Nuray Lydia Oglu and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The endless enclosed cul-de-sac of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is leading to one dead end after another. He constantly warns that his patience is wearing thin while demonstrators are attacked and pushed around from parts of several major cities. At all times he seeks to justify his rhetoric by spreading half truths about the mass complexity of what is happening socially within Turkey.

This is the same Erdogan which is isolating Turkey apart from being a NATO puppet and doing the bidding of feudal Gulf nations which include Qatar and Saudi Arabia. However, nearer to home then it is clear that Armenia, Cyprus, Iraq, Israel and Syria don’t trust his authoritarian approach to international politics. Lebanon is equally divided about Erdogan and Iran once more is alarmed by the reality that Turkey is a conduit for military arms, sectarian terrorists and providing a haven for the CIA, MI6 and various intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, the Russian Federation is watching events from a distance but clearly the Chechen and Caucasus Islamist angle in Syria is setting off alarm bells. However, in the world of Erdogan’s enclosed cul-de-sac then he only perceives himself to be a victim.

Turkey is meant to be a bridge linking Europe with the Middle East and a nation which will spread its secular and democratic thought patterns to regional nations. Yet under the troika of America, Turkey and the United Kingdom within the democratic world – alongside the dual sectarian and feudal monarchs of Qatar and Saudi Arabia – then Turkey is now a mere pawn within the respective geopolitical and sectarian religious games of the main allies of Turkey. At no point did Erdogan stop to think about the diversity within Turkey and how regional nations were increasingly distrustful of his new approach.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Bulent Arinc, is also hinting that the armed forces may be used against the citizens of Turkey. Arinc commented that “Our police, our security forces are doing their jobs…If it’s not enough then the gendarmes will do their jobs. If that’s not enough… we could even use elements of the Turkish armed forces.” He tried to downplay his own comments by stating that his words were taken out of context but this is all part and parcel of the psychological game being played by elites within the Erdogan government.

Deutsche Welle reports that “Meanwhile, Erdogan delivered a speech to hundreds of thousands of bused-in supporters. He accused the international press of a plot against him and his government: “CNN, Reuters, remain isolated with your lies!” he said, and attacked the protest movement once more. He described them again as “plunderers,” and threatened them: “You are no real Turks. Watch out: those who work against Turkey will have cause to tremble with fear.” Hotel owners who hid these “terrorists” would also have to pay the reckoning.”

The above language is further evidence that Erdogan is a dictatorial leader who happens to be the leader of a democratic country. It is also ironic that Erdogan doesn’t mind the media witch-hunt against Syria in order to spread sectarianism and sedition. However, when people can see the reality of “the real Erdogan” then he kindly tries to dehumanize the demonstrators by stating “You are no real Turks.”  Equally alarming, he is warning all opposition forces and ordinary private citizens which are against his leadership that you “…will have cause to tremble with fear.”

Currently, President Obama it talking about a no-fly-zone against Syria and this is something which Erdogan wanted before. However, while any no-fly-zone will be flouting international law it is clear that even America is now concerned by the internal situation in Turkey. After all, it is now apparent that Obama is thinking about a no-fly-zone by manipulating Jordan. Yet prior to the crisis in Turkey it is clear that America would have thought about initiating such a policy by utilizing NATO Turkey in relation to the many ratlines which are assisting terrorists and sectarian forces in Syria. Now, however, even Washington is having second thoughts about Erdogan internally while expressing outward support whereby mild condemnation is for saving international face.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, is dismayed by what is happening in Turkey. Merkel stated that “I’m appalled, like many others…I would like to see those who have criticism, who have a different opinion and a different idea of society, having some space in a Turkey that moves into the 21st century.”

Merkel continued by stating that “What’s happening in Turkey at the moment is not in line with our idea of the freedom to demonstrate or freedom of speech….They are terrible images … I can only hope that the problems will be solved peacefully.”

This is the problem of Erdogan because not only is he leading Turkey into regional isolation on the political front whereby the majority of regional nations don’t trust him; but he is also creating an internal enclosed cul-de-sac whereby he “un-Turks people” and forces them to the outside perimeter whereby their voices are crushed. Yet, the outward perimeter to his political and Islamist enclosed cul-de-sac is much larger and widespread than Erdogan perceives. Therefore, his rhetoric is alienating more and more people within Turkey and many individuals in the media must be alarmed by the fear factor related to them.

If Erdogan focused on areas whereby positive results have been made in relation to the economy and so forth; then these demonstrations would never have happened on such a scale. Yet he doesn’t just want to lead Turkey based on his electoral mandate. Instead, Erdogan wants to enforce his Islamist and political agenda on people who don’t support him and to shackle society by implementing his grand social designs on the electorate. If he continues to use powerful language and incite the rank and file of party members; then clearly social divisions are going to widen further within Turkey. Therefore, the problem for Erdogan is can he escape the enclosed cul-de-sac that he created in order to allow the citizens of Turkey to feel that they really reside in a democratic nation?

http://www.dw.de/erdogan-escalates-the-crisis/a-16886439

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Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Outside nations involved themselves in Afghanistan over forty years ago by firstly supporting the same thought patterns that they are currently trying to prevent from ruling this nation in the modern period. Gulf nations, America, the United Kingdom and Pakistan created “this nightmare” whereby the rights of women didn’t matter one jot providing communist forces would be defeated. Similarly, outside nations then crushed the military and political system of Iraq which in turn unleashed chaos, sectarianism, the cleansing of Christians and other religious minorities like the Mandaeans; the end result being daily terrorism and then America and other allies leave the scene while chaos abounds. Not content with this, then Libya became another venture whereby today you just have chaos and a failed state. Despite this, major Gulf and Western powers have no shame because they are collectively destroying the fabric of society in Syria by stealth.

It matters not that America, France and the United Kingdom are bankrupting their respective nations at home while being involved in the deaths of untold numbers in distant lands. Major Gulf powers like Saudi Arabia and Qatar also have no qualms in supporting terrorist and sectarianism forces directly or covertly when Western hands are involved. Of course, democracy, religious freedom, the rights of women and pluralism at home in Saudi Arabia is not on the agenda. However, sowing the seeds of sectarianism and enabling the dark forces of terrorism to spread untold misery is on the agenda for Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states involved in the many ratlines against Syria.

It is now known that the Jabhat al-Nusra have just slaughtered vast numbers of Shia Muslims because they showed part of their destruction themselves on social media while celebrating. France, just like America and the United Kingdom, responds to massacres like this – and killing a young boy for “allegedly” insulting Islam – by merely issuing more threats against the Syrian government.

The BBC reports that the “French foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said the conflict in Syria was “at a turning point.”

“What should we do under these conditions to reinforce the opposition armed forces? We have had these discussions with our partners, with the Americans, the Saudis, the Turks, many others.”

“We cannot leave the opposition in the current state.”

Yet, these massacres are being done by Takfiri Islamists, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), various different terrorist and sectarian groups, and by mercenaries from all over the world. Indeed, religious minorities are being protected by the Syrian armed forces because Christians and others are not fleeing government controlled areas. On the contrary, they only feel secure in areas under the full control of the Syrian armed forces. It must be remembered that Christian bishops are being held by the allies of Gulf and Western nations. Also, when did so-called “opposition armed forces” belonging to “a mythical anti-Syrian group which is democratic” attack al-Qaeda backed terrorists? However, the illusions and lies will keep on coming by America, France and the United Kingdom.

Despite everything, America, France and the United Kingdom are pinning the blame on the central government of Syria while doing nothing to stem Gulf petrodollars from funding and supporting terrorism and sectarianism. The same Western states don’t care that Saudi Arabia supports killing all apostates to Christianity because how many decades does it take before religious apartheid nations are issued trade sanctions? This reality highlights the sham of Western nations coming up with the “democratic game” but it still doesn’t stop the mass media and senior politicians from whipping up hatred against independent Syria.

