Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts

Friday, January 6, 2017

"Islamic State" (ISIS): A tool in the hands of Imperialism

Photo source: Bēhance.net.
The history of exploitative societies has shown that religious and ethnic differences and contradictions, either existed or fomented, were always been utilized to promote the interests of the ruling classes many times they consisted the formation through which substantial class contradictions were manifested

In the history of capitalism and the imperialist system, the emerging bourgeoisies often wore the cloak of religion and many other imperialist powers have used religious conflicts in order to impose their designs against their competitors. The region of the Middle East is full of examples. 

From the late 19th century until today, we have seen many cases of religious movements which have been utilized by bourgeois forces for the creation of reactionary murderous organizations, from the “Taliban” and the “Mujahideen” in Afghanistan to the recent case of ISIS (also known as ISIL or Daesh). Of course, to some extend, in the process, these organizations may become autonomous from their creators or continue to operate in coordination with them. However, what is important is that without the support from imperialist mechanisms, without access to state mechanisms, their activity could not have such large dimensions and impact.

The notorious murderers of the “Islamic State” (ISIS/Daesh) do not consist a new phenomenon. The relation of such “organizations” and “movements” with european and american monopolies is a very old one. If we go back to 1928, we will see that the french company (Suez Canal) had supported the strengthening of the newly-founded “Muslim Brotherhood” in Egypt. 

Nonetheless, the best known case of mercenaries who used Islam as a cover for terrorist activities towards the promotion of US monopolies, can be found in Afghanistan in the beginning of 1980s. Zbigniew Brezinski, National Security advisor of President Carter from 1977 to 1981, was one of the masterminds behind the recruitment and training of Afghanistan's Mujahideen (predecessors of Taliban and Al-Qaeda) against the Soviet Union. Among these anti-Soviet “warriors” recruited by the United States was Osama Bin Laden. In the name of anti-communism, the US imperialism with the support of its NATO allies, created the monster which later was transformed into Al-Qaeda.

After the attacks of September 11th 2001, the “war against islamic terrorism” became the pretext for imperialist invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq. The foundations for the creation of ISIS can be found in the destruction of Iraq after the 2003 imperialist invasion. The US-led war in Iraq which was followed by the total destruction of the Iraqi state and the complete dissolution of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party created the seed for the rise of ISIS jihadists.

The leader of the Islamic State (formerly Islamic State of Iraq), the Iraqi sunni muslim Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had been arrested by US Forces-Iraq on 2 February 2004 near Fallujah and detained at the Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca detention centers under his name Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badry as a "civilian internee" until December 2004, when he was recommended for release by a Combined Review and Release Board, while in December 2004, he was released as a "low level prisoner". Right after al-Baghdadi was freed, the Islamic State emerged out of nowhere and rapidly took over important swaths of Iraq and Syria.


US Senator John McCain meeting with members of the Syrian opposition.
Who is the man in the red circle?
There is strong evidence that al-Baghdadi was recruited, trained and financed by mechanisms of the U.S. secret services and Arab governments. His participation in meetings with US Senator- and US Presidential candidate John McCain- has been captured in published photographs. What seems to be closer to reality is that al-Baghdadi was used in the beginning as a supposedly “moderate” sunni of political Islam. The rise of al-Baghdadi and ISIS came as the result of a combination of developments in the broader region of the Middle East, including the imperialist war in Libya, the events of the so-called “Arab Spring” and the US-NATO imperialist intervention in Syria.

The 2011 imperialist intervention in Syria wasn't proved as easy as the U.S government and its regional allies (Turkey, Saudi Arabia) hoped it would be. The plans for the overthrow of Bashar Al-Assad's government were proved unsuccessful. The Assad government proved much stronger than the respective authorities of Mubarak in Egypt and Qaddafi in Libya. Nonetheless, the so-called “Arab Spring” had already paved the way for the rise of reactionary forces-tools in the hands of the imperialists, like ISIS.

