Tag: Istanbul

  • istanbul: hosgeldiniz!

    istanbul: hosgeldiniz!

    by Renee
    September 14, 2012

    Is a Vibrant Nation Blog Circle User 200 posts

    new 1st

    If you want to experience a place where numerous great civilizations have left their mark for thousands of years, go to Istanbul.

    If you want to see the only city in the world that straddles both Europe and Asia, go to Istanbul.

    If you want to experience the energy and the chaos of a city of almost 20 million people, combined with the intimacy created by its residents, go to Istanbul.

    giritli photo courtesy of giritli

    If you want to feel like you have never left home, go someplace else.

    new 2nd1

    Istanbul will seduce you, in the best sense of the word.  It is a seduction that starts with the people who live in a culture that rewards generosity and hospitality.

    spice market1

    Istanbul will seduce your wallet with the thought of scoring that priceless rug for a pittance.  Most of the time, you will lose that game, even as you are seduced by the words of the carpet monger and the Turkish tea that is served.

    387065 4160454382560 1744894187 n

    Istanbul will seduce your taste buds with an array of food that is as good on the street as it is in the restaurants.  Throw your diet out the window. This is real food, fresh and healthy and prepared to perfection.

    galata tower by ebrutuhan

    Follow the advice of the guide book and see the Ayasofya, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Yerebatan Cistern, the Hippodrome, Dolmabahce Palace, any of the great museums of the city and any of the countless other don’t-miss attractions.  Then walk. Through Sultanamet, through Taksim, through Beyoglu, through Ortakoy, though Galata.  If you are extremely lucky, you will climb Galata Tower and reach the top at the moment the call to prayer sounds. You will never forget that moment.

    dscf0489

    Go to The Grand Bazaar, the vast, chaotic, historic market that contains thousands of shops that run the gamut from luxury to laughable that will happily take away both your breath and your money.  The Spice Market, at one end of the sprawling complex is a feast for the eyes and nose.

    a market stall in the grand bazaar istanbul istanbul1

    Go to the Hamam, the Turkish bath.

    295981 4161618651666 569463810 n

    Take a boat ride on the Bospherus, or simply take a ferry to the Asian side of the city. Not only will you be able to absorb the sights along the way, you will be surrounded by tourists who have come from all over the world and from all over Turkey, with their ethnic dress and their cameras and iPhones.  They will be as wide-eyed as you.

    grand bazaar1

    And, if you can, come to Istanbul with a baby or a toddler. It is then that you will see the nature of the people of Istanbul: their unabashed love of children, their genuine delight in being helpful.  Male waiters will take the baby from you and rock him.  People on the ferry will grab their cameras and take pictures. If the baby or toddler is fussy, people will not complain.  They will ask if they can help. No one will be annoyed. Ever.

    551571 10151412567007926 954422164 n1

    Istanbul, like any vast city, has its confusion, its “iffy” neighborhoods, its people who will happily take advantage of you.  Vendors will follow you down the street, continuing their attempt to sell you whatever your eye lingered on for a moment too long. They will know you are an American and they will ask “Where are you from?  I have been to Chicago.” Or New York. Or Kansas. Or Seattle.  And the funny thing is, they probably have.

    spice market 2

    For over 600 years, from about 1300 to the end of World War I, the Ottomans ruled Turkey. For several hundred years, especially during the 16th and 17th centuries, their empire ruled a vast area of the world.  The jewel in their crown was Constantinople, now called Istanbul.  Before them were Greeks, Romans, and countless others.  Muslims, Jews, Christians have all left their indelible mark on the city.  Soak it all in, this living history of a great city.  Or just stand on a street corner and inhale a kebab, as you watch people walk by.  For that also, I can tell you exactly where to go.

    581589 4678073320918 2107085072 n

    Permalink:
    spice market 2
  • Film from Istanbul: I’ve got your back

    Film from Istanbul: I’ve got your back

    In hollaback, male perspective, street harassment | on 09.14.12 | by HKearl

    “Presented to you by Canımız Sokakta- Hollaback Istanbul, this movie documents women’s experience of sexual harassment in public areas in Istanbul in the form of stories recited by men. The stories were previously submitted on canimizsokakta.org

    The movie is a part of the bystander-intervention campaign called “I’ve Got Your Back!” (Arkani kolluyorum!) that is brought to you by Canimiz Sokakta and Green Dot.

