04 March 2013 Volume 7, Issue 11
Kerry Embarks on First Tour as Secretary John Kerry will visit nine countries in Western Europe and the Middle East on his first trip as U.S. secretary of state to consult allies on topics including Syria's civil war Kerry has traveled to London, Berlin, Paris and Rome, where he is expected to attend a gathering of senior officials from nations supporting the Syrian opposition and to meet with opposition members. He then headed to Turkey, which has taken in an estimated 180,000 refugees fleeing the violence in Syria, and will continue to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The emphasis on
traditional U.S. allies in Europe and the Gulf on the February 24March 6 trip differs from that of Kerry's predecessor Hillary Clinton, whose inaugural journey as the top U.S. diplomat took her to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China. The State Department played this down, saying that if Kerry had added an Asian stop, "an already long excursion would be even longer." Kerry was likely
to visit Asia early in his tenure, the department said. Continues in Page 3‌
Papacy of Benedict XVI Officially Ends Head of Catholic Church concludes pontificate with departure from Vatican to retreat in Italian town of Castel Gandolfo. Benedict XVI's reign as pope has come to an end amid the ringing of church bells in Vatican City. The Swiss Guards went off duty on Thursday after closing the high doors to the papal palace. From his temporary quarters in Italy's Castel Gandolfo, Benedict thanked the tens of thousands of people gathered there on Thursday for "surrounding him with warmth"."I am simply a pilgrim who is ending his path on this earth," he said. "Let's go forward
in prayer with Christ.�Thank you obedience'' to his successor. and good night."And in Continues in Page 2... a final message from his own Twitter account, Benedict said: "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives." Benedict, who was elected as pope on April 19, 2005, earlier met cardinals from around the world in his final hours as leader of 1.1 billion Catholics, and promised "unconditional reverence and
THIS WEEK
EUROPE PAGE 2
AMERICAS PAGE 3
OPINION PAGE 4-5
ASIA PAGE 6
MIDDLE EAST&AFRICA PAGE 7
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK PAGE 8-9
TURKEY PAGE 10
SOCIAL PAGE 11
EDITORIAL PAGE 12
EUROPE Papacy of Benedict XVI Officially Ends Continues from Page 1... He urged his cardinals to work in unity so that the College of Cardinals is "like an orchestra'' where "agreement and harmony'' can be reached - a clear message to the conclave that will pick the next pope. He said he would pray for the cardinals in coming days and weeks as they choose his successor. Between Benedict's resignation and the election of the next pope, the cardinal, referred to as the "Chamberlain", Italy's Tarcisio Bertone, will run the day-to-day affairs of the church. On Monday the Cardinals will meet and determine the date of the conclave that would choose the 266th pope. An estimated 100 cardinals were present at the private meeting, Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan reported from Rome. The 85-year-old German-born pope is the first pontiff to resign since the Middle Ages. Benedict stunned the world when he announced his momentous decision in a surprise speech in Latin on February 11, saying he no longer had the "strength of mind and body" to carry on in a fastchanging modern world. "I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit," the pope told a cheering crowd of 150,000 pilgrims in St Peter's Square in his final public farewell on Wednesday. Al Jazeera / March 1, 2013 The EU has expressed regret over the leaking of an internal report on Israeli settlements. The document, prepared by EU diplomats, said Europe should exclude those areas from trade benefits enjoyed by Israel. Euronews / February 28, 2013
Nicos Anastasiades Elected President Centre-right leader Nicos Anastasiades has won the Cypriot presidential election with 57.5% of the vote. It was a comfortable victory over Communist-backed Stavros Malas on 42.5%. Mr Anastasiades, who is a 66 year-old lawyer, takes power as Cyprus stands on the brink of bankruptcy. "My first priority is to reinstate Cyprus' credibility,'' Mr Anastasiades, said in a victory speech in front of his supporters in the capital Nicosia. He said that he will work with EU in order to steer the country out of economic crisis. The new president will have to finalise a deal with the other 16 countries that use the euro and with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Mr Malas supports a bailout but opposes austerity. Exploiting natural gas off the Cypriot shores will be among his aims which could escalate tensions between Turkey and Cyprus. BBC / February 25, 2013
Hundreds of protesters on Friday prevented construction workers from removing a section of one of the few remaining stretches of the Berlin Wall, part of a plan to build a road to a new luxury condominium being built on the banks of the reunited city's Spree The words "Italy ungovernable" appear in large black letters on the river. The Wall Street front of one of the country's bigger newspapers. Journal / March 1, 2013
Italy Struggles with 'Nightmare' Election Result
A Dutch court has convicted a Rwandan-born Dutch woman of inciting genocide in Rwanda's 1994 mass murder of ethnic Tutsis by members of the Hutu tribe – the first conviction of a Dutch citizen for the crime. The Guardian / March 1, 2013
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It is very hard to see any stable government emerging in Italy. "What we have seen materialise is what the international observers and markets consider the worst of nightmares," said a columnist in the Repubblica newspaper. "To create a government in these conditions is impossible." The centre-left Democratic Party has fallen badly short of the commanding position that seemed well within its grasp at the start of the campaign. It was torpedoed by extraordinary performances from two of its rivals. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was almost written off as the campaigning began. He had been forced from power not much more than a year earlier with Italy's finances in ruins around him. BBC News / February 26, 2013
