necho ile Kudüs Kralı Yoachim�e karşı bir sefer açar. Söz konusu sefere, Doğu Ermenistan Kralı Hıraçya da büyük bir ordu ile katılır. Hıraçya�nın bu savaşta gösterdiği olağanüstü başarı, Nabukadnezar�ı fazlasıyla memnun eder ve esir aldığı 10 bin Yahudi�nin yarısını Kral Hıraçya�ya hediye eder. Bu esirler arasında İsrailoğulları�nın önemli şahsiyetlerinden Prens Şampat (Smbat/Shampat) da vardır. Şampat, kısa zamanda Hıraçya�nın takdirlerine mazhar olur. Devlet hizmetine alınıp, önemli mevkilere yükselir.
ESİRLİKTEN SOYLULUĞA
M.Ö. l5O�lerde soyunun Hz. Davud�a (as) dayandığını iddia eden ve adı�Pakarad Şampa� olan bir Yahudi, zamanın Ermenistan Kralı Vağarşak�a başvurarak saray hizmetine girebilme talebinde bulunur. Dikkat çekme ve kendini sevdirme açısından Prens Şampat�ı dahi gölgede bıraktığı kaydedilen Pakarad Şampa, Kral Vağarşak�ın en yakın bendeleri mevkiine erişir. Sonunda şaşırtıcı bir şekilde, Ermeni Kralları�na taç giydirme imtiyazı ile 10 bin süvariye komuta etme hakkını elde eder. M.Ö. 90-36�larda Ermeni krallarına Dikran II. (Büyük Dikran) İsrailoğullarına yönelik yeni bir sefer düzenler.
Bu sefer sırasında esir aldığı binlerce Yahudi�yi o da ülkesine götürür. Esirler arasından seçtiği �Aşod� adında bir asil Yahudi�yi özel hizmetine alır. Bu olaylar sonucunda Ermenistan�a yerleşen ve zamanla nüfusları hızla artan esir Yahudiler, sürgün yıllarının sembol ismi Prens Şampat�ın hatırasını kendilerine rehber edinerek, teşkilâtlanıp millî varlıklarını koruyabilme mücadelesine girişirler. Zamanla Ermenilerin yönetimini ele geçiren Pakraduniler M.S. 1045�e kadar Ermenistan�da saltanat sürmeyi başarır.
26 YÜZYILDIR YAHUDİLİKLERİ DEVAM EDİYOR
�Kripto Yahudilik�konusunda uzman olan Türkiyeli Yahudi Prof. Abraham Galante, �Les Pacradounis ou Une Secte Armeno-Juive/ Pakraduniler veya Bir Ermeni-Yahudi Tarikatı / Baskı: 1933, Fransızca İst.� adlı eserinde bu konuda hayli enteresan bilgiler veriyor: �Pakraduniler varlıklarını Juda İmparatorluğu�nun sonlarından (M.Ö. 7. yüzyıl), 20�inci yüzyıla kadar sürdürmüş olan Ermeni-Yahudi karışımı bir kavimdir. Eğin�de,�Erzurum-Sivas arasında�, Marmara Denizi�nin Avrupa yakasında ve İstanbul Hasköy�de yaşamış oldukları bilinen Pakraduniler, 26 yüzyıldır Yahudi yönlerini sürdürmekte gösterdikleri kararlılık nedeniyle Portekizli Marano�lar, Selanikli Dönmeler ve İranlı Meşhediler gibi Yahudi kökenli topluluklar arasında sayılabilirler.�
Dabağyan, Pakradunilerin kullandığıisimlerin Ermenilerden farklı olabildiğini söyleyerek; Ermeni tarihçi Gatoğigos Ğorenazi�den şu nakilde bulunuyor: �Simpat adını, �Pakraduniler� oğullarına verirler. Bu isim İbranice�den geliyor ve aslı �Şampat�tır. Ermeniler arasında asırlarca pek revaç görmüş olan �Pakrat, Simpat, Aşot, Kakik, İsrael, Tavit� gibi isimlerin Ermeni menşe�li olmadığı bariz şekilde meydana çıkmaktadır.�
Dabağyan, Bizanslı tarihçi Pavstos�un, 3. Asır�da bölgede iskan edilmiş ve kısmen Hıristiyan olmuş Yahudilerin miktarını 400 bin olarak verdiğini de kaydediyor.