CBS News comments about the recent massacre of Shia Muslims by international Sunni Islamic terrorists. This news agency states that “With a steady drumbeat from some U.S. and European politicians calling for the West to arm Syria’s rebels, the composition of the rebel force on the ground is vital to understand, and the men who committed at least some of the killings in Hatla were not Syrian, and were not men who the West would want to arm.”

“In a video posted on YouTube, a man shows the dead bodies of several Shiite Syrians in Hatla, and angrily calls on his fellow Sunnis to “massacre” their Shiite compatriots. The man speaking is not Syrian, he is Kuwaiti, and very few of the armed “rebels” seen with him in the video sound Syrian — the accents are largely Kuwaiti and Iraqi. There were other, similar videos posted of the alleged massacre in Hatla.”

This reality makes a mockery of the “so-called civil war” because if it wasn’t for outside nations supporting terrorism, sectarianism and sedition then clearly this crisis would have petered out quickly. Syria is a nation whereby “civil war” applies despite vast numbers of international jihadists and terrorists coming from all over the world. Of course, political elites in America, France, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom know this – alongside major media agencies in the Gulf and West – however, it doesn’t stop the “tools of oppression” from open manipulation.

CBS news also states that “While leaders in Washington, Paris and London continue to suggest the option of arming “vetted” rebel groups remains on the table, there’s strong evidence to suggest that previous covert efforts to funnel arms into opposition hands through neighboring countries (efforts which were reportedly green-lighted by the Obama administration) ended up arming the extremists.”

Under the current leaders of America, France and the United Kingdom they have assisted Gulf powers and international jihadist groups from reaching further into the Levant, North Africa and West Africa. At the same time, terrorism and sectarianism is increasing in Iraq and Syria because of the evil deeds of outside nations meddling into the internal affairs of both nations. The upshot of all this is daily massacres against the Shia; the spreading of hatred towards the Alawites in Syria; the cleansing of Christians in several nations; the destruction of Sufi shrines in Libya, Mali and Somalia; the murder of pro-Syrian Sunni Muslim clerics in Syria; women are firmly being put into the shadows and honor killings are increasing; and all this is being done by Takfiri Islamist groups, the Salafists, Gulf nations and the political leaders of America, France and the United Kingdom who are cohorts in this barbarity when it suits their geopolitical agendas.

Independent and secular Syria prior to outside meddling under Bashar al-Assad was a nation that took in millions of Iraqi and Palestinian nationals which had fled past Western policy objectives. At no point did the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad reject people on religious grounds. On the contrary, vast numbers of Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims and Christians entered Syria in order to escape troubles in their respective nations of birth. However, this mosaic is now being crushed and Gulf and Western powers alongside NATO Turkey are trying to destroy the Syrian government by spreading sectarianism, destroying the economy, forcing people to flee from terrorism and other evil methods. At no point have the leaders of America, France and the United Kingdom condemned Gulf powers for supporting sectarianism and terrorism. Therefore, the latest massacre of Shia Muslims in Syria by Takfiri Islamists and the FSA should be firmly pinned on the nations supporting the destabilization of Syria and the same applies to the entire crisis.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57588904/syria-rebels-behind-alleged-massacre-of-shiites/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22870776

http://sana.sy/eng/337/2013/06/13/487202.htm

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

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Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The government of Ethiopia is unfazed by psychological games being played by President Mohammed Mursi (Morsi) of Egypt over the Nile. Ethiopia is currently in the process of constructing a viable hydroelectric dam in order to provide essential power. Therefore, Ethiopia caught Egypt on the hop last month when this nation began to divert the Blue Nile while providing information to Sudan about construction developments.

Ethiopia clearly needs to modernize the infrastructure of this nation in order to lift many people out of poverty and to support many areas of the economy. The Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is also a sign of growing confidence within the body politic of Ethiopia. Mursi therefore should be very careful when he states that “all options are open.” After all, it is easy for events to spiral out of control and it doesn’t help a very complex region.

Mursi did comment that he wasn’t “calling for war” but then further complicated issues by also making it clear that Egypt could not afford to sit idly by while Ethiopia threatened to control the water flow. Clearly, the worry is that with Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood coming under greater scrutiny at home; then he may decide to play the nationalist card. Therefore, events remain unstable because a slippery slope may occur whereby tensions continue to increase.

Mursi stated that “Egypt’s water security cannot be violated at all…As president of the state I confirm to you that all options are open…If Egypt is the Nile’s gift, then the Nile is a gift to Egypt.”

“The lives of the Egyptians are connected around it… as one great people. If it diminishes by one drop then our blood is the alternative.”

Mursi clearly wants to maintain a colonial ruling which denies Ethiopia the right to control its own water. Obviously, no nation can be held back by the past when it is clear that Ethiopia wasn’t responsible for the ruling which favored Egypt and Sudan in the first place. In saying that, it is also incumbent on Ethiopia to be sensitive to the needs of other nations which rely greatly on the water resources emanating from this country. Ethiopia is therefore stipulating that the interrupted flow will only take place for a set period during the building of this important dam.

Tedros Adhanom, the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, replied by stating  that “Ethiopia cannot remain poor….It must utilize its resources to lift its people out of poverty.”

Also, other upstream nations are disillusioned by the shenanigans of a past colonial agreement which violates their respective rights to exploit the water that they are blessed with. Egypt should be careful because regional powers like Uganda would not standby and allow Cairo to bully the region. After all, just like events between Sudan and South Sudan; it is clear that regional black African states are not interested in “a colonial Arab straightjacket.”

Sudan which is beset by many internal issues appears to be on board because this nation understands that Ethiopia isn’t threatening regional stability. This in itself further isolates Egypt because Sudan is a major downstream nation.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/73769/Egypt/Politics-/Ethiopia-dismisses-Egyptian-psychological-warfare-.aspx

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

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Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The Bosnian civil war witnessed massacres on all sides because outside of the mass simplicity of political leaders and major media agencies you have a different reality which is hidden. After all, despite the reality that America, Iran, al-Qaeda, Saudi Arabia and many others were all on the same side; it didn’t suit the image of the alleged “underdog” against a powerful “enemy.” Therefore, thousands of Orthodox Christians were slaughtered in Bratunac and in the Srebrenica region but of course this had to be kept quiet because it didn’t suit the agenda.

In the adorable art work of Alyse Radenovic (http://www.alyseradenovic.com/) related to this article you have no political words, no military images, no propaganda within her art and so forth. These images in this article are focused on the natural flow of Bratunac, Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Srebrenica and other parts of Bosnia like Sarajevo in relationship to the Serbs of the Balkans. However, Alyse Radenovic cares deeply about the Balkans and how the Serbs were demonized and expelled from various parts of Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo.

Like previously mentioned, no one-side is ever angelic in war and during civil wars the hatred is even higher. Therefore, while leading Western universities can hide and lie about history in order to suit their respective political agendas. On the ground, you can’t hide Croatian fascism which supported Nazi Germany; Ottoman Muslim enslavement and dhimmitude of Orthodox Christians in the Balkans; Muslim SS Units supporting Nazism; the geopolitical reality that Serbs were forced out from the seats of power by Muslim overlords during the Ottoman period; the mass atrocities against the Serbs by the Austro-Hungarian Empire; and a plethora of other realities.

This may appear to be very distant from the art pieces of Alyse Radenovic in relationship to her adorable images of Bratunac. Yet, it the stillness of her art you have no words and this is the point. After all, during the countless massacres of Serbian Orthodox Christians in Bratunac and other parts of Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo, you also mainly had the same silence. Given this reality, and knowing the passion of Alyse Radenovic towards the embattled Serbs of the Balkans; then within each image I can envisage the ghosts of history – and the written out ghosts of the past – which doesn’t suit the simplistic story of the mass media.

