Gerger: New round for Turkey power struggle
Gerger: New round for Turkey power struggle
Writer and professor Dr Haluk Gerger commenting on yesterday decision by president Abdullah Gul to ratify promotion of generals except the two main army posts says to ANF that "the whole thing is a part of the "power struggle" between sections of the ruling classes."
"On one side - says Gerger - is the nationalists positioned around and under the leadership of the Armed Forces (Genel Kurmay. On the other side are the liberals of all shades. They represent the new section within the big bourgeoisie called the "green capital" or the "Anatolian tigers." This new section through its political representative AKP Government want to get rid of the "official ideology"--Kemalist, elitist, 'etatist'. They think that they now can impose their own "hegemony of values" (Gramsci) by relying on "Ýslam", "Anatolian conservatism" and some sort of an synthesis of Turkism-Ottomanism."
It is why, argues Gerger "they therefore feel that they do not need to accept the tutelage of the state bureaucracy and the army. They ant the bourgeoisie class to dominate the bureaucracy rather that sharing power with it. They just want to be a "normal" capitalist system. So, the power struggle has nothing to do with democracy, liberties, modernization, etc. The armed bureaucracy is also having problems with imperialism- on the Kurdish Question, on cosmopolitan cultural influences of globalization, on the dismantling of state controls under neo-liberal onslaught of international capital and they fee that they are being disadvantaged (sold out) by imperialism to which previously (in the old order and the Cold War) it has so loyally served."
How much is America helping the AKP (Justice and Development Party) government then, ANF asked Dr Gerger.
"Well - he answers - Americans are also helping the AKP government to dismantle the much -exposed and out-moded Turkish Gladio and to reorganize it to suit new conditions and changed class relations.
They seems however to have reached some sort of an understanding concerning the Kurdish Issue. The previous State strategy was to nationalist-Kemalist "total liquidation through violence." This did not work. At least some in the ruling coalition thought so. This started with Özal. Now with the active aid of president Obama, the liberal coalition under the AKP government tried "Açýlým" which meant a new phase==liberal phased liquidation, i.e. start with the forceful liquidation of the military wing of the PKK. Then continue with, support violence with, reforms to achieve the liquidation of the political side, and then the whole Question itself. Even this created serious cleavages within the ruling classes and now it seems that they have met again at the old strategy of nationalist total liquidation through force and violence."
As for the referendum set for September 12 to amend the Constitution, is this also part of the power struggle, ANF asked Dr Gerger.
"The referendum - he agrees - is also part of the power struggle. AKP and the liberals want to conquer the judiciary, the universities, etc. The other side want the institutional status quo to continue. So this is a trench war. Now I think the Government and Erdoðan has the edge through its psychological victory over the army through the YAÞ results. This I think will boost the "yes" vote."
"On one side - says Gerger - is the nationalists positioned around and under the leadership of the Armed Forces (Genel Kurmay. On the other side are the liberals of all shades. They represent the new section within the big bourgeoisie called the "green capital" or the "Anatolian tigers." This new section through its political representative AKP Government want to get rid of the "official ideology"--Kemalist, elitist, 'etatist'. They think that they now can impose their own "hegemony of values" (Gramsci) by relying on "Ýslam", "Anatolian conservatism" and some sort of an synthesis of Turkism-Ottomanism."
It is why, argues Gerger "they therefore feel that they do not need to accept the tutelage of the state bureaucracy and the army. They ant the bourgeoisie class to dominate the bureaucracy rather that sharing power with it. They just want to be a "normal" capitalist system. So, the power struggle has nothing to do with democracy, liberties, modernization, etc. The armed bureaucracy is also having problems with imperialism- on the Kurdish Question, on cosmopolitan cultural influences of globalization, on the dismantling of state controls under neo-liberal onslaught of international capital and they fee that they are being disadvantaged (sold out) by imperialism to which previously (in the old order and the Cold War) it has so loyally served."
How much is America helping the AKP (Justice and Development Party) government then, ANF asked Dr Gerger.
"Well - he answers - Americans are also helping the AKP government to dismantle the much -exposed and out-moded Turkish Gladio and to reorganize it to suit new conditions and changed class relations.
They seems however to have reached some sort of an understanding concerning the Kurdish Issue. The previous State strategy was to nationalist-Kemalist "total liquidation through violence." This did not work. At least some in the ruling coalition thought so. This started with Özal. Now with the active aid of president Obama, the liberal coalition under the AKP government tried "Açýlým" which meant a new phase==liberal phased liquidation, i.e. start with the forceful liquidation of the military wing of the PKK. Then continue with, support violence with, reforms to achieve the liquidation of the political side, and then the whole Question itself. Even this created serious cleavages within the ruling classes and now it seems that they have met again at the old strategy of nationalist total liquidation through force and violence."
As for the referendum set for September 12 to amend the Constitution, is this also part of the power struggle, ANF asked Dr Gerger.
"The referendum - he agrees - is also part of the power struggle. AKP and the liberals want to conquer the judiciary, the universities, etc. The other side want the institutional status quo to continue. So this is a trench war. Now I think the Government and Erdoðan has the edge through its psychological victory over the army through the YAÞ results. This I think will boost the "yes" vote."