From 2011 onward, the US and their European and regional allies (Saudi Arabia, Turkey etc), started to supply extremists and terrorists fighting the government of Syria with billions in cash, weapons, equipment, and even vehicles. Multiple publications in the western press had admitted this. Behind the “moderate Syrian opposition” it was the ISIS and other extremist forces, trained, equipped and financed by the secret services of the US, EU member-states, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Qatar. In a few words, the savage murderers of ISIS became part of an imperialist equation in Syria which serves the interests of the monopolies of the states involved in the war.

The Independent, 6 December 1993: Osama Bin Laden, the Anti-Soviet warrior.
The multiple terrorist attacks claimed by ISIS (e.g. Paris, Nice, Istanbul, Berlin, Brussels etc) in Europe, Turkey and elsewhere have added fuel to the fire of repression and intensification of security policies. The “monster of ISIS” has been exploited by bourgeois governments in order to spread fear in societies and strengthen the repressive state mechanisms against the people and the labour movement, to foster xenophobia and racism and to escalate more imperialist interventions. Of course, nobody can reject the possibility that groups within ISIS may operate independently from their imperialist patrons; however, this does not change the nature of the jihadists as a tool of imperialist mechanisms.

The future of ISIS depends on several factors: The developments in the inter-imperialist contradictions and rivalries in the broader region (e.g. US/EU vs Russia) as well as the political and social developments in regional powers (e.g. Turkey, Iran). The people of the region, the working class in the countries affected by the imperialist wars, must organize their struggle against the jihadists and their patrons, the imperialists. For that, it is essential for the masses to understand that the source of this situation is the power of the monopolies and the exploitative system which creates poverty, despair and wars.


Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Internationalist solidarity by the WFTU and PAME to the Workers and the People of Turkey

On the occasion of the recent deadly attack in Istanbul, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) issued the following statement of solidarity to the working class of Turkey:
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the WFTU which represents 92 million members in 126 countries of the world, we convey our condolences to the families of the victims in Reina Club in Istanbul.
We express our internationalist solidarity and our support to the militant trade union movement in Turkey and to the Turkish workers. The murder of the 39 people reveals the responsibility of the principals that are killing civilians, innocent and ordinary people. For this situation in Turkey and in Middle East abettors also exist; these are the governments which take advantage of the fundamentalism in order to put in action their plans and their anti-labor policies.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Turkish President Erdogan sues 'Boyun Eğme' communist weekly for...defamation

The "witch hunt" by the bourgeois AKP government of Tayip Erdogan in Turkey continues. This time, a new defamation case is filed against the weekly newspaper of the Communist Party (Komünist Parti) 'Boyun Eğme' for insulting the Turkish President.


Boyun Eğme, a weekly newspaper  of the Communist Party, Turkey (KP), was accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan through a published article titled ‘Solcu Liseliler (Leftist Students) set off’.

According to the bill of indictment prepared by the İstanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and accepted by the court, punishment is sought for Mehmet Kuzulugil, the editor-in-chief of the Boyun Eğme due to the accusation.

In the bill of indictment in which the President Erdoğan is named as ‘injured party’, it is propounded that libelous expressions are found in the article titled ‘Solcu Liseliler set off’ of the 47th issue of the Boyun Eğme.

Monday, December 19, 2016

KNE-KG Joint Declaration: The people and the youth of Greece and Turkey have nothing to divide

The Communist Youth, Turkey (Komünist Gençlik-KG) had welcomed a delegation from the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) on 13-14-15th December in İstanbul.
One of the outcomes of the correspondences between the two organizations has been a joint call to the youth in both countries for joining their common struggle based on proletarian internationalism against imperialist bloodsheds and capitalist barbarity. 

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Turkey: Anadolu University tolerates jihadists, bans Fidel commemoration!

According to SOL InternationalAnadolu University in Eskişehir banned the commemoration of Fidel Castro last week, but the rectorate allowed IHH, a foundation known for supporting and funding jihadists to open a stand within the university. Students reacted against the decision.