French General Philippe Morillon, the UNPROFOR commander who first called international attention to the Srebrenica enclave, is adamant that the crimes were quite “extraordinary in the region committed by those Muslim soldiers made the Serbs’ desire for revenge inevitable. He testified at The Hague Tribunal on February 12, 2004, that the Muslim commander in Srebrenica, Naser Oric, “engaged in attacks during Orthodox (Christian) holidays and destroyed villages, massacring all the inhabitants. This created a degree of hatred that was quite extraordinary in the region.”

Morillon also recounts how “the Serbs took me to a village to show me the evacuation of the bodies of the inhabitants that had been thrown into a hole, a village close to Bratunac. And this made me understand the degree to which this infernal situation of blood and vengeance [...] led to a situation when I personally feared that the worst would happen if the Serbs of Bosnia managed to enter the enclaves and Srebrenica…I feared that the Serbs, the local Serbs, the Serbs of Bratunac, these militiamen, they wanted to take their revenge for everything that they attributed to Naser Oric. It wasn’t just Naser Oric that they wanted to revenge, take their revenge on; they wanted to revenge their dead on Orthodox Christmas.”

In the above art piece by Alyse Radenovic you can visualize the mountains in the backdrop which often rescued the fleeing Serbs throughout history. The bright yellow image of the side of a rural homestead and the natural flow of nature can be seen. However, not so long ago innocent Serbian Orthodox Christians were slaughtered like animals in places like this by forces under Naser Oric in Bratunac and in the surrounding region. It mattered not if they were little children, women, elderly men and so forth; for all would be tortured and killed in brutal ways.

Like Morillon confirms, Naser Oric stated that “One can’t be bothered with prisoners” but what is left out by this simplistic comment by this Muslim warlord is that this even applied to little Serbian Orthodox Christian children. It is known that some CIA and American special forces were sickened by the role of Bill Clinton because they had to standby and witness many massacres of innocent Orthodox Christians while remaining silent. However, the stark reality is that Bill Clinton set in motion not only the massacres of Serbians but he also enabled al-Qaeda Islamists to use Bosnia in their next major power play during the barbaric events of September 11. However, just like the massacres against Serbian Orthodox Christians remain mainly ignored in many parts of the world; the same applies to the Bosnian connection with Madrid, September 11 and other terrorist attacks.

Turning back to the art work of Alyse Radenovic then her art provides a silent dignity whereby words are not needed. After all, while wealthy politicians, major universities (many supplied with Gulf petrodollars) and the mass media need to use words for propaganda and then to enhance the myth during peacetime. The reality is that for local people they know the real facts. Therefore, despite their voices being small in comparison to the enemies of truth; it is clear that the next generation will learn history at first hand in local areas because the Serbs were too numerous to crush. Sadly, for the Serbs of Kosovo then even their graveyards in many areas of their Jerusalem have become desecrated therefore the remaining Orthodox Christians reside in ghettos.

Alyse Radenovic produces stunning art related to a vast array of subjects and the words in this article belong to the author. However, her passion towards the embattled Serbs of the Balkans does remain within her heart. Therefore, the stunning art of Alyse Radenovic in relation to Bratunac,  Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Srebrenica conjures up many words despite the reality of no words being expressed. More alarmingly, in the mass media which relies on words to communicate then very few words were ushered about the brutal massacres against the Orthodox Christian Serbs. In this sense, the art work of Alsye Radenovic speaks a million times more than the closed books of the mantra of major world powers, famous university institutions and the mass media which all collectively help to whitewash the truth.

MORE INFO ABOUT Alyse Radenovic whereby you can contact the artist and buy her stunning art pieces.

http://www.alyseradenovic.com/index.htm Alyse Radenovic

https://twitter.com/AlyseRadenovicA  Twitter account of Alyse Radenovic

http://aelisheva.wordpress.com/

http://www.alyseradenovic.com/alyse%20bio.htmBrief bio and contact information related to Alyse Radenovic

http://moderntokyotimes.com/2013/02/15/world-of-art-yuzo-saeki-and-alyse-radenovic-and-the-impact-of-france-and-kosovo/

http://moderntokyotimes.com/2013/04/12/alyse-radenovic-bratunac-and-srebrenica-art-and-the-forgotten-orthodox-christians-of-bosnia/

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

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Nuray Lydia Oglu and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Social and political tensions in Turkey continue to be felt throughout this country because many people opposed to Recep Tayyip Erdogan believe that the current prime minister is a threat to democracy, freedom of speech, secularism and the rule of law. If Erdogan continues by issuing threats then it would appear that demonstrators are vindicated in their assumption that he is “a dictatorial leader” hiding behind the façade of democracy.

Once demonstrations erupted throughout Turkey then most analysts believed that Erdogan would vent his anger by whipping up hatred and using authoritarian language. Sadly, Erdogan did indeed respond like expected because regionally and internationally he often creates tensions instead of focusing on diplomacy. The nation of Turkey may be a bridge which links Europe with the Middle East based on the geopolitical reality of this nation state. However, Erdogan isn’t building bridges with forces which have been alienated by his style of leadership. On the contrary, he now is going for the jugular whereby the police do his bidding on the ground; while Erdogan incites against the demonstrators.

During a recent meeting with the European Union it is clear that Erdogan peddled the nationalist agenda. More recently, Erdogan is now using his Islamist agenda which people fear. This is a very dangerous game to play because in neighboring Syria it is clear that Turkey under his leadership is nothing more than a conduit for al-Qaeda, Takfiri Islamists, mercenaries, covert operatives and major shipments of military hardware.

The Daily Mail in the United Kingdom reports that “He held six rallies on Sunday, a measure of tensions after a week of the biggest demonstrations and worst rioting of his decade in power.”

“Thousands waved red Turkish flags and shouted Allahu Akbar (God Is Greatest) as he accused protesters of attacking women wearing headscarves and desecrating mosques by taking beer bottles into them.”

Erdogan therefore is using two dangerous forces which can easily be manipulated against demonstrators. This applies to nationalism and the Islamist card. Therefore, true to his nature he cares little about unleashing dangerous forces against the people of Turkey. He is meant to be dampening the situation by reaching out but instead he is fanning the flames for more divisions within Turkish society.

The current leader of Turkey is a dangerous maverick and by trying to incite nationalism and Islamism, then this speaks volumes about his leadership. It appears that Erdogan and his advisors have no qualms in using the state apparatus against the people of Turkey – while also inciting hatred towards the demonstrators.

Erdogan stated that “We were patient, we will be patient, but there is an end to patience, and those who play politics by hiding behind the protesters should first learn what politics means.”

The Hurriyet Daily News states (Murat Yetkin) that “The Taksim demonstrations and counter-demos by the government are not likely to end up with a radical shift in government policy, let alone a fall of the government as exaggerated by those observers trying to liken Taksim with Tahrir with their orientalist outlook. What most of the people want is simply to let their voices be heard and taken into account, not ignored because they did not vote for Erdoğan and respect for their modernist-secular way of life. The Gezi Park crisis was exactly the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was a small matter and could have been handled very easily, smoothly. But with an overdone “I have the right to do it because I have the vote support” attitude, the protests escalated into a major crisis; Erdoğan has lost his almighty image in Turkish politics and abroad.”

Irrespective of the final outcome it is clear that greater polarization will continue to take place under Erdogan. After all, compromise and diplomacy are not on his agenda. Instead, Erdogan is currently playing with the forces of nationalism and Islamist sentiments by using these forces in order to quell the demonstrations by stealth. It is a very dangerous game to play!