    We chose men to perform in this movie to show that they could be a great force in helping end sexual harassment in public by disapproving of the harassers’ actions. Special thanks to:

    Arda Başar

    Can Önalan

    Dina Nigmatullina

    Egemen Bor

    Ekin Gayretli

    Ezgi Cincin

    John McCarroll

    Kacie Lyn Kocher

    Max Harwood

    Muzaffer Can Karadayı

    Oğuzhan Köklü

    Umut Vedat

    Volkan Yumurtacı

    Yavuz Selim Yılmaz”

    ___________________________________________________________

    Bu kısa film, İstanbul’un çeşitli kamusal alanlarında kadınların başlarına gelen cinsel taciz olaylarının, erkekler tarafından izleyicilere nakledildiği bir projedir. Bu film, görgü tanıklarının şahit oldukları tacizlere müdahale etmelerini sağlamayı amaçlayan ve Canimiz Sokakta ve Green Dot işbirliği ile gerçekleştirilen “Arkani Kolluyorum!” (I’ve Got Your Back!”) kampanyasının bir parçası olarak çekilmiştir.

    Bu filmde anlatılan hikayeler, film çekimi öncesinde canimizsokakta.org adresine kadınlar tarafından gönderilmişlerdir.

    Bu filmde erkeklere rol vererek, erkeklerin tacizcilerin davranışlarını onaylamadıklarını gösterdikleri takdirde, kamusal alanda yaşanan cinsel taciz olaylarına son vermede çok büyük bir güce sahip olduklarını göstermek amaçlanmıştır.

    via Film from Istanbul: I’ve got your back- Stop Street Harassment.

  • A Turkish Airlines Jet Returns to Istanbul after Being Unable to Land in Benghazi

    A Turkish Airlines Jet Returns to Istanbul after Being Unable to Land in Benghazi

    A Turkish Airlines (THY) passenger jet returned to Istanbul on Friday after being unable to land at the Benghazi Airport in Libya due to concerns of security.

    The THY jet departed from Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport at 07.30 hours on Friday with 121 passengers on board and travelled to Benghazi.

    However, the THY jet could not land at the Benghazi Airport as the airport was shut down due to violent incidents in Benghazi.

    While Turkish passengers were sent to their homes, Libyan passengers were taken to local hotels in Istanbul.

    The Benghazi Airport will be closed to passenger traffic until 23.00 hours (Libyan local time) on Friday.

    As soon as the Benghazi Airport gets reopened to passenger traffic, the THY will resume flights to this city.

    Friday, 14 September 2012

    Anadolu Agency

  • No risk of boredom in exotic, wonderful Istanbul

    No risk of boredom in exotic, wonderful Istanbul

    By Joanne Blain, Vancouver Sun September 14, 2012

    7244827

    The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the only mosque in Istanbul with six minarets.

    Photograph by: Joanne Blain

    With one foot in Asia and the other in Europe, Istanbul offers visitors a kaleidoscope of cultural experiences.

    You can haggle for pricey Turkish carpets or cheap souvenir T-shirts in the Grand Bazaar, or sip a Starbucks latte while loudspeakers call the faithful to prayer at nearby mosques. One thing you can’t do is run out of places to see, things to buy and delicacies to taste — in this sprawling and eclectic city of 17 million, there’s no risk of boredom.

    For the first-time visitor, the ideal place to stay in Istanbul is in Sultanahmet, more commonly known as the old city centre. There, you’ll be within walking distance or a short cab ride of most of the city’s key tourist attractions, and you can easily spend a whole week treading its cobblestone streets.

    At the top of your list should be the Haghia Sofia (also called the Aya Sofya or the Museum of St. Sophia), right in the centre of the old town. Built in 360 A.D. as a cathedral, it has had a long and eventful history — when the Romans were conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453, it became a mosque and finally, in 1935, a museum.

    Its sheer size is impressive, but its true beauty lies in its wonderfully preserved mosaics with Christian imagery juxtaposed with the ornate Arabic calligraphy on its central dome and on the medallions lining its walls. It’s a stunning visual testament to Istanbul’s long and complex history.

    Just a few blocks away is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, more commonly called the Blue Mosque. Even in the crowded city centre, it’s impossible to miss — it’s the only mosque in Istanbul with six minarets, which denote its significance (most mosques have a maximum of four).

    Unlike the Haghia Sofia, the Blue Mosque is still a place of worship, so you’ll be asked to remove your shoes at the door and women should cover their hair with a hat or scarf. One entrance to the mosque is reserved for those who come to pray.

    Inside, it’s not hard to see where the mosque got its ubiquitous nickname. Its ceiling of cascading domes is lined with more than 20,000 tiles in various shades of blue and gold. The mosque took 17 years to build in the early 1600s and it has lost none of its grandeur since then.