AMERICAS John Kerry Embarks on First Tour as Secretary Continues from Page 1... He will not travel to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on this trip, she said, because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to form a government after the country's January 22 election. The State Department said Kerry thinks of the trip, his first since taking over from Clinton on February 1, as a "listening tour" that will allow him to touch base with key allies in Europe and the Middle East and to focus on the upheavals in the Arab world. One theme, she said, will be confronting "the challenge from extremists seeking to hijack some of the Arab Spring revolutions." Kerry wants to discuss "how we are approaching that whole complex of issues from Libya, to Tunisia, to Egypt, to Syria (to) the combined challenge of Iran," she added. In Egypt, the Department said the new secretary of state plans to stress the importance of "encouraging greater political consensus and moving forward on economic reform." Reuters / Feb. 19, 2013
Manning Admits Leaking Information US soldier Bradley Manning has admitted being the source of classified material provided to the Wikileaks website. In front of a military court, US army private Manning, 25, pleaded guilty to 10 out of 22 charges, saying he leaked the documents because he thought Americans had a right to know “the true cost of war”. Accused of the biggest leak of state secrets in US history, Manning was arrested in May 2010 for sending Wikileaks thousands of intelligence documents, diplomatic cables and combat videos. Manning faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the offences he admitted – but will receive time off due to harsh treatment he suffered at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia where he has been held for over 1,000 days. For some of his imprisonment, Manning was in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day. Manning pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including the most serious one of aiding the enemy, which could lead to a life sentence. Euronews, March 1, 2013.
Homosexual Mayoral Candidate Violently Murdered A gay, black mayoral candidate (pictured) killed last week in Mississippi was beaten, dragged and set on fire In a statement issued late on Sunday, the family of Marco McMillian said a coroner who performed an autopsy on his body told them about the gruesome manner of death. "We feel this was not a random act of violence based on the condition of the body when it was found," the McMillian family said." The body of McMillian, a 33-year-old candidate for mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi, was found on Wednesday. McMillian was one of the first viable openly gay candidates to run for office in Mississippi. Law enforcement officials say the killing is not being treated as a hate crime. McMillian had been missing since February 25 when his vehicle was involved in a collision in Coahoma County. McMillian was not in the vehicle at the time of the accident. Another Democratic candidate for mayor, Doris Haynes Miller, said she recently was robbed at gunpoint in the town. Reuters / Mar. 1, 2013
At least 26,121 people were reported missing during the term of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who launched the country's offensive against drug cartels, an official count shows. Express, February 26, 2013 President Barack Obama said on Friday he felt compelled to weigh in on a California same-sex marriage case before the Supreme Court because of his and society's "profoundly positive" evolution on gay rights. The Reuters / March 1, 2013
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OPINIONS EUROPE A Brief Analysis of the Italian General Elections What does the Election Results Mean The long awaited Italian General Elections have finally taken place on 24th and 25th February 2013. It was clear from the beginning that the elections would be a two man competition between the Centre Left Alliance, named Italia Bene Comune, leader Pier Luigi Bersani and the Centre Right Coalition, Il Popolo della Libertà, leader infamous Silvio Berlusconi. Bersani looks to have won, although the results could hardly be called a landslide victory for him. Just the opposite, Bersani was able to get only 0.4 percent more than his political rival. Beppe Grillo’s Five Star Movement got one quarter of the votes and became the third party while former technocratic Prime Minister Mario Monti was only able to get around 10%. How must we read this? It might seem surprising that Berlusconi was favored that much and the fact that so many people voted for Berlusconi, given that he had to resign in December 2011, which is a clear sign of failure. Apparently, Italian voters did not take it as a failure; they rather took it as an action of a leader who knows when and what to do. Another thing we can infer from the fact that Berlusconi got that many votes is that, economy is not the only issue that people decide who to vote on. If such had been the case, voters would have wanted to see Berlusconi punished, as the Prime Minister in charge when the effects of the crisis started to be felt in Italy. Berlusconi, as a businessman and a Catholic, is still an important figure for Italian Right. On the other hand, Bersani followed the necessary steps. As a Center Left Coalition leader, his only disadvantage was the existence of other alternative parties, which, for some people, have stolen the votes of Bersani. Grillo, as a professional comedian and an activist, has done a great job. It makes one see the future brighter that the Five Star Movement, taking an ecologist and Eurosceptic stance in the times of rising conservatism and xenophobia in Europe, attracted so many voters. As for Monti, it would be fair to argue that being a successful bureaucrat does not make one a successful politician. What the election results tell us in general is that, no party has an absolute majority to form a government. None of the leaders seem to be opting for a coalition at the moment. If the situation goes on like this in the upcoming days, another election is inevitable.