NASSİ: DOMUZ ETİ YEMEZLER
Sabetaycılık, Ladino ve Kripto Yahudi cemaatleri konusunda uzman isimlerden araştırmacı-yazar Dr. Gad Nassi, Pakradunilerin 20. yüzyılın ilk yarısına kadar özel gelenekleriyle Sivas/Divriği ile Erzincan/Eğin (Yeni adı Kemaliye) arasındaki bölgede varlıklarını sürdürdüklerini belirtiyor. Nassi�ye göre cemaatin yayılımı, Arapkir, Kapadokya ve Kilikya/Çukurova�ya kadar uzanıyor.
Nassi, Pakraduni soyundan gelenlerin fiziki görünüşlerinin Ermenilerden farklı olduğunu, kafa yapısı olarak Yahudiler gibi Dolikosefal olduklarını kaydediyor. Bir Yahudi-Ermeni�nin evinde vefat gerçekleştiğinde, evin içini tamamen değiştirdiklerini, evde asla su kullanmadıklarını, çünkü ölüm meleğinin kılıcındaki kanı bu suyla temizlediğine inandıklarını belirtiyor. 7 gün iş yapmayıp Yahudilerde olduğu gibi yas tuttuklarını da kaydediyor. Nassi, Pakradunilerin asla domuz eti yemediklerini, cumartesi günü çalışma yasağına uyduklarını, genelde cemaat içinden evlendiklerini ve soyadlarının da Yahudi kökenlerini anlatacak şekilde olduğunu ifade ediyor. Bunun da Ermeniler arasında �Yahudiliğin bir uzantısı� olarak değerlendirildiğini söylüyor. Nassi, Pakradunilerin, ticaret ve finans alanında çok becerikli olduklarını kaydederken, benzer bir grubun da geleneklerini koruyarak 19�uncu yüzyıla kadar Gürcistan�da Gürcüler içinde hayatiyetini devam ettirdiğini ifade ediyor.
RAFIZÎ ERMENİLER KİM?
Fransız Mareşali Horace Sebastiani, Türkiye Ermenileriyle ilgili 1814 tarihli raporunda Ermenileri normal Ermeniler ve �Rafiziyyun/Rafiziler� olarak ikiye ayırır. Dabağyan �Osmanlı İmparatorluğunda Şer Akımlar� kitabında bu raporu değerlendirirken, Fransızların Türkiye�deki etnik yapıya daha 1800�lü yılların başında bile ne kadar hâkim olduklarının anlaşıldığını ifade ederek şöyle tepki veriyor:
�Selçuklular devrinde, Alparslan�ın saflarına geçerek, Bizans�a karşı savaşan ve sonradan İslam dinini kabul eden Ermenilerin büyük bir kısmı, bilâhere �Alevi Mezhebi�ne geçmiş ve öyle kalmışlardır. (…) Demek ki, Mareşal Horace Sebastiani, Fransa�nın Türkiye üzerinde taşıdığı gizli emellerin tahakkuk sahasına aktarılacağı zaman, Osmanlı topraklarında yaşayan bilumum unsurlardan istifade edebilmek için Anadolu topraklarında yaşayanları da iyiden iyiye tetkik etmiş veya ettirmiş!�
Ermeni asıllı Türk vatandaşı yazar Torkom İstepanyan ise Pakradunilerle ilgili şu değerlendirmede bulunuyor: �Türk-Ermeni kardeşliğinin başlangıcı 11�inci yüzyıl ortalarına dayanır. 1064�te Pakraduni Ermeni Krallığına Bizanslılar tarafından son verilince, Bizans zulmüne dayanamayan Ermeniler Türklerin himayesine sığındılar. Bu devre onlar için huzur oldu. Vatanlarına sımsıkı bağlandılar. Türkler tarafından bunlardan� bazılarına �Amiral�lik unvanı verildi. Böylece ilk Türk-Ermeni dostluğunun temeli atılmış oldu. Bu kardeşliğin en güzel kanıtı da bugün dünyanın dört bucağına serpilmiş olan Ermeni toplumunun günümüze dek varlığını sürdüren Türkçe kökenli soyadlarıdır. Örneğin, Romanya doğumlu olduğu halde dünya Ermenilerinin Ruhani Reisi Gatogigos Vazgen I�in soyadı �Balcıyan�dır.� (Sorun olan Ermeniler / Suat Akgül, Ali Güler, Türkar Yay. İst. 2003. s: 402)