    You could spend days going from mosque to mosque — the much smaller Rustem Pasa mosque, for example, is noteworthy for its ornate floral and geometric tiles — but Istanbul has much more to see.

    The Topkapi Palace is a legacy of the Ottoman Turks, who built it as a showpiece and a home for sultans and their entourages when they took over the city that was then called Constantinople. Many of their treasures and spoils of war dating back to the 1400s are still on display there, including an arsenal of jewel-encrusted swords and the mind-blowing Spoonmaker’s Diamond, an 86-carat gem that earned its name from the fact that it was bought by a street merchant for three spoons after it was found in a rubbish dump. Small wonder it’s named for the buyer rather than the seller.

    You’re unlikely to get any deals that spectacular at the Grand Bazaar, but it’s still worth a visit, whether or not you’re an avid shopper.

    With more than 4,000 stores in a sprawling warren of arch-covered passageways dating back to the mid-1400s, it’s definitely a tourist draw, but you may also encounter groups of burka-clad women eyeing handmade tablecloths and groups of flag-waving local soccer fans just looking to make some noise.

    via No risk of boredom in exotic, wonderful Istanbul.

    more :

  • Istanbul is Cheap(er)

    Istanbul is Cheap(er)

    Istanbul is Cheap(er)

    Turkish budget tips in this enchanting mix of East and West.

    By Mary Spierling, Sept. 10, 2012

    istanbul blue mosque t658

    A cosmopolitan blend of Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a more exotic, less-pricey alternative to Paris or London, especially during the off-season winter months of January, February and March.

    The city is compact and walkable, and you can snack as locals do on the trendy Istiklal Avenue in Beyoğlu, north of the landmark Galata Bridge. Most eateries serve Middle Eastern dishes for less than $10. Istanbul is a vegetarian’s delight, with endless variations of eggplant, spicy okra, spinach and garlic, lentil soup and yogurt.

    A great place to shop for bargains is the Grand Bazaar, one of Istanbul’s enduring landmarks.

    There are good budget hotels in the hip Beyoğlu and the old city for less than $80 a night with neat, clean rooms that include breakfast buffets and Wi-Fi. You’ll hear the call to prayer from nearby mosques while lying in bed.

    Entrance fees for sightseeing spots including the Hagia Sophia Museum, Blue Mosque (also called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque) and Topkapı Palace ranged from free to $11. The city’s European and Asian areas are divided by the Bosporous Strait at the the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn.

    Ferries are a cheap and easy way to get around. A six-hour excursion along the Bosporus Strait is just $14 round-trip. You can take another hour-long ride to Buyukada, the largest of a handful of islands in the Sea of Marmara called the Princes Islands. A day trip to Buyukada by high-speed ferry shouldn’t be missed; you’ll find gorgeous Ottoman mansions amid pine forests and Aya Yorgi, a Greek monastery to explore by horse and carriage.

    Definitely don’t miss the Istanbul Archaeology Museums and a boat cruise along the Bosphorus to the last village before the mouth of the Black Sea.

    And don’t forget to have a Turkish massage, which is done with water (rather than oil); it will leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated.

    via Istanbul is Cheap(er) | San Diego Reader.

  • Letter to The Honorable Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey

    Letter to The Honorable Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey

    9 September 2012

     

    The Honorable Abdullah Gül

    T.C. Cumhurbaşkan

    06689 Çankaya

    Ankara

     

    Dear Mr. President,

    Would you allow me to show my concern about maintaining your well-deserved prestige and to tell you that your star which, until now, has shone so brightly, risks being dimmed by the most shameful and indelible of stains.

    You have passed healthy and safe from the troubles pertaining to your rise to the presidency. You seem to have won over the hearts of the citizens. But what filth this wretched “Syria Affair” has cast on your name and the name of your country. The government of Turkey, in primary collaboration with the government of the United States of America, has dared to attempt to destroy the duly constituted government of Syria. In that process it has funded, encouraged and armed a motley gang of terrorist killers that include numerous members of Al-Qaeda and other recognized terrorist groups. The Hatay region of Turkey is being used as a staging area for attacks on a neighboring country, a country that until recent months had enjoyed great favor with Turkey. Hatay, perhaps the most enlightened, peaceful region in Turkey, now is under occupation by gangs of terrorist killers. The people are regularly accosted on the streets by these ruffians, and asked if they are Alevites. You will be next, they are told. The shops and restaurants are being ripped off by these foreign mercenaries. Send the bill, to Tayyip, they say, He sent for us. And rather than protect the citizens the police turn a blind eye. What is going on, Mr. President? Who is ruling this country?