Umut YILMAZ
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA New Equations in the Middle East Rome Summit about Syria and John Kerry’s first trip to Middle East are most significant events in this week in Middle East. Kerry’s trip and Rome Summit should be analyzed together to understand the new developments in Syria. First of all, Kerry will continue his trip in Egypt and Qatar after he talked to Gül and Erdoğan in Turkey. The main aim of Kerry is to fasten the diplomatic attempts to solve the Syrian Crisis thus, Qatar and Turkey are important actors for Syrian opposition to conduct military operations however, the US government wants to apply diplomatic tools instead of a military operations. Furthermore, Rome Summit is the significant example of this type of understanding. However, the Syrian opposition firstly decided to boycott Rome Summit because they think that international society does not give enough importance to human suffrage in Syria. After that, the US and UK governments declared that some specific aids will be provided to the Syrian people. I think that this aid is not limited with humanitarian aids, the main aim of the Syrian opposition is to prevent military aids to Bashar al Assad from foreign countries and to get financial and military aid. On the other hand, Israel elections should not be forgotten in this new equation because Netanyahu still cannot form a coalition government, so the instability in Israel can affect the relations between Israel and Syria. Moreover, Obama can cancel his trip to Israel because of this instability in this important days. Therefore, I think that Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey are key countries for the US and Europeans to solve Syrian Crisis and to support Syrian opposition. In this picture, the US prefers a stable and peaceful Israel to conduct its diplomatic attempts for Syria. On the other hand, Syria cannot only be analyzed in the international relations context. Syrian Crisis may be seen as a humanitarian crisis because approximately 936.000 Syrian people had to leave from their countries. This side of the Crisis may cause another international crisis in the near future for international community. Therefore, new development should be understood to figure out the equations in Middle East. Alper AKGÜN
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OPINIONS AMERICAS Standing Up to Tanks Bradley Manning has pleaded guilty to “aiding the enemy”. What enemy? What aid? Bradley Manning has plead guilty to ten of the twenty two charges directed against him. Most serious of those was “aiding the enemy”, which could get him a life in prison. He aided the enemy, they say. Leaked serious information. Damaged the United States army and damaged the United States government. Is that just? Is that fair? Let me phrase the question this way then; imagine that your wife has cheated on you, and your best friend saw it. What would you expect him to do? Sit on the information, or tell you? Would you find him at fault if he does? Or would you blame your wife? Who is the one standing in principle, trying to speak the truth and who is the one lying to you and acting behind your back? Who is the wife and who is the best friend? The government of America is lying to its people. Has been lying for quite some time now. They’ve lied about the reason they’re going into Iraq and then lied about lying about it. But never mind the lying, never mind the false pretenses, the information hidden and all the wrong crusades. All governments do that, all governments lie. It’s desecrating the pride of its people. The people think being an American is honorable; something to be proud of, something to be cherished. The government destroyed all that. The government killed babies, murdered innocents, tortured detainees. One man stood up to it. Stood up to the bloodlust of the aerial fighters who were sending in the drones. Stood up to, if you don't mind the metaphor, the line of tanks marching down Tianamen Square. Stood proud. And now they’re calling him guilty of a capital offense. Deserving of a life in prison. Deserving of humiliation. They saw fit to throw him in an eight square meters cell with no windows, stripping him naked each night and inspecting him in that way each morning. He’s 25 years old. Not much older than us. Not much older than any of you. All because he spoke the truth. All because he said to the American people: “Hey, your government is lying to you”. I hope to God one day I can be as brave as Bradley Manning. I hope to God that one day, when I see tanks coming down my street, I can stand up and stand still in front of them. I know it can not be easy. Yiğitcan ERDOĞAN