Monday, December 5, 2016

The Turkish government escalates provocative rhetoric over Aegean- Comment by the Communist Party of Greece

Rejep Tayyip Erdogan.
Last Wednesday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu referred to the eastern Aegean Imia islets as “Turkish soil.” Cavusoglu was responding in writing to a question tabled by a Turkish MP regarding the status of islands and islets in the Aegean.

“As long as the AKP is in power there will be no change in the legal and de facto status of islands in the Aegean,” noted Cavusoglu in his statement. 

Cavusoglu’s comments followed comments made by the leader of the Turkish Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu in which he accused Greece of occupying 18 islands in the Aegean.

The Greek Foreign Ministry described the comments by Cavusoglu as “irresponsible and provocative” and a violation of international law. In response, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Huseyin Muftuoglu reaffirmed Ankara’s stance. 

“Turkey’s position on her sovereignty over Kardak Rocks [the Turkish name for the Imia islets] is well known by the international community since 1996. There is no change in our policy in this regard.” said Muftuoglu.

Friday, December 2, 2016

KKE: The people must be ready and vigilant - Statement about foreign policy and the Cyprus Issue


The GS of the CC of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, noted the following on 28/11/2016 in his statements on Foreign Policy and the Cyprus Issue:

“The KKE follows with concern the latest developments regarding both Greek-Turkish relations as well as the Cyprus Issue. The KKE expresses its opinion with responsibility and calls on the Greek people to be in a state of readiness and vigilance.

The major everyday problems which afflict our people are expected to worsen in the coming period, as a result of the second “evaluation” and the government's new agreements with its partners in the EU and IMF.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Erdogan shuts down the Peace Association of Turkey- Solidarity with the Turkish people and Barış Derneği!


As the AKP government urges to take the advantage of the state of emergency that was declared following the coup attempt on 15th July, statutory decrees are being put into action in order to impose anti-democratic decisions to increase the political oppression.

A new statutory decree that has been approved by the parliament requires 370 associations and non-governmental organisations in 40 cities to be unlawfully shut down under the pretext of “relations with terrorist groups that are harmful to the national security”, including leftist organisations such as the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD).

Saturday, November 5, 2016

"This is a dissolution in mass": Statement by the Communist Party, Turkey about the jailings of the pro-Kurdish MPs

The Communist Party - Turkey released a statement about the recent jailings of the pro-Kurdish MPs. The statement underscores the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has to keep attacking to sustain its dissolving power.

This is a dissolution in mass.

In today’s statement made by the Prime Ministry and directed to foreign press on the ongoing operation against several MPs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), it was clear the Turkish government was trying to find a pretext for this operation. According to the statement, their being taken into custody like that was a normal procedure since they did not appear in court to give testimony!

Friday, November 4, 2016

Decision of the CC of the KKE on the developments around the Cyprus Issue and the position of the KKE

Decision of the CC of the KKE on the developments around the Cyprus Issue and the position of the KKE / Source: inter.kke.gr.

The CC of the KKE met and examined the overall developments on the Cyprus issue through the prism of the new facts. It came to the following decision:
The Communist Party of Greece follows, studies and takes a responsible position on the Cyprus problem. It has made a significant contribution to the denunciation of the Turkish invasion-occupation, to highlighting the international character of the problem, to expressing internationalist solidarity with the working class and popular strata of Cyprus, the Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites and Latins.
The KKE fights against the negative, for the peoples, plans that are unfolding in the framework of the antagonisms of the bourgeois classes of Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, as well as the in the context of the negative and dangerous role played historically and still being played today by the USA, Britain, NATO and the EU as regards the resolution of the Cyprus problem.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Interview with the member of the CC of KKE Thanasis Pafilis: The Cyprus Issue, AKEL and the positions of KKE

Interview of Thanasis Pafilis, member of the CC of the KKE, and parliamentary representative of the party to the MEGAONE news outlet in Cyprus- "Cyprus, united, independent, with its people sovereign".
Source: inter.kke.gr.

1. Is the KKE not concerned about the fact that its decision could negatively affect AKEL, with which it has special relations, and indeed in a period where the process of the resolution of the Cyprus Issue, which is also supported by AKEL, is being called into issue by various sides?