�ERMENİ İSYANLARININ ARKASINDALAR!�
Yazar Levon Panos Dabağyan, Ermeni meselesinin can damarını teşkil eden �1. Zeytun İsyanı�nın� arkasında Fransa ve Vatikan�ın bulunduğunu, isyanın düzenleyicilerinin Pakraduniler olduğunu ileri sürüyor. Dabağyan, Zeytunluların kökeniyle ilgili olarak şöyle diyor: �Ani Beldesi�nin Bizanslılara geçmesinden ve Bizanslıların Ermeni katliamından sonra, Anadolu�nun muhtelif bölgelerine dağılan �Pakraduni Hanedanı� mensupları Haçin ve Zeytun havalisine yerleşmişlerdi. Dolayısıyla (Fransa�nın gönderdiği Katolik Ermeni) maceracı Leon, Ermenileri isyana teşvik için gerçekten en münasip bölgeleri seçmiş demekti. Zira, Pakraduni Hanedanı, zaten birtakım entrikalara müsait ve gayri Ermeni bir unsur idi.�
Dabağyan 1862 ve 1895�te iki kez denenen isyanın Türkiye�ye sadık Gregoryan Ermenilerin destek vermemesi üzerine akámete uğradığını kaydediyor. Pakradunilerin de hâlâ var olduğunu belirtiyor: �Hâlâ varlar tabii; ama sayıları ne kadar, organizeler mi bilemem. Sanmıyorum. Ancak, bizde birine �Pakraduni!� dedin mi, bu hakaret için kullanılırdı. Çocukken birine kızdığımızda, �Pakradunisin ulan sen!� derdik. Onların ırklarından gelen bir zekâları, müztehzi bir bakışları, hesapçı, işini bilir bir yapıları vardır. Tarım ve zenaattan çok hep ticaretle, para/finans işleriyle uğraşmışlardır.�
Ambassador James F. Jeffrey was nominated to be Ambassador to Turkey by President Bush in June 2008. He was confirmed by the Senate in October.
Ambassador Jeffrey, a career member of the Foreign Service, previously served on detail to the National Security Council as the Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor. Prior to this, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State. His responsibilities included leading the Iran Policy Team and coordinating public diplomacy.
Ambassador Jeffrey served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State for Iraq from August 2005 to August 2006. Previously, he served as U.S. Charge d’affairs to Iraq from March 2005 to June 2005 and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad from June 2004 through March 2005.
Earlier in his career, Ambassador Jeffrey served as Ambassador to Albania from October 2002 to May 2004. Other assignments have included three tours in Turkey, including Deputy Chief of Mission from 1999-2002, as well as Deputy Chief of Mission in Kuwait and Deputy Special Representative for Bosnian Implementation.
Ambassador Jeffrey received his bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and his master’s degree from Boston University. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany and Vietnam from 1969 to 1976.
Ambassador Jeffrey is accompanied by his wife, Gudrun. They have two grown children, Jahn and Julia.