    Many innocent Syrian people, including my wife’s uncle in Damascus, have been murdered by this assembled-in-Turkey terrorist machine. Moreover, the good citizens of Hatay are daily threatened by this scum that the government of Turkey has organized, of course with the help of the CIA, proven by history to be experts in unspeakably violent subversions. This lawless behavior, indeed a crime against the Syrian people, and a war crime in terms of the Geneva Conventions, is the supreme insult to all truth, all justice, all morality and all religion. Now Turkey is willingly sullied by this filth. History will record that it was under your presidency that this crime against humanity was committed. Something must be done Mr. President.

    As these government and foreign operatives have dared to drag the reputation of Turkey through the filth of deceit, lies and murder, so shall I dare. Dare to tell the truth, as I swear to tell it, since the normal channels of the media and the Turkish justice system have failed so miserably to do so. My duty as a good citizen is to speak, and not become an accomplice to this murderous travesty of justice. My nights would otherwise be haunted by the spectre of innocent men, women and children, not so far away, suffering the most horrible tortures of war.

    And it is to you Mr. President, that I shall proclaim this truth, with all the revulsion that an honest man can summon. Knowing your integrity, I am sure that you do not know the truth. If you did, you would have long ago taken action against this blatant attack on Turkish sovereignty. The ruling power is complicit in this attack. And the opposition is hopelessly divided and incompetent. So to whom if not you, the first magistrate of this country, shall I reveal the vile baseness of those who are truly guilty, the ones steeped in innocent blood up to their elbows.

    As you know, Mr. President, the problem has always been Turkey. Blessed with abundant natural resources, an edenic environment for agriculture, waters teeming with fish, vast olive groves overlooking the sea, a winning warm water climate, the land nexus between east and west, Turkey has always been a target. And being a target is most uncomfortable and always susceptible to treachery.

    Since the death of the founder of modern Turkey, who tossed the imperialist occupying powers into the sea, Turkey has been in a state of decline, particularly regarding its susceptibility and submission to western interests. First it was Communism! Communism! Communism! And a nervous America needed an Islamic green buffer zone against godless Russia. So Turkey said Yes! Yes! Yes! Please forgive us for not joining all you western imperialists in World War II. Please allow us to become a “green zone.” And  please, please, please take some incredibly fertile land from our agricultural heart in Çukurova, eight kilometers east of Adana. And of course build your airbase, said Turkey, but please like us and respect us. So America built its airbase in the fertile heart of Turkey. And that was the beginning of America’s close relationship—meaning CIA involvement—with Turkey. Vital rural education programs were abandoned lest those evil Communists infiltrate. And in the villages, ignorance remained. And the politicians knew it. And the plunder began. And today, Mr. President, the headquarters for this foul deed being done to Syria, the Syrian people, and the Turkish people is at Incirlik Air Base. What goes around, comes around, Mr. President.

    At the root of it all is one man, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the head of the AKP ruling party and the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey. A man of bombast, scowls and ill-humor, he seems not to like anyone. It’s the strangest thing, Mr. President, to observe his grin when visiting the White House in Washington DC. And then the pain that comes to his face when he returns to his native land. He came to power in a landslide election in 2002 that was repeated four years later. Could it have something to do with the lack of education in the provinces, Mr. President? Since he came to power he has relentlessly embarked on a policy to divide and weaken the republic. I am sure you have noticed this, Mr. President. Haven’t you?

    Who is this man? Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed, that he is grown so great?

    I suspect American hamburgers and hotdogs, Mr. President. For he and his ilk are of them. And now, during these days of tragedy, there are no longer any secrets, Mr. President.

    Who is this prime minister who so disparages, dismisses, defames and divides, to wit:

