BY MEHMET BARLAS
SABAH- After discussing US President Barack Obama's address to Parliament last week, now we're talking about this week's speech by Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug at the War Academy, and trying to see what messages should be drawn from the two speeches. The US has power worldwide, and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is powerful regionally. But both have learned through experience that power has limits. After all, the US learned first in Vietnam and then in Iraq that it's more difficult to leave a country than enter it.
Since 1984, the TSK has been fighting a group waging a hit-and-run separatist war in its own territory. It's not so easy to control the rural southeast in a country where the elected ruling party in Ankara could be overthrown by a memorandum. Furthermore, it's unclear who the 'Turkish nation' would replace the ruling party with. In light of these facts, one should consider the identities and positions of these two speakers. Obama is a politician, whereas Basbug is a military officer. One was elected, the other appointed. Obama is trying to immediately answer the expectations of the masses who made him president.
In line with this, he is set to shut down the Guantanamo bay prison and enter into dialogue with Cuba, and has started to operate common decision mechanisms with his European allies, gave a date to withdraw from Iraq, is supporting both the financial and real sectors against the economic crisis, is preparing sweeping changes in education and healthcare, and is working to roll back excessive pay for corporate CEOs. Basbug doesn't have such responsibilities to those who appointed him to his post. Until his retirement, he's responsible for maintaining the institution that he manages as a military force which is always ready for war, disciplined, and open to modernization.
As required by Turkey's special conditions, the political importance of the TSK makes for the exceptional function of this responsibility. But after all, the TSK isn't a political party, and the TSK's officers aren't like party members. Commanders and chiefs of General Staff are either promoted or retired in a hierarchical order, depending on certain periods and success criteria.
In this respect, the current chief of General Staff can't have the same political stance as his predecessor. If he could, the TSK would be a political party, not an army. In light of this, it makes no sense to interpret Obama and Basbug's speeches through the same lens. Obama is a political leader, whereas Basbug is a military one. Inspired by the references made by Basbug to the world and to Obama's speech, we should ask the following questions: If Basbug had made political suggestions to Obama or the US Congress in Obama's country, how would this have been received? Or could a speech by the US joint chief of staff (their equivalent to Basbug) have been the subject of various interpretations with such political dimensions?"