TURKEY The Two Faces of Erdoğan The Turkish PM complains about Zionism and Islamophobia but things aren’t perfect at home About 40 years ago, a talented young man wrote, directed and played the leading role in a theatrical play entitled “Mas-Kom-Yah” which was a combination of the first syllables of "Mason", "Communist" and "Jewish" in Turkish. The play focused on the story of a teenager who falls into the trap of the “evil” mentality created by these three words. More recently, he added a new one to this anti-Semitic discourse by saying “We must consider - just like Zionism or Anti-Semitism or Fascism -Islamophobia as a crime against humanity” at the UN Alliance of Civilizations meeting in Vienna. Apparently, being one of the biggest human rights violator, Turkey still has something to say about crimes against humanity. First of all, equating Zionism with Fascism leads to a confusion. According to fascism, there are certain abilities or qualities that specific to one race and these characteristics make them unique or even better than any other races. Zionism on the other hand, emerged in the late 19th century as a national movement in response to Anti-Semitism and to protect Jews from fascism. However, since Zionism did not choose a “land without people” it is criticized for violating the moral rights of the indigenous people and especially for the racist discriminatory practices against the Palestinian people on the occupied territories. The point here is not to deny the critiques of the racist attitudes of these ideologies anyway. Rather it’s that the context where the criticisms have made. And it is funny though, I have always thought that AntiSemitism includes applying a double standard to Israel like ignoring the Egyptian blockade of Gaza but declaring Israel as an only responsible for blockade or the statements like “Today, the image of the Jews is no different than that of the Nazis.” Talking about comparing other ideologies to fascism, what do you call Turkey ranking 154th out of 179 countries in a list for press freedom? Or what’s up with the "Islamophobia should be seen as a crime against humanity" demand while maintaining the same attitude against Alevis? If Zionism is fascism, double that for the situation created by the AKP regime in Turkey. Hazal AKGÜL
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ASIA
ASIA US, South Korea Set to Start Joint Military Drill Thousands of US troops have gathered in South Korea to launch annual joint military exercise amid heightening tensions in the Korean Peninsula, a report says. The troops reportedly arrived in South Korea on Friday. Over 10,000 American troops along with South Korean personnel are slated to hold joint air, ground and naval field training exercises called Foal Eagle in March and April. Meanwhile, the US and South Korean troops are planning to hold a computersimulated drill known as Key Resolve from March 11-21. North Korea says the joint military drills are a “hostile act” that has bolstered its defences. In recent years, the US and South Korea have conducted several massive joint sea and air drills in waters east of the Korean Peninsula. South Korea has already staged a series of military exercises separately or jointly with the United States since North Korea launched a long-range rocket in December 2012. Press TV / March 1, 2013 Thailand's government has agreed to start talks with National Revolutio n Front (BRN), marking a breakthrough in efforts to end a worsening conflict in the country's south that has claimed mo re than 5,000 lives since 2004. The agreement was signed in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Al Jazeera / February 28, 2013
Japan's consumer prices have dipped for the third straight month, underlining the challenge faced by policymakers as they try to stoke inflation. Consumer prices, excluding food, fell 0,2% in January from a year earlier. BBC / March 01, 2013
Two US sailors have been sentenced to prison for the rape of a Japanese woman in Okinawa, in a case that has generated strong antiAmerican feeling. BBC / March 1, 2013
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Russia and Georgia to Hold ‘Relations Improvement’ Talks Russian and Georgian special envoys will meet in Prague on Friday. Russian and Georgian special envoys will hold a scheduled meeting aimed at normalizing bilateral ties in areas of trade, transport and culture, but avoiding the issue of Georgia’s breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia said it was ready in principle to consider discussing the restoration of regular direct air flights between Moscow and Tbilisi in first meeting. However, Tbilisi insists that the restoration of diplomatic relations with Moscow would be linked to the issue of Georgia’s territorial integrity as Georgia had lost one-fifth of its territory after South Ossetia and Abkhazia broke away in the early 1990s.Moscow has signed economic and military agreements with both republics since recognizing them as independent shortly after the war, and keeps ruling out any negotiations on their current status. RIANOVASTI/March 02, 2013
Deadly Riots Follow Bangladesh Death Sentence At least 54 killed over two days in the wake of death sentence to Jamaat-e-Islami leader for war crimes. Supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami movement battled with police after Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to hang by a war crimes tribunal. The two-time member of parliament was convicted of eight of 20 counts involving killings and rapes during Bangladesh's war of independence. During that war, approximately 3 million people were killed, and hundreds of thousands of women were raped. In 2010, Bangladesh set up a court to finally bring to justice those it accused in the massacre. Tens of thousands of people celebrated the judgment against Sayedee. But furious Jamaat supporters rioted in Dhaka and other cities after the decision, leaving at least four police officers among the dead. Sayedee’s political party says the allegations are part of a smear campaign.CNN / March 1, 2013