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogans-way-of-handling-crisis.aspx?pageID=449&nID=48500&NewsCatID=409

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2338783/Turkey-protests-2013-Tayyip-Erdogan-warns-speculators-try-make-money-troubles.html#ixzz2Vp5qQhck  

Photo Image by Alan Hilditch

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Boutros Hussein and Murad Makhmudov

Modern Tokyo Times

Iranian Shia Muslim pilgrims planned to show their piety by visiting holy places in Iraq but once more many were slaughtered by Sunni Islamists which deem the Shia to be non-Muslim and worthy of killing in the name of Allah. Of course, this reality is replicated in other nations like Pakistan whereby countless attacks have slaughtered untold numbers of Shia Muslims inside mosques or during religious pilgrimage. Surely, if Shia Muslims were being slaughtered in mainly Christian nations like this then the mass media would be in frenzy mode; however, it is just another massacre against innocent Shia followers at the hands of Sunni Islamist fanatics.

The latest attack (http://www.shiamassacre.org/) was carried out against Shia pilgrims who were travelling on a bus. Indeed, images from Pakistan show clearly that Takfiri Islamists sometimes stop buses and then single out Shia Muslims before slaughtering them. Iran needs to wake up from the “Zionist scapegoat” and acknowledge that their co-religionist are being slaughtered and persecuted by a plethora of Islamist terrorist organizations in the Sunni Muslim world.

In so-called moderate Malaysia it is illegal for Shia Muslims to build holy places and be treated equally. Of course, this doesn’t suit the usual rhetoric coming out of Tehran. However, something needs to be done during major Islamic conferences in order to address the mass hatred towards the Shia. If not, then more massacres will take place in Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, and other nations, where the Shia suffer enormous persecution at the hands of Sunni Islamic intolerance.

Clearly the issue isn’t only about Takfiri Islamists spreading hatred because Malaysia isn’t governed by these thought patterns. It is time for Iran to do more to help their co-religionists. After all, look at the treachery of Hamas in Gaza because this organization soon showed its sectarian hand despite Iran and Syria being pro-Palestinian. Therefore, Hamas soon favored the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) and began to infiltrate Palestinian areas in Syria in order to spread the sectarian message.

In the latest massacre against Shia pilgrims AP reports that “Suicide attackers rammed car bombs on Friday into a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims and a police checkpoint west of Baghdad, killing 19 people in all, in the latest bout of violence to rattle Iraq.”

“The attacks follow the deadliest two months in Iraq in half a decade, raising fears the country is descending into a renewed wave of widespread killing like the one that drove the nation to the brink of civil war following the U.S.-led invasion.”

In Syria despite the armed forces being multi-religious and all major Sunni Muslim religious leaders supporting the government to control the crisis created by Gulf petrodollars and Western meddling. It is clear that Sunni Muslim militants are entering Syria in order to kill the Alawites, Shia and to persecute the minority Christian community. At the same time, mainstream Sunni Muslim leaders are being killed and targeted by Takfiri Islamists in Syria because they believe that moderate Sunni Islam is a betrayal to their worldview based on enormous hatred.

Once more Shia pilgrims were slaughtered like sheep by Sunni Islamist militants and like usual nothing will be done to alter the enormous blind hatred towards the embattled followers of this faith. Iran needs to do more because this nation is the most powerful mainly Shia nation in the world. If not, then just like in Bahrain, their co-religionists will continue to suffer throughout the Sunni Muslim world. Something needs to be done to stem the tide of this hatred and quickly!

http://www.shiamassacre.org/ Shia Rights Watch

Lee Jay Walker supported both main writers

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Nuray Lydia Oglu and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the current Prime Minister of Turkey but he currently isn’t acting with any major intellect. On the contrary, when Turkey faces its most potent internal social and political crisis, Erdogan responds by travelling abroad on a planned political trip. However, this act merely highlights that he is aloof from the reality on the ground and it shows his utter discontent towards many of the Turkish electorate which have become disillusioned.

It is clear that Turkish nationals who support open democracy, modernization, preserving the secular nature of society and other major positives are the people which are demonstrating in various parts of Turkey. Instead of trying to bridge the enormous gaps in Turkey and catering for people from many different walks of life, it seems that Erdogan intends to crush democracy by stealth. This applies to pandering to Turkish nationals who support his agenda, while alienating all and sundry who oppose his Islamist and dictatorial way of ruling modern day Turkey.

Inside Turkey it is clear that journalists and others face severe oppression based on flimsy charges. Therefore, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) stated that “Authorities have imprisoned journalists on a mass scale on terrorism or anti-state charges, launched thousands of other criminal prosecutions on charges such as denigrating Turkishness or influencing court proceedings, and used pressure tactics to sow self-censorship.”

The CPJ (http://cpj.org/reports/Turkey2012.English.pdf) further comments that “The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has waged one of the world’s biggest crackdowns on press freedom in recent history. Authorities have imprisoned journalists on a mass scale on terrorism or anti-state charges, launched thousands of other criminal prosecutions on charges such as denigrating Turkishness or influencing court proceedings, and used pressure tactics to sow self-censorship. Erdoğan has publicly deprecated journalists, urged media outlets to discipline or fire critical staff members, and filed numerous high-profile defamation lawsuits. His government pursued a tax evasion case against the nation’s largest media company that was widely seen as politically motivated and that led to the weakening of the company.”

Indeed, during the ongoing social and political crisis in Turkey, it is clear that many major media agencies in this nation continue to give scant coverage considering the severity of the crisis. Yet, in light of Erdogan’s installed fear within the media sector then it raises the possibility that many media agencies also fear terrible repercussions. If this is the case, then clearly Erdogan is “a dictaror who is ruling under the disguise of democracy.”

Erdogan on his return to Turkey stated “We have never been for building tension and polarisation, but we cannot applaud brutality…They say I am the prime minister of only 50%. It’s not true. We have served the whole of the 76 million from the east to the west….Among the protesters there are extremists, some of them implicated in terrorism…”

He then further highlights his power obsession by stating that “My innocent citizens must extricate themselves from the demonstrations.” However, why does he use “my?” Is it because he believes that he controls and owns people – or does this sum up his worldview whereby questioning Erdogan means going against the government of Turkey?

If Erdogan really wants to show the people of Turkey that he serves “the whole of the 76 million from the east to the west.” Then he needs to acknowledge that many sections of society fear his dictatorial approach to politics. Yes, it is clearly factual that segments within Turkish society support Erdogan. Yet, it is equally true that many segments within society oppose his monopolistic approach to serious issues. More worrying, the political, social and religious gaps are also increasing under his leadership because opposition forces feel penned in and under threat.

In another article by Modern Tokyo Times it was stated that “In a nutshell, irrespective of the positives and negatives of his political leadership in Turkey; it is clear that he is “a dictatorial leader” who happens to be the leader of “a democratic nation.” Thankfully, the institutions of Turkey are not so weak despite certain areas being dismantled in relationship to secularism and other powerful areas. Despite this, you certainly feel that he wants to re-write and re-model modern Turkey within the dynamics of political Islam by stealth. Not surprisingly, it is the ordinary citizens of Turkey which are fed-up by his real intentions therefore the mass demonstrations currently hitting this nation have erupted because of his dictatorial approach to politics within a democratic nation.”

Erdogan needs to reduce his rhetoric and to stop intervening in everyday life in relationship to the natural dynamics of Turkish society. Media oppression and ignoring people who feel marginalized will only create more problems for Turkey in the long run. Turkey needs to move forward based on modernity, social diversity, media freedom, religious pluralism and the right for people to demonstrate without the fear of being beaten and killed. At the same time, the rich fabric of Turkish society needs to be protected from the heavy handed policies being implemented by political elites which have a clear Islamist agenda in Turkey.