    • What head of government would jail the senior officers and the command and general staff of a nation’s armed forces and within months enter a de facto war against its hitherto peaceful neighbor, Syria?
    • What head of government would actively solicit the entry into its country of known terrorists?
    • What head of government would defy the will of the people as expressed by the existence of a parliament by arming known terrorists at the behest of a foreign power, i.e., the United States of America?
    • What head of government would jail many hundreds of students for protesting their desire for a free education? Some are sentenced to as much as an eight year imprisonment for being members of a “terrorist” organization because they wore traditional poşhu headscarves.
    • Who is this prime minister of a secular, democratic, equal rights espousing country who:
    • In Istanbul 2010 International Women’s Day, opined to a conference of representatives of women’s organizations that women are not equal to men. His wife sat stoically on the dais.
    • On International Women’s Day, 2008 encouraged women to have three and even better, five, children each.
    • On 16 August 2008, called martyred (killed in action) Turkish soldiers “kelle”, a derogatory expression likening them to heads of cattle.
    • In 2011 changed the name of the Ministry for Women and Family to the Ministry of Family and Social Policies thus further effacing and disparaging women.
    • In 2011 on International Women’s Day, he was asked why honor killings had increased 14 fold since 2002 under his regime. In bizarre logic, the prime minister said the enormous increase was because more murders were being reported, thus apparently both praising and loathing improved administrative procedures.
    • After the Turkish Air Force with the help of American “intelligence” from drone observation aircraft bombed and killed 34 innocent Kurdish citizens on 28 December 2011 in Uludere, the prime minister announced his opposition to abortion preposterously likening it to rape. He thus deflected attention from the massive loss of life caused by the Turkish military.  No viable explanation has yet been given.
    • In 2011, in a gross demonstration of his Taliban state of mind, the prime minister ordered the destruction of The Statue of Humanity by the acclaimed sculptor Mehmet Aksoy. The statue stood in Kars on the Armenian border. The prime minister called the statue dedicated to Turkish-Armenian peace, “ucube,” a “freak.”
    • And now, in primary collusion with agents of the United States of America, the prime minister and his oh-so-willing underlings have launched an illegal, unconstitutional aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic, a sovereign nation. Can they have so soon forgotten the international crime and human disaster that such illegal recklessness brought to the innocent Iraqi people? Have they so quickly become emboldened to disregard the will of the Turkish people who so courageously chose not to collaborate with the western rape of Iraq in 2003?
    • And now, in primary collusion with agents of the United States of America, the prime minister and his oh-so-willing underlings have launched an illegal, unconstitutional aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic, a sovereign nation. Can they have so soon forgotten the international crime and human disaster that such illegal recklessness brought to the innocent Iraqi people? Have they so quickly become emboldened to disregard the will of the Turkish people who so courageously chose not to collaborate with the western rape of Iraq in 2003?
    • Has he forgotten the many historical foreign connivances of America? Has he forgotten the murderous campaigns of subversion that featured ruthless CIA involvement? Has he forgotten the American CIA killer-puppet Pinochet? Has he forgotten the destabilizing bombings, the tortures, the disappearances of pregnant women who were executed after giving birth, their children re-engineered for the “new” Argentine society? Has he forgotten the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Georgia, a state terrorist training camp? How about the KUBARK program, the CIA how-to-do-it interrogation manual, the book that destroys victims’ minds? Deep, disorienting shocks, day and night jumbled, electroshock, humiliation, silence, noise, sensory deprivation, the slow destruction of brains, has he remembered any of this? And now Turkey has the very same type of organization teaching assassination, sabotage and terror. Mr. President, in times like these we must remember our Nietzsche: “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.”
    • Has he forgotten Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Cuba (1959-present), Congo (1960), Cambodia (1961-73), Brazil (1965), Argentina (1976), Indonesia (1965), Vietnam (1961-74), Laos (1961-73), Cambodia (1961-73), Greece (1946-81), Chile (1973), Afghanistan (1979-present), El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua (1980s), Grenada (1983), Turkey (1980-present), Agfhanistan (1979-89) (2001-present) and Iraq (1991-present)? These are all victims of terror American style.
    • Has he forgotten the human wreckage caused by these American assaults? Surely he remembers the horror that America brought to Turkey in 1980, the torture, the mass imprisonment, the executions? Has the prime minister not had his fill of the criminal antics of the USA and its CIA? Most of humanity has, Mr. President? Have you?

    And now Syria, a new horror brought to the Syrian people courtesy of Turkey and America.

    And of course, the not-so-secret planning that turns out to be so terribly fatal. Earlier this year, General Dempsey, David Petraeus, now the CIA capo, and Hillary Clinton came to town, and came to down, and still come to town. A typical American foreign policy team, one civilian and two generals. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Mr. President, American foreign policy has shrunken to its bare essentials: military muscle-flexing and threats. Culturally insensitive and hopelessly hypocritical, it relies on force alone. In between these American visits the Turkish foreign minister feverishly visited Washington. Their cartoonish visits are insulting to Turkey. Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Mu’ammar al-Khaddafi Human Rights Award winner for 2010, soon after the award ceremony ended commenced raining bombs on al-Khaddafi’s head. He then proceeded (like Hillary Clinton) to celebrate his former host’s murder by evisceration via sodomy with various sharp instruments. Then he turned his invective on his former Syrian friend, Bashar al-Assad. How seductive must be the eye-popping smiles of that most incompetent, amoral American secretary of state.