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA Obama Will Cancel Israel Visit U.S. president's visit was expected to take place after the new Israeli government was formed, with the assumption that this would happen by mid-March. Netanyahu is still struggling to form a government, however. President Barack Obama will cancel his planned visit to Israeli next month if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unable to form a coalition by March 16, Israel's Channel 10 reported on Thursday. March 16 is the legal deadline for Netanyahu to form the coalition, or inform President Shimon Peres that he has been unable to do so. Obama's visit was expected to take place after the new Israeli government was formed with the assumption that this would happen by mid-March .To date Netanyahu has only been able to commit Tzipi Livni's Hatnuah party to joining the coalition. Haaretz / February 28, 2013
Opposition Refuse to Stand in Egypt’s Parliamentary Elections
Britain and its allies will be able to provide training for rebels fighting Bashar An alliance of opposition parties says it will boycott Egypt’s upcoming al-Assad’s regime and parliamentary elections, in protest against a new law which it says fasupply them with military vours the Muslim Brotherhood increasing its chances of a clean sweep support, including at the polls. armoured cars, under major changes which are Political expert, Magdi Sakhi said: “This decision will just allow certain par- due to be made to ties to dominate the political situation, and at the same time I am afraid European Union sanctions that the opposition parties will not care about the political process in the rules on Syria. future.” With the opposition parties refusing to stand it leaves only Mohamed Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood and more hard line Islamist groups like Independent / February the Salafi Nour Party in the running. Euronew’s correspondent in Cairo, Mo- 27, 2013 hammed Shaikhirahim says: “The boycott decision increases the political tension in Egypt, and allows the ruling party to control most of the seats in The Kingdom of Bahrain’s this parliament, which is supposed to represent the entire political specIndustry and Commerce trum.” Euronews / February 28, 2013 Minister, Hassan Fakhro, issued an unusual decree this week: he banned the importation of a plastic Guy Fawkes mask. Days after the death of a Palestinian in an Israeli prison, a rocket fired Independent / February from Gaza landed in southern Israel on Tuesday. 25, 2013 The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a Gaza militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, which damaged a road outside At least five people have the town of Ashkelon, about 15 kilometres (9 been killed in a double car miles) from Gaza. The brigades made the bombing at a market in the claim in an e-mail to CNN. Last week, militants in Gaza warned there would be retaliasouthern Iraqi city of tion if a prisoner died or was harmed while in Diwaniya, officials say. The Israeli custody. Arafat Jaradat, 30, died Satattack in the mainly Shia urday, inciting Palestinian officials to once city comes amid again decry Israeli prison conditions. In Noheightened tensions vember, Israel launched what it called the Pillar of Defence operation, a series of military between Iraq's Sunni and strikes on Gaza designed to stop the constant Shia communities. BBC / rocket fire. CNN / February 26, 2013
First Rocket Fired from Gaza into Israel since November Cease-Fire
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ARTICLE OF THE WEEK Babak Dehghanpisheh Former Newsweek Middle East Correspondent
Iran's President Defies Supreme Leader to Safeguard His Future Live on state radio, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani exchanged insult after insult in the assembly chamber last Sunday as shocked lawmakers shouted their disapproval. The stormy session peaked when Ahmadinejad aired a video showing Larijani's brother Fazel allegedly seeking a bribe in exchange for political favours from one of Ahmadinejad's closest allies, former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi. But the real struggle that played out amid the accusations and posturing pits Ahmadinejad against the man at the top of the system in Iran - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In late October, Khamenei warned that any top officials from the three branches of the state who bickered publicly, particularly in the lead-up to a presidential election in June, would be guilty of treason. Ahmadinejad, approaching the end of his second term and unable to run again straight away but keen to protect his legacy and his welfare, has ignored that warning this month. "To openly challenge Khamenei publicly is unprecedented. It will have long-term repercussions. It