CCN reports that “Demonstrators have demanded Erdogan’s resignation, accusing his government of creeping authoritarianism. The demonstrations have united disparate groups dissatisfied with Erdogan and angry over what protesters and international critics have described as a heavy-handed response by security forces.”

“The result has been the biggest challenge to Erdogan and his governing Justice and Development Party during their decade in power.”

More powerfully, in the Hurriyet Daily News it was stated that “It is perfectly normal that Turkey has ended up with zero friends a few years after it ventured to have zero problems with its neighbors. A government at war with half of its own people was unable to achieve peace on its borders with foreign countries. The parallelism on the etiology of failure is just too visible: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ideologues have failed to make peace with the “drunken” Turks because of their (dogmatic) Islamism, and they have failed to win their hearts because of their neo-Ottoman arrogance. By a simple twist of fate, they have failed to make peace with Turkey’s neighbors because of their (sectarian) Islamism, and they have failed to win their hearts because of their neo-Ottoman arrogance.”

It appears that some politicians in Turkey seek a genuine compromise but it remains to be seen if this logic will enter the mindset of Erdogan. Clearly nobody knows the real impact of the current social and political crisis within the body politic of Turkey. If common sense prevails then secularism and freedom will re-emerge in order to steer this nation during a very delicate period. However, can secularism and democracy be steered under Erdogan given his real intentions?

(http://cpj.org/reports/Turkey2012.English.pdf) Media Oppression in Turkey – CPJ Report

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/why-erdogan-cannot-make-peace-with-half-of-turks.aspx?PageID=238&NID=48346&NewsCatID=398

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/07/world/europe/turkey-protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Helmut Joachim Schmidt and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The Syrian Armed Forces have retaken Qusair near the border with Lebanon and clearly this successful military operation is hurting the enemies of this secular nation. After all, with NATO Turkey facing internal social and political issues – and with this major terrorist and military ratline being closed in Qusair – then clearly the situation looks more optimistic for the Syrian government. Therefore, major Western powers are responding by manipulating the mass media by raising the issue of chemical weapons and that allies of Syria must refrain from supporting the government of Bashar al-Assad.

Killing and kidnapping religious leaders: Silence when al-Qaeda groups took Raqqah

It is noticeable that two Christian bishops have been kidnapped by the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) but issues like this and killing pro-government Sunni clerics does not concern Gulf and Western powers. Also, when the Al Nusrah Front which is affiliated with al-Qaeda took Raqqah (Raqqa), alongside other terrorist groups like Ahrar al Sham Brigade; then did America, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Kingdom tell al-Qaeda groups to pull out? More alarmingly, with thousands of American and British troops being killed in Iraq; then why are America and the United Kingdom supporting the al-Qaeda funding states of Qatar and Saudi Arabia? After all, this is a mockery and perversion against the soldiers of America and the United Kingdom who sacrificed their lives for nothing in Iraq.

The Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham Brigade and various Takfiri groups then set about turning Raqqah into a “year zero Islamist zone.” Captured soldiers and anyone deemed loyal to the government of Syria were openly executed in front of adults and children alike. Then summary justice of whipping people and putting women in the shadows followed. Yet did major NATO Western powers bat an eyelid and did the take-over of Raqqah by al-Qaeda affiliated groups concern Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other nations in the Gulf? Likewise, did the mass media throughout the West and in the Gulf region launch a campaign to be used against al-Qaeda affiliated groups to pull-out of Raqqah?

Former Yugoslavia to Libya

It is worth recalling that major Western powers and Gulf petrodollars have been involved in the wars of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, former Yugoslavia and now against Syria. At the same time, Mali, India, Niger, Pakistan, (Pakistan destabilized itself by allying with Islamist forces in Afghanistan throughout the 1980s and 1990s) Tunisia (secular leader killed by terrorists) and other nations have felt the ripples of outside meddling. Also, the fiasco of Afghanistan throughout the 1980s and 1990s fueled anti-Shia and anti-modernity forces which continue to grip many parts of the world.

The former Yugoslavia and Libya were bombed from the sky by NATO powers while terrorist groups were given a free reign to kill at random on the ground. This applies to the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and Libyan affiliated al-Qaeda terrorist groups which once had fought allied American and British troops in Iraq. Indeed, the rise of the KLA and FSA share many parallels in terms of the speed of their development and the ratlines now being used against Syria. After all, it is known that FSA members visited Albanian ruled Kosovo (Vast numbers of Orthodox Christians have been cleansed on the watch of Western powers) and Libya is a military, covert operative and mercenary play ground.

Libya and the former Yugoslavia were bombed from the sky whereby major NATO powers were free to kill and destroy the infrastructure at random. In the former Yugoslavia (by this time Serbia and Montenegro) it is clear that NATO forces did not want to fight the armed forces of Serbia openly. Therefore, NATO systematically bombed the infrastructure of Serbia and killed vast numbers of civilians. The ratio of civilian deaths to military troops is shockingly high but of course NATO powers were exonerated from breaking international law. Likewise, willfully targeting the infrastructure of Serbia and spreading untold fear against civilians in order for this nation to capitulate was deemed reasonable by elite nations. At the same time, KLA terrorist forces which committed mass atrocities, including killing people for organs, were given a free reign to kill Serbian Orthodox Christians and destroy Serbian Orthodox Churches.

Vivian Martin, International Action Center in New York, states that “From the onset of NATO’s aggression from March 24 to June 11, 1999, the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) flew over 35,000 combat missions over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Over 1,000 warplanes (among others F-15, F-16, F-117) and 206 helicopters were used in the air strikes. More than 20,000 laser or satellite-guided weapons were launched and over 79,000 tons of explosives were dropped, including 152 containers with 35,450 cluster bombs, thermo-visual and graphite bombs, which are prohibited under international conventions.”¹

“The NATO forces justified the bombing of civilian targets as either “mistakes” or essential to the destruction of Milosevic and the Yugoslav Army. However, these attacks were not made solely against military targets but against the Yugoslav population as a whole.”

“As a direct result of the bombings, thousands of civilians were killed and more than 6,000 sustained serious injuries. A large number of the injured will remain crippled for life. NATO bombings have burned amputated, wounded and disabled many civilians of all-ethnic groups, ages, and genders. Children make made up 30% of all casualties as well as 40% of the total number injured. In addition, approximately 300,000 children have suffered severe psychological traumas and will require continuos medical surveillance and treatment. Children have been victims of the sprinkle cluster bombs, with delayed effects, and will continue to be victimized until all parks, play-fields and open areas have been made safe from the remaining unexploded bombs scattered throughout Yugoslavia.”

In Libya major NATO powers would once more bomb from the sky while anti-Gaddafi forces would execute their prisoners after torture. Many videos highlight that anti-Gaddafi forces which were allies of America, France, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and others; also systematically tortured and killed black Africans based on their skin color. Indeed, sometimes black Africans were put in prisons that resembled zoos and then forced to beg for mercy while being treated like animals. Of course, massacres took place on all sides but how does this exonerate the barbarity of what happened in Libya based on the meddling of outside nations?

Modern day Libya is nothing more than a failed state whereby Sufi shrines are attacked and the minority Christian community resides in fear. Various militias control several parts of major cities and terrorism emanating from this failed state continues to worry Algeria, Mali, Niger, Tunisia and Syria. Therefore, the new free Libya is a hotbed of instability, terrorism, Takfiri hatred and lawlessness. Also, Libya is a conduit in the flow of terrorists from North Africa to Syria alongside supplying military arms and covert operatives which manipulate the failed structures of this country.