    The deep and treacherous pockets of Saudi Arabia and America’s other military stooge, Qatar, would provide the financing of their fellow Arab neighbor’s demise. In violation of its constitution Turkey now provides a safe haven for the so-called Free Syrian Army, a collection of mercenaries and terrorists dredged up by the collective intelligence services of Turkey, the USA, Israel, and any other western jackals that want some of the action. How does such a safe haven in Hatay differ from the safe haven provided to the PKK in Iraq? Make no mistake, Mr. President, the Free Syrian Army is the equivalent in every way of the America-financed mujadhideen, the “freedom fighters” of the 1980s war in Afghanistan. And venal Turkish businessmen, having been denied projects in Iraq due to governmental blundering, rub their hands together anticipating post-war reconstruction contracts in Syria.

    And lately, again the CIA visited Turkey in the form of its boss, the military man, the general, David Petraeus, a man who as an honorable West Point cadet swore to not lie, cheat or steal, all of which he now does with wanton abandon for his country. Who would not say that this man has not become a monster? And the day after Petraeus left, the prime minister suddenly became a latter-day Mehmet the Conqueror shouting that “In a short time we will go to Damascus and God willing pray in the Emevi mosque.” And a day later 25 soldiers were exploded into very small pieces carrying ammunition in an armory in the middle of the night in Afyonkarahisar. A minister blamed God. The commanding general blamed the media. As usual, all explanations were garbled. As usual, the circumstances are highly suspicious. As usual, an investigation is pending. Chaos, chaos, always the chaos.

    Isn’t this all this a disgusting business, Mr. President?

    Of course, Mr. President, all the posturing about meetings and speeches are hoaxes. This rape of Syria was cooked long ago in Washington. How so? On 20 August 2012 a car bomb exploded in downtown Gaziantep. Warnings had been issued weeks ago that this would. But despite this “intelligence,” the car bomb was carried by a flat-bed truck and offloaded in front of the police station. So much for being alert. Nine people were killed, scores injured. But suddenly something spilled out of a blacker-than-black bag. It seems that three American neo-con think tanks (the Brookings Institute, the America Enterprise Institute and the War Studies Institute) had figured it out in advance months ago at a Washington DC conference. It was attended by representatives from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. First it was called a “scenario,” later a “plan,” then, amazingly, it wasn’t called anything. It just disappeared, never to be mentioned again.

    What’s the difference? Well, hundreds of generals and other senior staff officers remain jailed because of a laughable military coup “scenario” called “Sledgehammer” (Balyoz). This cartoon involved bombing mosques and shooting down Turkish planes. The so-called evidence was slathered across on the front page of so-called newspapers like Taraf, Mr. President. Hundreds of senior officers were arrested, Mr. President! A mammoth investigation and round-up ensued. The army’s command and general staff was purged. But about the American bomb “scenario?” Nothing! The story ran in the press for one day. After that a great silence has prevailed. Why, Mr. President? No arrests. No investigation. No questions. And soon thereafter the CIA’s David Petraeus came to town again, this time peddling another deceitful scheme. How disgusting, Mr. President.

    And guess what familiar names surround the think-tank bomb fiasco? Richard Perle of the 1980 Turkish military coup infamy, Eric Edelman and Douglas Feith, neo-con diplomatic thugs from the recent Bush regime. It all smells to the highest of heavens, Mr. President.

    This is the plain truth, Mr. President, and it is terrifying. It will leave an indelible stain on your presidency. I realize that you may have no direct power over this issue, that you may be limited by the Constitution and your entourage. You have, nonetheless, your duty as a man, which you will recognize and fulfill. As for myself, I have not despaired in the least of the triumph of the right and justice. I say with the most vehement of conviction: truth is on the march, and nothing will stop it. Today is only the beginning, for it is only today that the positions have become clear: on one side, those who are guilty, who do not want the light to shine forth, who crave war and power, on the other hand, those who seek justice and peace and eschew the disgusting laws of the jungle.

    Yes, Mr. President, truth is on the march. The full deception is apparent. And now the Turkish government stands alone in the eyes of the world as a deceiver par excellence. A conniver for the base interests of its American boss. A subversive conspirer who illegally arms, quarters and trains secret terror forces, and by doing so subverts its own constitution. How can this not be treason, Mr. President?