shows that Khamenei does not have the authority he once did," said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies program at Stanford University. "Neither of the previous two presidents ever publicly defied Khamenei the way Ahmadinejad has." For Khamenei and his powerful supporters in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), each brazen challenge from the president not only erodes their political authority but also tarnishes the image of the Islamic Republic. The accusations of financial impropriety and corruption among top government officials comes at a time when economic sanctions, imposed by Western powers seeking curbs on Tehran's nuclear program, are biting hard in Iran and millions of ordinary Iranians are struggling to make ends meet. The impression that top government officials are embezzling money rather than addressing the needs of the masses could lead to unrest, analysts say. "Khamenei is afraid that with the bad economic situation, the economic disgruntlement could turn into political disgruntlement," said Mehdi Khalaji, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Instead of following the government line and blaming Western sanctions for their economic woes, people might start to blame the politicians: "This is a big worry for him," Khalaji said. At stake for Ahmadinejad is not only his political legacy for the two terms he served as president but also his welfare and the welfare of a tight-knit circle of political allies once he leaves office. Many of his top allies face serious legal charges and could serve jail time. Some have already gone to jail. Ahmadinejad himself could face charges because of his behavior in parliament this week. Last Tuesday, judiciary head Sadeq Larijani, the brother of the parliament speaker, held an emergency meeting with the Supreme Leader, according to Fars News, a semi-official news outlet linked to the Revolutionary Guards. In a meeting with judiciary officials the following day, Sadeq said that he considered Ahmadinejad's actions to be a crime but he would not pursue the issue for now at the behest of the Supreme Leader. "Even though the accusations of the president toward the judges of the judiciary, the representatives of parliament and the heads of the branches were lies, defamatory and against all legal standards, which I consider a crime, I will keep quiet for now in the interests of the regime and to adhere to the orders of the Supreme Leader," Sadeq said, according to Fars News. "And at another time I will speak about the details of this matter," he added. Sadeq went on to say that he would expose the "economic, ideological and operational corruption" of Ahmadinejad's allies. The roots of the conflict go back to the 2009 presidential election when tens of thousands of Iranians poured into the streets to dispute Ahmadinejad's victory over reformist candidate Mirhossein Mousavi.
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At the time, the Supreme Leader faced a stark choice: support Ahmadinejad or cast him aside. Khamenei chose to go all in. What followed was a bloody crackdown, which led to the deaths of dozens of protesters and the jailing of hundreds more. Even though Khamenei sacrificed enormous political capital to keep Ahmadinejad in power, he got little loyalty back. In the spring of 2011, Ahmadinejad dismissed intelligence minister Heydar Moslehi, a close ally of the Supreme Leader. Within days, Khamenei intervened and reinstated Moslehi, leading Ahmadinejad to boycott cabinet meetings for over a week. After the feud spilled out into the open, Khamenei loyalists went after Ahmadinejad and arrested more than a dozen officials linked to his controversial former chief-of-staff and key adviser Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie. In the autumn of 2011, Ahmadinejad's opponents tried to link Mashaie to a $2.6-billion dollar embezzlement scandal, the largest in Iranian history, and he could still face charges in that case. Last September, Ahmadinejad's top media adviser, Ali Akbar Javanfekr, was jailed for printing articles critical of the law which mandates the Islamic veil for women in Iran. And just this week Mortazavi, the notorious Tehran prosecutor once dubbed the "Butcher of the Press" by reformist critics in Iran for his role in jailing dozens of journalists, was arrested and sent to the Evin prison, a facility where he had sent many others. He was taken in on charges of financial corruption, Fars News said. Mortazavi, now at liberty again, also faces criminal charges over the deaths of protesters at the Kahrizak prison in the crackdown following the disputed 2009 election. If Ahmadinejad loses his struggle with Khamenei, these allies will go down with him, analysts say. "When Ahmadinejad's term as president is finished, the judiciary will go after them one by one," said Khalaji. "Ahmadinejad knows that if he becomes a former president who is marginalized and without any power, all of his key people will be wiped out." So far, Ahmadinejad's main tool in fighting back has been the political dirt he has dug up and threatened to use on his rivals, a tactic he has employed often with great effect, and which his critics have