UK, US and France condemn Qusair but Fine for Allies to Sponsor Sectarianism, Terrorism and Sedition

France is clearly riled by the loss of the international terrorist and ratline base in Qusair because once more President Hollande is using the specter of chemical weapons. Ironically, the UN finding under Carla Del Ponte firmly points the finger at forces being supported by major NATO powers and Gulf nations. Also, in Iraq and Turkey it is clear that al-Qaeda affiliated groups have been found with chemicals. Of course, this matters not because it is fine for al-Qaeda and the FSA to behead, kill minorities, kidnap Christian bishops, kill pro-government Sunni clerics, deliberately kill journalists and train little children to behead captured Syrian soldiers. In the world of President Obama, President Hollande and Prime Minister Cameron all the above equates to “freedom” and “democracy.”

American with its usual hypocrisy called on Hezbollah and Iran to pull fighters out of Syria. Of course, the same America isn’t stopping Qatar and Saudi Arabia from funding Sunni militant jihadists which not only hate the Alawites, Christians and Shia – but given their Takfiri mindset, then killing Sunni Muslim clerics is also fine. Qusair is also within easy reach of Lebanon and clearly Shia villages on both sides of the border have been attacked by various Takfiri and terrorist groups. Indeed, instead of condemning Hezbollah it is clear that this political movement stood by for a long time while their co-religionists were being persecuted. It is also essential to note that Christians are not worried about Hezbollah and the same applies to all faith groups because this movement supports the mosaic of Lebanon and Syria respectively. Yet, Takfiri groups want to destroy all and sundry and to crush Syrian civilization just like the Taliban wants to destroy the mosaic of Afghanistan and eradicate all traces of past cultures like Buddhism.

Chemical Issue

In the last few weeks it is clear that al-Qaeda groups and various affiliates are trying to use chemicals. The Long War Journal states “The Iraqi military announced today that it arrested five members of an al Qaeda cell that was seeking to manufacture chemical weapons, including sarin nerve gas, and plotting to conduct attacks within Iraq, Europe, and North America.”

“The Defense Ministry announced that it arrested the five members of the al Qaeda in Iraq cell and raided two factories in Baghdad that were used to research and manufacture the deadly chemical agents. The arrests were made with the help of undisclosed foreign intelligence services.”

In another article by The Long War Journal which provides information from several Turkish media groups. It is stated that “On May 30, the Turkish media reported that 12 individuals from the al Qaeda-linked Al Nusrah Front had been captured in antiterror operations in Adana, along with a total of two kilos (4, 5 lb) of sarin gas. Five of the 12 suspects were later released; the interrogation of the other seven is ongoing.”

“According to another daily, Radikal, however, the suspects said that they planned to take the materials back to the conflict areas in Syria.”

In another article by Modern Tokyo Times it was stated that “Human rights investigators from the United Nations (UN) have taken medical testimonies from Syrians which clearly imply that terrorists in Syria have used chemicals against the people of this nation. This applies to sarin nerve gas therefore will the enemies of Syria bomb and agitate against the so-called Free Syrian Army (supported by outside nations and agencies like the CIA)? Of course, individuals like John Kerry (US) and William Hague (UK) will try to squirm their way out like usual and a future “false flag” is sure to be raised. Despite this, it is clear that the “chemical issue” is “dead and buried” because at worse the side of Ankara, Doha, London, Paris, Riyadh and Washington have been involved in using sarin gas. Of course, with America using Agent Orange against Vietnam and dropping this agent on Cambodia and Laos despite not even being at war with Cambodia and Loas – then clearly the information released by the UN human rights investigators isn’t shocking.”

Also, the independent commission of inquiry which was set up by the UN according to Carla Del Ponte can’t find any incriminating evidence against the government of Syria. Therefore, Del Ponte comments that “investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated.”

“This was use on the part of the opposition, the rebels, not by the government authorities.”

All the above information is mocking America, France, the United Kingdom and their allies throughout the Middle East. The same also applies to the mass media in the West and Gulf region which have raised countless false flags and distorted events on the ground. Laurent Fabius, the Foreign Minister of France, clearly doesn’t like to read about al-Qaeda being caught in Iraq and Turkey with chemicals. Likewise, he desires to ignore the UN independent commission which points the finger at the side of so-called opposition forces.

Fabius reported to France 24 “that his government was certain Syria’s army had used chemical weapons during the bloody civil conflict, in particular the deadly nerve agent sarin.”

“Asked if chemical weapons had also been used by the opposition, Fabius said he was not certain, but that documented reports of the use chemical weapons for now only reliably pointed a finger at Assad.”

In other words Fabius like William Hague of the United Kingdom are claiming that the security agencies of Iraq and Turkey are lying and the same applies to international agents which helped Iraq. Similarly, Fabius is rejecting the independent UN commission which reports that it is the side backed by major Western and Gulf powers which appear to have used chemicals. Of course, with the FSA and various al-Qaeda affiliates suffering setbacks on the ground then more false flags must be used against Syria in order to stem the time which is favoring the Syrian government. In other words, the so-called Western and Gulf sponsored revolution can’t succeed without major military support to vast numbers of international terrorists, mercenaries and covert operatives.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/iraq_breaks_up_al_qa.php#ixzz2VPfCodc0

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/05/us-syria-crisis-un-idUSBRE94409Z20130505 　

http://rt.com/news/un-syria-rebels-chemical-weapons-854/　

http://www.france24.com/en/20130605-syria-rebels-weapons-qusair-france-laurent-fabius-diplomacy-russia-assad

http://www.iacenter.org/warcrime/25_civil.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22789455

http://moderntokyotimes.com/2013/05/06/syria-and-un-investigators-concrete-suspicions-that-fsa-islamists-used-sarin-gas/

http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2013/05/on_may_30_the_turkish.php#ixzz2VPgQxrfY

http://www.agentorangerecord.com/agent_orange_history/in_cambodia_laos/ US and Agent Orange

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Nuray Lydia Oglu and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, turned his back on regional nations and today internal convulsions are rocking his grand designs. Internationally, it is known that Erdogan tries to manipulate the media in order to boost his own personal ratings. Yet given his outspoken nature towards other nations then Erdogan appears unstable and openly manipulative. Therefore, the current demonstrations are openly showing the people of Turkey that his shortcomings are indeed severe when it comes to natural communication and diplomacy.

Erdogan stated that “There is 50 percent of [the country who voted for the ruling Justice and Development Party - AKP], and we can barely keep them at home [and prevent them from coming onto the streets for counter-protests]. But we have called on them to calm down.” However, he doesn’t appear to understand that Turkey is democratic therefore why is he implying that counter-demonstrations may take place whereby confrontation will become the order of the day?

In a nutshell, irrespective of the positives and negatives of his political leadership in Turkey; it is clear that he is “a dictatorial leader” who happens to be the leader of a “democratic nation.” Thankfully, the institutions of Turkey are not so weak despite certain areas being dismantled in relationship to secularism and other powerful areas. Despite this, you certainly feel that he wants to re-write and re-model modern Turkey within the dynamics of political Islam by stealth. Not surprisingly, it is the ordinary citizens of Turkey which are fed-up by his real intentions therefore the mass demonstrations currently hitting this nation have erupted because of his dictatorial approach to politics within a democratic nation.

Demonstrations can erupt within a one party state, multi-party democratic nations, feudal monarchies, theocratic states and where ruling elites preserve power. Every nation will respond differently during times of crisis and sometimes outside nations will try to instigate mayhem when they see a weakness based on geopolitical factors. However, Erdogan belongs to a democratic state therefore he needs to respond in a manor within this framework. For example, recently you have had demonstrations in parts of Sweden but the leaders of this nation are not threatening to bring their supporters onto the streets in order to threaten the demonstrators. Therefore, why is Erdogan making it known that he could ask AKP members to start counter-demonstrations if he desired to do so?