    Mr. President, when the truth is buried underground by lies and deceptions and subterfuges, it grows and builds up so much force that the day it explodes it blasts everything with it. We shall see whether we have been setting ourselves up for the most resounding of disasters. Sadly, it seems clear that Turkey is well along its own road to perdition.

    Today, the endgame now rages inside and outside Turkey. The dangers to the nation and its citizens are clear and present and deadly. And all these dangers lay bare the full deceit of the plan. All is now in plain sight, particularly the vastness of the crimes.

    Herein follows some of the international laws and agreements possibly broken by this violent, criminal cabal organized and directed by the United States of America and the Republic of Turkey, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and The State of Qatar, among others. These are the laws and statutes possibly breached by this vile bunch, headquartered in Istanbul and Incirlik Air Base in Adana. And whose international terrorist militants who are trained and staged in the Hatay region in southeastern Turkey. Of course, there are other higher level operators far distant from Turkey that can easily be traced through the nefarious deeds of their hired henchmen. We know who they are, and where they are, Mr. President. Their list of offenses is long and grievous, Mr. President, particularly for a nation whose government takes great pride in its religious piety.

    I accuse this monstrous cabal of possible crimes against the following standards of civilized behavior.

     

    CRIMES AGAINST MANKIND

    Realizing that the Republic of Turkey is the sole operator within your jurisdiction, I nevertheless accuse all the above mentioned parties and their agents of committing the crime of naked, treacherous aggression, of committing crimes against peace, of committing crimes against humanity, and of committing war crimes against the Syrian people of catastrophic proportions. These grave offenses are described in greater particularity as follows:

    The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey

    Declaration of State of War and Authorization to Deploy the Armed Forces

    Article 92.

    1. The power to authorize the declaration of a state of war in cases deemed legitimate by international law and except where required by international treaties to which Turkey is a party or by the rules of international courtesy to send Turkish Armed Forces to foreign countries and to allow foreign armed forces to be stationed in Turkey, is vested in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
    2. If the country is subjected, while the Turkish Grand National Assembly is adjourned or in recess, to sudden armed aggression and it thus becomes imperative to decide immediately on the deployment of the armed forces, the President of the Republic can decide on the mobilization of the Turkish Armed Forces.

     

    United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314: Definition of Aggression

    Aggression is the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations.

     

    Charter of the United Nations

    Chapter VII: Action with respect to threats to peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression

    Article 40.

    In order to prevent an aggravation of the situation, the Security Council may, before making the recommendations or deciding upon the measures provided for in Article 39, call upon the parties concerned to comply with such provisional measures as it deems necessary or desirable. Such provisional measures shall be without prejudice to the rights, claims, or position of the parties concerned. The Security Council shall duly take account of failure to comply with such provisional measures.

     

    International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

    Article 20.

    1. Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law.
    2. Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.

     

    Nuremberg Tribunal Charter
    The Tribunal established by the Agreement referred to Article 1 hereof for the trial and punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis countries shall have the power to try and punish persons who, acting in the interests of the European Axis countries, whether as individuals or as members of organizations, committed any of the following crimes.

    The following acts, or any of them, are crimes coming within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal for which there shall be individual responsibility:

    (a) Crimes Against Peace: namely, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the foregoing;

    (b) War Crimes: namely, violations of the laws or customs of war. Such violations shall include, but not be limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity;

    (c)Crimes Against Humanity: namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war; or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds in execution of or in connection with any crime within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, whether or not in violation of the domestic law of the country where perpetrated.

    Leaders, organizers, instigators and accomplices participating in the formulation or execution of a common plan or conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing crimes are responsible for all acts performed by any persons in execution of such plan.

    Note: the above provisions were codified as legal principles by the International Law Commission of the United Nations.

     

    Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol 1) (2nd part)

    Article 50. Definition of civilians and civilian population

    1. A civilian is any person who does not belong to one of the categories of persons referred to in Article 4 A (1), (2), (3) and (6) of the Third Convention and in Article 43 of this Protocol. In case of doubt whether a person is a civilian, that person shall be considered to be a civilian.

    2. The civilian population comprises all persons who are civilians.

    3. The presence within the civilian population of individuals who do not come within the definition of civilians does not deprive the population of its civilian character.

     

    Article 51. Protection of the civilian population

    1. The civilian population and individual civilians shall enjoy general protection against dangers arising from military operations. To give effect to this protection, the following rules, which are additional to other applicable rules of international law, shall be observed in all circumstances.

    2. The civilian population as such, as well as individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack. Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.