The stance of the KKE is rooted in its deep internationalist solidarity with the working class and popular strata of Cyprus, the Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, Armenians,  Maronites and Latins, and is opposed to the monopoly interests that are promoting a new dichotomous plan so that they can gain control of the natural resources without any impediments. The leadership of AKEL has made its choices and its agreement with the framework of the government and President, a framework supported by the USA and the EU and especially Britain, is mistaken, without prospects and is leading the Cypriot people into great hazards.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas' remarks after the meeting with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos

Dimitris Koutsoumbas: The Greek people must be vigilant about developments in the region.


Today, Wednesday 2 November, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas met with the President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos, regarding the developments on the Cyprus Issue, as well as about the positions of KKE on the developments in the broader region.

After the meeting, Dimitris Koutsoumbas made the following statement to journalists:

"I informed Mr.President of the Republic about the developments in the region and the positions of the KKE. The sharpening of the contradictions, the antagonisms, the military conflicts and the accumulation of military weapons and forces throughout the region, from central and eastern Europe, the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Middle East do not bode positive steps and issues for the people and especially for the Greek people.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Turkey: Police raid young members of the Communist Party (KP), threatened students

According to SOL International, Turkish police raided members of the Communist Youth who were working for an event of the ‘Socialism Schools’.

Young members of Communist Party, Turkey, (KP) were forcefully taken to a police station due to their works in front of Kadıköy Anadolu Lisesi (a prominent high school in Kadıköy/Istanbul), for the event of the ‘Socialism Schools’ that will be held on October 22, Saturday.
   
A member of Communist Party (KP) was attacked, and his mobile phone was seized on the grounds that he wanted to call his lawyer. Police did not permit any calls to lawyers.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Cyprus Issue: The developments require the intensification of peoples' intervention

The developments require the intensification of peoples' intervention.
By Giorgos Marinos* / Source: inter.kke.gr.

The Cyprus Issue, under its present form, was caused by the Turkish invasion and occupation in July and August (Attila II) of 1974 and remains unsolved for 42 years.

During this historical period, many means of negotiations were used, multifaceted UN interventions, joint statements and many meetings between representatives of the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities etc, but the problem still remains.

The Turkish insistence on the continuation of the occupation found supporters in powerful imperialist powers which, among other things, bare responsibility for the creation and perpetuation of the Cyprus Issue, such as the US, NATO, Britain and the EU in general.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

KKE delegation at the European Parliament slams EU and NATO for encouraging Turkey's aggressiveness

Addressing the Plenary of the European Parliament, yesterday in Strasburg, the KKE MEP Kostas Papadakis pointed out the issue of the Turkish government's provocations which raise assertions against the sovereign rights of Greece. As MEP Papadakis mentioned, the aggressiveness of Ankara is supported by the EU and NATO. He said:

"The statements of Erdogan regarding the challenge of the Treaty of Lausanne are especially dangerous, as well as those of the Turkish Republic Party which raise non-existent sovereignty issues for 16 Greek islands. They raise questions of grey zones and borders as a continuation of a stance that nobody can underestimate: the timeless provocation, the continuous violations of the Greek sea and airspace limits, the constant challenges against Cyprus, the dispute of the Exclusive Economic Zone. 

Friday, September 30, 2016

KKE: Statement regarding Turkish President Erdogan’s remarks on the Treaty of Lausanne

The Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued the following statement regarding the remarks of the President of Turkey Tayip Erdogan on the Treaty of Lausanne:

"Erdogan’s statements are dangerous and provocative and are part of the systematic efforts of the Turkish leadership to dispute the Aegean islands and the borders and sovereign rights of Greece more generally, to raise the issue of “grey zones”.
The period when these statements were made was no accident, as the negotiations are intensifying around the “closure” of the Cyprus question, on the basis of two component states, while the bargaining over the refugee issue between Turkey and the EU is underway. With these specific statements, Turkey is objectively exerting pressure in order to settle these matters in an even more negative direction for the peoples.
Once again, the government and the other political forces have been exposed, which for many years have been reassuring the Greek people that the alliance between Greece and Turkey, in the framework of NATO, is an agent for the “peace and security in the region”, the moment when NATO not only does not subdue the aggressive designs of Turkey, but on the contrary foments and reinforces them.” 