Ambassador’s Remarks and Public events
U.S. Ambassador James Jeffrey’s Written Statement in the Book of Honor at Anıtkabir
December 3, 2008
Ataturk’s legacy remains undiminished. As a soldier who confronted foreign armies, a diplomat who stood toe-to-toe with the Great Powers, and a statesman who molded a modern country, Ataturk is a heroic figure whose vision for Turkey was both sweeping and farsighted. He remains an inspiration for those who cherish peace, freedom and democracy, and his ideals serve as a beacon for everyone who dreams of a brighter tomorrow.
As the U.S. Ambassador, it is only fitting that I return to Anitkabir. I too draw inspiration from these columns, and from the memory of this extraordinary leader. As Turkey and the United States work together on the challenges that lie ahead, we can be guided by the principles which Ataturk so eloquently championed.
In the words of the great Turkish hero and President: “Peace at Home and Peace in the World.”
James Jeffrey
Ambassador Jeffrey’s Remarks at Esenboga Airport
November 30, 2008 Ankara, Turkey
Hello, I would like to say a couple of things. I’m very very happy to be back in Turkey. Throughout my 31 year career, I have worked on a number of occasions in Turkey, or worked with Turkey. First in Adana, then Ankara and the last time in Ankara was in 1999-2002 as Deputy Chief of Mission.
Turkey and the United States of America have been friends since 1923 and they have also been allies in Korea and then in NATO for 58 years. We have a special alliance which is important for Ankara and Washington. I am very very glad to be back in Ankara and Turkey. Thank you.
Barack Obama: America’s 44th President *
James F. Jeffrey
U.S. Ambassador
America will mark an historical transition on January 20 when Barack Obama places his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s bible and takes the oath of office as America’s 44th President. The significance of this transition was best described by Barack Obama himself on election night in Chicago: “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”
In that same speech Barack Obama drew attention to the challenges ahead, saying: “For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.” These challenges that we face are not America’s alone, and America cannot overcome them alone. Turkey and the United States are already working together to respond to the global economic crisis. No one knows how long or severe this crisis will be, but our countries will confront it with a shared interest in maintaining the free flow of goods and credit.
The Turkish economy has come a long way since I last served here in 2001. Turkey is now on the path to EU accession and one of the 20 largest economies in the world. It has successfully completed an IMF program, attracted billions in foreign investment, and undertaken extensive structural reforms, including a major banking reform that created one of the soundest banking sectors among emerging market countries. This dynamism and commitment to reform has made Turkey immensely attractive to U.S. businesses and investors.
U.S.-Turkish trade is still relatively modest at $16.2 billion in 2008, but growing. My government encourages American companies to look at business opportunities in Turkey. One sector where there are many such opportunities is energy. Several U.S. companies have successful energy investments in Turkey and already are contributing to meeting Turkey’s growing energy needs. In addition to electricity generation investments, U.S. companies are involved in exploration. Toreador is conducting exploration activities in the Black Sea, and Exxon Mobil recently signed a deal with TPAO for exploration in the same area.
We want to find ways to do more. The U.S. is committed to helping Turkey strengthen its energy security and meet its needs by diversifying its energy mix with a particular focus on renewable energy sources. We want to establish more efficient and productive financing mechanisms to support Turkish energy projects, especially in light of the global financial crisis. The U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $1.6 billion in projects in Turkey and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation has supported $500 million worth of projects here.
American companies are bullish about doing business in Turkey. 76% of U.S. companies responding to an American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT) survey said their company’s initial decision to invest in Turkey was a good one. 73% said they would recommend investing in Turkey to others. 67% said they plan to invest further in Turkey. Those numbers represent a very strong vote of confidence in Turkish workers and the Turkish economy.
There are, however, areas of concern for U.S. companies and these are reflective, I believe, of the concerns of foreign investors in Turkey in general. Among the problems most often cited are the level of taxation and the compliance burden, and the inefficiency and lack of predictability in the legal system, particularly with regard to intellectual property rights (IPR). Turkey passed some significant tax and IPR reforms in 2008, but more remains to be done.