Erdogan is also turning against the media and social media like twitter. Once more, this sounds like a very dictatorial leader within the body politic of democracy in modern day Turkey. Ironically, the same Erdogan didn’t mind the same Western and Gulf media from propagating against the government of Syria. Also, while Erdogan went running to Washington about the chemical issue; he now appears to have lost his voice because the so-called Syrian opposition was caught in Turkey with chemical agents. In this sense, Erdogan propagated sensationalism against a neighboring nation based on open lies. Therefore, if opponents in Turkey propagate misinformation then he can’t cry wolf. However, his opponents in Turkey don’t need to propagate misinformation because they are just demanding that their way of life is protected from the ill-intentions of the ruling AKP government.

The leader of Turkey is also showing his disdain towards the current political and social crisis in Turkey by leaving the nation in order to go on a political trip to Morocco. Erdogan stated prior to leaving that “There are those attending these events organized by extremists. This is not about Gezi Park anymore. These are organized events with affiliations both within Turkey and abroad.”

“The main opposition party CHP has provoked my innocent citizens. Those who make news [and] call these events the Turkish Spring do not know Turkey.”

Erdogan is now also trying to pin the blame on a foreign conspiracy. This is also ironic because under the ruling AKP government Turkey is a major conduit for terrorists, foreign security agencies, military arms, and other dark forces; which are entering Syria with the open approval of Erdogan.

He therefore states that “Our intelligence work is ongoing [to determine the foreign actors behind the protests]. It is not possible to reveal their names. But we will have meetings with their heads.”

“Those who advise us to be moderate must themselves first come to moderation.”

It is clear that Erdogan is clutching at straws because he can’t see outside of the walls that he builds around himself. In reality, he wants to turn the social clock back and blatantly intervenes in the foreign affairs of regional nations. Not surprisingly, many swathes of the general public in Turkey are alarmed by his dictatorial ways based on the reality that Turkey is a democratic state.

Paul Mason of the BBC comments that “The main meme – as with the flags – is “we are sons of Ataturk.” That is, we are a secular republic and we are worried about the autocratic use of power by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, combined with a creeping Islamisation.”

He further states that “I have covered Syntagma, the Occupy protests and reported from Tahrir Square. This is different to all of them.”

“First, it is massive. The sheer numbers dwarf any single episode of civil unrest in Greece.”

“Second, the breadth of social support – within the urban enclave of Istanbul – is bigger than Greece and closer to Egypt.”

Gulf petrodollars will not help Erdogan nor will the whims of Washington and the increasing reliance on NATO when dealing with neighboring events. Erdogan needs to wake up to the reality that arresting journalists, threatening to send the supporters of the AKP onto the streets and blaming outside nations – all sounds like a leader who is trapped within the democratic institutions of Turkey. Therefore, the more he rants, the more it becomes clear that Erdogan is not only an internal threat to secularism but he is also a danger regionally because of his undiplomatic approach to events.

Even now, nobody knows the full extent of the ongoing political and social convulsions hitting Turkey because the crisis could spiral – or peter out based on many factors. Irrespective of this, it is clear that Erdogan is a very divisive figure and his rhetoric is not fitting for a major democratic leader.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-gets-into-row-with-reuters-reporter-over-taksim-protests.aspx?pageID=238&nID=48101&NewsCatID=338

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22753418

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-intelligence-looking-into-foreign-links-to-taksim-protests-pm-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=48097&NewsCatID=338

Photo by Azirlazarus

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Nuray Lydia Oglu and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is witnessing mass discontent towards his political leadership which is alienating many people within Turkey. It is clear that the protest against the destruction of Taksim Gezi Park was the initial trigger in Istanbul but the underlying factors are much deeper. This applies to major internal issues whereby Erdogan ignores many sections of society and externally. External issues apply to the growing presence of NATO forces within Turkey; supporting chaos against neighboring Syria; allowing dangerous terrorist and Islamist Salafi ideologies to enter parts of Turkey in order to destabilize Syria; creating tensions with neighboring Iraq; and a plethora of other issues. At the same time, it appears that secularism is under threat because of the underlying Islamist agenda of the Erdogan government.

It is reported that demonstrations and unrest also reached Ankara, Bodrum, Konya and Izmir. Therefore, the political leadership in Turkey is bracing itself for a second day of major tensions between the state apparatus and Turkish citizens. Erdogan immediately senses that protests may increase therefore police officers from other areas are being sent to areas of mass discontent. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) under Erdogan is intent on challenging secularism and replacing areas of society by implementing Islamist policies. However, given the delicate nature of Turkey then the AK Party knows that it must tread carefully but Erdogan often neglects diplomacy.

Erdogan stated that he vowed “…to ensure the safety of people and their property….Police were there (Taksim Square) yesterday; they’ll be on duty today and also tomorrow because Taksim Square cannot be an area where extremists are running wild…”

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is taking a very different approach. He states “Don’t confront the people with police. Withdraw the police immediately from the Taksim Gezi [Park] area. People are defending their city. That’s why they are resisting.”

America was quick to voice concern because Jen Psaki from the State Department stated “We are concerned about the number of people who were injured when police dispersed protesters….Turkey’s long-term stability, security and prosperity is best guaranteed by upholding the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly and association, which is what it seems these individuals were doing.”

Clearly Jen Psaki isn’t mincing her words despite the strong bonds between America and Turkey based on Turkey’s role within NATO and the geopolitical significance of this nation for America. It remains to be seen if Erdogan will take heed but this comment would imply that America believes that you have genuine concerns within Turkey towards the way the country is being ruled under Erdogan. Therefore, the State Department and other powerful bodies within America don’t want to see the crisis develop further by militancy within the Erdogan government. Given this reality, then the blunt words by the State Department will be aimed at the need to nip the crisis in the bud.

If Erdogan believes that he is untouchable because of being elected three times then he may make the situation worse. Erdogan is either loved or loathed throughout Turkey – just like Margaret Thatcher who led the United Kingdom several decades ago. However, given the volatile nature of the region then America, the United Kingdom, and other friends of Turkey; want to see a reasonable approach taken by the Erdogan government.

Reuters reports that “Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at demonstrators in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people and prompting rallies in other cities in the fiercest anti-government protests in years.”

Further down in the same article it states that “Riot police clashed with tens of thousands of May Day protesters in Istanbul this month. There have also been protests against the government’s stance on the conflict in neighboring Syria, a tightening of restrictions on alcohol sales and warnings against public displays of affection.”

It remains to be seen if multiple anti-Erdogan forces will materialize in the following few days given the array of areas where many Turkish citizens feel alienated; or if demonstrations will gradually peter out by early next week. Either way, it is clear that political elites in Ankara, Washington and London are all watching carefully. After all, the anti-Syrian alliance was stoked up heavily by the Erdogan government and NATO’s eyes are firmly on the Russian Federation. Therefore, while demonstrators are heavily focused on domestic issues it is also abundantly clear that international concerns are also very powerful given the policies of Erdogan.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/capital-city-rocked-by-police-crackdown-on-solidarity-protest-with-gezi-park.aspx?pageID=238&nID=48014&NewsCatID=341

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/main-opposition-leader-calls-on-pm-to-order-withdrawal-of-police-from-taksim.aspx?pageID=238&nID=48011&NewsCatID=338

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Radical Takfiri Islamists and other terrorist groups are entering Syria from countless different nations whereby they are being supported by the CIA, MI6, DGSE, and other intelligence agencies, alongside major funding from feudal monarchies in the Gulf region. It is abundantly clear that anti-Syrian government forces are paid, trained and provided with coordinated tasks by various Western and Gulf powers which are supporting terrorism, sectarianism and sedition. The usual trio of America, France and the UK can’t resist their beloved feudal monarchies in the Gulf. Also, given the opportunity to weaken the last powerful Arabic speaking nation then the supporters of “failed nation states” are at it again. Hezbollah in Lebanon fully understands the situation and knows full well that if Syria falls then the domino will turn to them and others in the near future.