    3. Civilians shall enjoy the protection afforded by this Section, unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities.

    4. Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited. Indiscriminate attacks are:

       (a) Those which are not directed at a specific military objective;

       (b) Those which employ a method or means of combat which cannot be directed at a specific military objective;

       (c)  Those which employ a method or means of combat the effects of which cannot be limited as required by this Protocol; and consequently, in each such case, are of a nature to strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction.

    5. Among others, the following types of attacks are to be considered as indiscriminate:

    (a) An attack by bombardment by any methods or means which treats as a single military objective a number of clearly separated and distinct military objectives located in a city, town, village or other area containing a similar concentration of civilians or civilian objects; and

       (b) An attack which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.

    6. Attacks against the civilian population or civilians by way of reprisals are prohibited.

    7. The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede military operations. The Parties to the conflict shall not direct the movement of the civilian population or individual civilians in order to attempt to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield military operations.

    8. Any violation of these prohibitions shall not release the Parties to the conflict from their legal obligations with respect to the civilian population and civilians, including the obligation to take the precautionary measures provided for in Article 57.

     

    Article 52. General protection of civilian objects

    1. Civilian objects shall not be the object of attack or of reprisals. Civilian objects are all objects which are not military objectives as defined in paragraph 2.

    2. Attacks shall be limited strictly to military objectives. In so far as objects are concerned, military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military of advantage.

    3. In case of doubt whether an object which is normally dedicated to civilian purposes, such as a place of worship, a house or other dwelling or a school, is being used to make an effective contribution to military action, it shall be presumed not to be so used.

     

    Article 57. Precautions in attack

    1. In the conduct of military operations, constant care shall be taken to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects.

    2. With respect to attacks, the following precautions shall be taken:

    (a) Those who plan or decide upon an attack shall:

    (i) Do everything feasible to verify that the objectives to be attacked are neither civilians nor civilian objects and are not subject to special protection but are military objectives within the meaning of paragraph 2 of Article 52 and that it is not prohibited by the provisions of this Protocol to attack them;

         (ii) Take all feasible precautions in the choice of means and methods of attack with a view to avoiding, and in any event to minimizing, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects;

     

    The Nuremberg Principles

    These principles define a crime against peace as the “planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements, or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for accomplishment of any of the forgoing.”

    Mr. President, these are grievous, heavy offenses. I well realize that some, in particular the government of the United States, may consider them to have become “quaintly” obsolete. But that is not the opinion of the overwhelming majority of mankind and its nations. I have hitherto considered the Republic of Turkey to be among those nations advocating the primacy of the rule of law. Unfortunately, given the current situation, I am no longer so sure.

    Finally, I must turn to another aspect of morality, the concept of divine justice. Because of the outrageous hypocrisy of the accused parties these are the most disgusting and egregious of charges, Mr. President.

     

    CRIMES AGAINST GOD

    I accuse these Turkish ringleaders and their murderous operators, these so-called Muslims who take such great public pride in proclaiming their faith while reviling the faith of others, in particular, the Alevites, I accuse these blatant hypocrites of sinning against the word of God as revealed by his esteemed prophet, Muhammad, as proscribed by the following verses of the Holy Koran:

    Sura 4:92 that says “It is unlawful for a believer to kill another believer.”

    Sura 4:93 that says “He that kills a believer by design shall burn in Hell forever. He shall incur the wrath of God, who will lay his curse upon him and prepare for him a mighty scourge.”

    Sura 5:60 that says “Shall I tell you who will receive a worse reward from God? Those whom God has cursed and with whom He has been angry, transforming them into apes and swine, and those who serve the devil. Worse is the plight of these, and they have strayed farther from the right path.”

    Sura 49:11 that says “Do not defame one another…”

    Only God can judge them. And God will do it in God’s good time. But in the meantime, while these so-called Muslims and their non-Muslim supporters, advisors, financers and protectors still live in this world so should they be compelled to adhere to the laws of this world else we all become like them, demons and monsters.

    I realize that this letter is long. But so is the list of transgressions against humanity by the current Turkish government and its enablers. I have but one passion, Mr. President, the search for light, in the name of humanity which has suffered so much and is entitled to happiness. My protest is simply the cry of my very soul.

    With my deepest respect, Mr. President,

     

    James (Cem) Ryan, Ph.D.

    Founder, West Point Graduates Against the War

     

     

     

    PS. With apologies and thanks to Emile Zola who would surely understand.

     

    Cc.  International Criminal Court, Office of the Prosecutor, The Hague, The Netherlands