Friday, August 26, 2016

Kemal Okuyan: "The real threat of Turkey is the bourgeoisie. The big monopolies are the biggest crime organizations"

In the following days of the 15th July coup attempt in Turkey, the Communist Party, Turkey released numerous statements and analysis regarding the situation in the country and the immediate agenda of the class struggle in Turkey. The following is a commentary by the First Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party, Turkey, Kemal Okuyan which composes KP's recent line of politics.

Kemal Okuyan.

The Gulenists had seized the state. This is what they say. But, the picture shows that the Gulenists are in some extent the state itself. ‘Seizing’ does not, and cannot, correspond to reality. The truth is totally the opposite.

I shall not repeat how and why the Gulenist movement had increased its influence, as we have talked and written a lot about this issue.

But I shall reverse the above question and thus focus on the answer of the following one: What and who is the state?

Marxists have long debated on topics like, which mechanisms attribute class character to the state; how the state serves the interests of the ruling class; in this process to what extent the state is capable of creating an autonomous area and how the apparatus of the state, in the existing context, will fade with the annihilation of all classes. There is a whole and very valuable sum of writings to comprehend and analyse the complicated structure of the state.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Communist Party, Turkey (KP): Enough is enough! Do not mess Syria up anymore!

Statement by the Communist Party, Turkey.
The operation in Jarablus, Syria bogs down Turkey into the marsh of war. This totally illegitimate and incoherent operation should be stopped immediately.
Enough is enough!
Do not mess Syria up anymore!
The operation in Jarablus Syria bogs down Turkey into the marsh of war.This totally illegitimate and incoherent operation should be stopped immediately.
Turkey has once again, violated the sovereignty rights of Syria. Since from the beginning, the support of the outsiders, especially Turkey, to the armed gangs became the main cause for the Damascus administration loosing replacements to the international jihadist groups. Therefore, for anyone seeking peace in Syria it would be sufficient and necessary to stop intervening Syria's domestic affairs and to respect the country's sovereignty rights.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Communist Party, Turkey (KP): Letter to the Peoples of the World - Down with Imperialism!

LETTER FROM TURKEY TO THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD.
The Central Committee of Communist Party, Turkey (KP) released a declaration for the peoples of the world in the aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey:
"We witnessed an attempted coup in Turkey on the night of July 15. Despite its oddnesses, obscurities and uncertainties about the actors behind it, this was a genuine coup attempt.
That Fethullah Gülen was behind the coup and that Fethullah Gülen has deep ties with the U.S. administration are facts. Additionally, there were more than a few traces of Pentagon and CIA behind the coup attempt.
The failure of this attempted coup is to the benefit of our people. If the coup had succeeded, the working people already burdened with all the imaginable problems laid on them by the capitalist system would have had to face heavier and more destructive conditions. One needs to keep in mind that the coup plotters have a pro-NATO and Islamist orientation and they have been serving the international monopolies for decades.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Communist Party, Turkey (KP): On the coup attempt and the Gülen movement (English, Español)

Read the first part here.
The coup attempt and the continuing dispute in its aftermath was not only the concern of Turkey but of the workers’ and communist parties all over the world. Definitely, the course of the events should be considered regarding the class struggle in Turkey but at the same time that very coup attempt also referred to the class struggle around the world, indicating the relentless rivalry and weaknesses within the imperialist order.
In order to share with the international communist movement, the International Relations Bureau of the Communist Party,Turkey has prepared an analysis which consists of 10 critical questions on recent coup attempt and its aftermath in Turkey.
International Bulletin of Communist Party, Turkey No7.
Critical questions on recent coup attempt and its aftermath in Turkey:
3- Were there any chance for the attempt to be successful?