The mass media is trying to hype the “sectarian card” on both sides but it simply doesn’t wash. After all, Hezbollah is focused heavily on the Palestinian question despite the overwhelming majority of Palestinians being Sunni Muslim. At no point did this enter the equation for either Hezbollah or the government of Syria. It must be remembered that the government of Syria took in over one million refugees from Iraq irrespective if Christian, Sunni or belonging to the Shia faith. Likewise, Syria welcomed vast numbers of Palestinians which fled their homeland after the creation of Israel and because of the countless convulsions which hit Jordan and Lebanon in the past.

However, the most powerful forces within the opposition to the Syrian government apply to radical Sunni Islamist terrorist organizations which are affiliated with al-Qaeda. Mainstream Sunni Muslim clerics in Syria have been targeted and killed by these terrorists, which receive economic and military support by many outside nations.

It also must be stated that only the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and various al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups are destroying religious holy places openly and cleansing different faith groups. Every major religious leader in Syria is supporting the end of the bloodshed and praying for the preservation of the independence of their homeland. Therefore, powerful Alawite, Christian, Druze, Shia and Sunni religious leaders are supporting the government of Syria to overcome the crisis against hostile forces emanating from the whims of outside nations and Gulf petrodollars. After all, which side is killing Sunni Muslim clerics and kidnapping Christian bishops? Despite this, major Western powers, Gulf nations and Turkey have no shame because they have collectively closed their eyes in order to support sectarianism, terrorism and sedition against the people of Syria.

Hezbollah made it clear that they support the continuity of the religious mosaic of Syria unlike Sunni Islamist terrorist forces which seek the Talibanization of Syria. In this sense, Hezbollah is also deeply concerned by radical Salafi ideology and Gulf petrodollars destroying mainstream Sunni Islam in Syria. After all, not only are brutal nations supporting untold bloodshed in Syria but they also desire a bloody civil war and sectarian war. Throughout history is it abundantly clear that these two types of conflict are horrendous and only barbaric nations would wish this on any country. However, in America, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Kingdom this reality doesn’t concern them. After all, look at the failed states of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya and the horrendous massacres which took place in the past – and the ongoing issues related to terrorism and other dark forces – which continue to blight these broken nations in modern times.

The leader of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, stated that “Syria is the backbone of the resistance, and the resistance cannot stand with folded hands while its backbone is being broken.”

“The battle is ours…and I promise you victory.”

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah further stated that “If Syria falls into the hand of America, Israel and takfiris, the resistance (Hezbollah) will be besieged and Israel will enter Lebanon and impose its will.”

Meanwhile, AP reports that “Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah also said Hezbollah members are fighting in Syria against Islamic radicals who pose a danger to Lebanon, and pledged that his group will not allow Syrian militants to control areas along the Lebanese border. He pledged that Hezbollah will turn the tide of the conflict in Assad’s favor, and stay as long as necessary to do so.”

Takfiri Islamists in Syria are beheading Alawites, Shia Muslims, cleansing Christians and killing mainstream Sunni Muslim clerics. Many holy places have been destroyed by these barbaric sectarian forces which hate all and sundry. However, so-called militant Hezbollah in Lebanon are within the political system and have allies irrespective of faith. Also, Hezbollah fully understands that Lebanon is multi confessional therefore at no point is this organization forcing non-Shia Muslims to follow their faith. On the contrary, Hezbollah wants to preserve the multi confessional Levant and keep the dark forces of Takfiri Islamists out of the region because it is Gulf petrodollars which are fueling sectarianism and religious hatred.

Somehow, the world is meant to believe that Hezbollah is a threat to Israel despite the Israeli armed forces having nuclear weapons and enormous military firepower. The real threat of Hezbollah and independent Syria is that both are “free” from the whims of major Gulf nations, Western powers, the tentacles of Turkey and Israel. Therefore, the mass media in general is ignoring the rampant sectarianism of the FSA and various al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups, which are even training children to behead Syrian soldiers while others are openly cutting up Syrian military personnel.

In the meantime, in modern day Damascus under the Syrian government you will witness people of all faiths and no faiths freely mixing together alongside women having complete choice about how they dress and so forth. This is the Syria which existed before outside nations intervened and this will be the Syria which survives providing the current government of Syria preserves the independence of this nation. In the opposite direction, in areas under the control of Takfiri Islamists and various different terrorist groups you have open sectarianism and religious cleansing. Also, women in more militant controlled areas are now being put in the shadows just like in Saudi Arabia which is the mirror of all religious hatred.

Therefore, which side is fighting for religious pluralism and progressive forces – and which side is fighting for religious hatred and enslaving women? Yes, it is understandable why Saudi Arabia is supporting sectarianism and very dark forces because this nation supports killing apostates and whipping women if they don’t cover up from head to toe. However, why are America, France and the United Kingdom supporting this and the destruction of Christianity in Syria?

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/syria-regime-unleashes-artillery-barrage-qusair

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/25/world/la-fg-syria-fighting-hezbollah-20130526

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Hiroshi Saito and Joachim de Villiers

Modern Tokyo Times

The government of Japan is to expand its mission in the role of peacekeeping in South Sudan. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also thinking about not only expanding the territory covered by the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) but also the number of personnel on the ground, Therefore, the mission from June will apply to the entire state of Central Equatoria and in adjacent neighborhoods in Equatoria.

This comes at a time of frayed relations between the Khartoum government of Sudan and the South Sudan government based in Juba. Currently, you have approximately 350 troops from the GSDF in South Sudan. The core of their work is focused on infrastructure development therefore many of the serving GSDF are engineers.

GSDF troops entered South Sudan in 2011 and despite initial concerns related to the delicate relationship between Sudan and South Sudan; the GSDF continues to do valuable work. Many of the GSDF are engineers and clearly their expertise is most welcome in South Sudan.

Japanese engineering units in past UN peacekeeping operations have worked distinctively in order to help the respective host nations. Valuable experience gained from Cambodia, East Timor and Haiti means that Japan’s involvement is most welcome in South Sudan. Also, given the economic clout of Japan and its global standing; then South Sudan was more than pleased when Japan decided to provide support to the newly created nation state way back in 2011.

In a past article by Modern Tokyo Times it was stated that “In the past the Khartoum Arab-Islamic dominated regime was responsible for millions of Africans being killed in southern Sudan. At the same time, the brutal Khartoum regime turned against African Muslims in Darfur.  The leadership in South Sudan is greatly influenced by the binding force of Christianity but all southern Sudanese are pulling together in political circles irrespective of religion. Animism also remains strong in South Sudan and this new nation state is multi-religious and multi-ethnic.”

Sadly, while it appeared that political elites in Khartoum and Juba had resolved many long standing issues in order to prevent open hostility. It once more appears that relations are going pear shaped. At the same time, it is clear that both nation states have major internal issues related to poverty, religious issues, ethnic tensions and corruption within the body politic of Sudan and South Sudan.

Tensions are once more on the rise between Sudan and South Sudan. The BBC reports that the “Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has threatened to close “forever” an oil pipeline that carries oil from South Sudan to Sudan’s Red Sea coast.”

President Omar al-Bashir also stated that “I now give our brothers in South Sudan a last, last warning that we will shut down the oil pipeline forever if they give any support to the traitors in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.”

The Information Minister of South Sudan, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, countered by making it clear that the President of South Sudan “has said several times that we don’t support any rebels in Sudan….We agreed that there is a new environment of dialogue, we don’t want to go back to square one….There are channels to discuss this, we don’t think that you should go on a public forum and say all these things.” 

The government of Japan certainly needs to remain vigilant while at the same time helping the people of South Sudan.

Lee Jay Walker provided guidance to both main writers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22680858

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com