Barack Obama made change the hallmark of his campaign, but he also reaffirmed America’s long-standing commitment to open markets, saying: “… we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many.” I am confident that America’s commitment to its long-standing economic partnership with Turkey will endure.
*Published in Businessweek Turkey – January 18, 2009
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Senior Contributor, USA Armenian Life Magazine
After commenting on serious issues all year long, would like to present a rather amusing topic this week, hoping to bring a good cheer to our readers’ hearts during this Christmas season.
Variety magazine and hundreds of media outlets worldwide reported last month that the mayor of Batman, a small city in southeastern Turkey, is planning to sue Christopher Nolan, the director of “The Dark Knight,” and Warner Brothers studios for royalties from the hugely profitable Batman movie.
Mayor Huseyin Kalkan accused the movie producers of using the city’s name without permission. He was quoted by Variety as saying: “There is only one Batman in the world. The American producers used the name of our city without informing us.”
Variety’s reporter Ali Jaafar wondered why it took the town of Batman “so many years to take legal action.” The reporter pointed out that “Batman first appeared as a comic book character in 1939 and the ‘Batman’ TV series started in 1966. Tim Burton’s first big screen rendition for Warner Brothers came out in 1989. Undoubtedly, the fact that ‘Dark Knight’ is about to pass the $1 billion mark … played a part in stirring the ire of the Turkish hamlet.”
Incredibly, Mayor Kalkan blamed the Batman movie “for a number of unresolved murders and a high female suicide rate” in his town. He attributed these problems to “the psychological impact that the film’s success has had on the city’s inhabitants.”
Natives of Batman have also encountered obstacles when attempting to register their businesses abroad, the mayor claimed. Batman’s local newspaper reported that former Batman resident Safii Dagh, currently living in the German city of Wesel, was prevented from using Batman as the name of his business. “I named my two restaurants Batman. But six months ago, a team of employees from the production company of the movie Batman made me change the title,” Dagh said.
Lawyer Vehbi Kahveci, head of the Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Commission of the Istanbul Bar Association, stated that Batman and his image are registered trademarks all around the world. The Batman Municipality missed the deadline for objecting to the registration of Batman’s name as a superhero.
This bizarre lawsuit was also fodder for several derisive video postings on YouTube, google and Yahoo websites, generating hundreds of comments from viewers. Most comments were so offensive that YouTube had to delete them from its site.
The most hilarious video came from Comedy.com where a comedian named Rob Delaney, posing as a Public Relations spokesman for Warner Brothers, ridiculed the mayor of Batman and everything Turkish!
I have transcribed below Delaney’s comments, after removing the countless swear words. We would like to make fun of the silly lawsuit filed by the Mayor of Batman without insulting all Turks. Here is the cleansed version of the transcript:
“We will crush you, just like you did the Armenians one hundred years ago!
“Where were you in 1939 when Batman first appeared in comic books?
“Where were you in 1966 when Batman was a TV show?
“Oh, that’s right, you’re a backward third world country and you are just now finding out about Batman. How convenient! It just happens to be the same year our movie made more than your entire country did in the last decade.
“Don’t get me wrong. We think your name is hilarious! Batman, Turkey? Why don’t you sue turkeys while you’re at it? Why don’t you sue the ottoman in the living room of one of my several houses?
“You do not want to tangle with Warner Brothers, Turkey!
“Why don’t you stick to what you are good at, like oil wrestling, female weight lifting, and being a nation of gypsies?
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Warner Brothers will own you! I’m considering suing your town for making Batman slightly less awesome. Your land and women will be mine, Turkey! Consider yourself warned….”
Maybe the mayor of Batman is not that stupid after all! By announcing that he is planning to sue the producers of Batman, he has been able to generate free worldwide publicity for his obscure city. He is probably hoping that Batman fans will flock to his hometown, bringing with them enough cash to rejuvenate the local economy! A Batman city worker wisely observed: “We wouldn’t have had better advertising for Batman, even if we had spent $1 million.”