dubbed "begam begam", which roughly translates as "I'll tell, I'll tell." After the clash in parliament last Sunday, one Ahmadinejad ally at the Ministry of Interior said that there were 1,000 more damaging documents that the president could reveal, according to reports in the local media. "He wants to make it extremely costly for the regime, if not prohibitively costly for the regime, to go after him and his coterie," said Milani at Stanford. And the best way to protect himself and his group is not only to intimidate rivals with secret files and documents but also to keep some of his people in the government if he can, analysts say. Ahmadinejad has long backed his key adviser Mashaie, who is also a relative - Mashaie's daughter is married to Ahmadinejad's son - as a possible successor as president. But Mashaie is loathed by many hardliners for his controversial statements, such as a 2008 comment that Iranians and Israelis were friends. It is unlikely that he could pass the stringent vetting process to stand for election. Still, Ahmadinejad could try to bring his supporters into the street to get a candidate of his choosing in the running. After the arrest of Mortazavi earlier this week, some 50 Ahmadinejad supporters protested in front of the judiciary offices, according to local media reports. While the chances of an Ahmadinejadendorsed candidate getting on to the ballot are slim, it is even less likely that any candidate from the reformist camp will be allowed to run. The top two reformist candidates from the 2009 election, Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, have been under house arrest for two years, accused of fomenting unrest after the vote. Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards are likely to keep a close eye on the vetting process for candidates and voting in this presidential election because of the high stakes, analysts say: "This will be the most rigged election in the history of the Islamic Republic," said Khalaji. In the feud between the president and the Supreme Leader, a potential role of arbiter is filled to some extent by the Revolutionary Guards, who control vast swathes of the economy and are the most powerful security force in the country. For now, the Guards have not entered the fray but they might, especially if there is unrest in the upcoming elections. In an interview with the Qanoun newspaper in mid-January, Revolutionary Guard commander Nasser Shabani said the Guards expected unrest linked to the elections to start from provincial towns rather than Tehran - unrest which could start with grass roots complaints, but which the Guards had already warned potential candidates not to stir up. Shabani also issued a stark warning to Ahmadinejad. "Ahmadinejad, for all the good he could have done, is transforming from an opportunity into a threat to the regime, unfortunately. This is an important point," he said, according to the Qanoun interview. "Overall we must pray that his fate turns out well. And that he returns and boards the ship of the revolution." Reuters
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TURKEY Öcalan Says PKK Might Withdraw in August Peace talks between Turkey and Abdullah Öcalan are gaining momentum with Öcalan expected to call a ceasefire on March 21, the day of the Kurdish spring festival of Newroz. Under the plan, sent to Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party as well as the PKK leadership, the rebels would begin a formal ceasefire on March 21 and the withdrawal of PKK troops from Turkish territory would be completed by Aug. 15, the 29th anniversary of the start of a conflict that has destabilized Turkey and held back the development of its mainly Kurdish southeast. The 20-page “road map”, handwritten by Ocalan, has not been published yet however, the minutes taken during the nine-hour meeting of a delegation were printed by the Milliyet daily. The publication of the “official prison record” of a meeting has also sparked controversy and speculation over the source of the leak, as well as the source’s motivations. The National - Hurriyet Daily News / 28 February, 2013
Merkel visited Turkey last week in order to control German patriots. Merkel also stated that she supports the new accession talks between Turkey and EU and believe that it could be a new momentum for membership process. Daily Zaman / February 25, 2013 Turkey launched a campaign to retrieve Turkish children in European countries who have been taken from their parents and given to Christian couples, starting the process by taking back children from gay and lesbian couples. Hurriyet Daily News / February 25, 2013
PM’s ‘Zionist’ Comment Sparks International Outcry Erdogan has been heavily criticised by the US, Israel and the UN for branding Zionism a "crime against humanity". During a speech at a UN Alliance of Civilizations conference, Erdoğan said that "As with Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it is inevitable that Islamophobia be considered a crime against humanity.” Ban Ki-moon responded to Erdogan's remark, saying he believed "it is unfortunate that such hurtful and divisive comments were uttered at a meeting being held under the theme of responsible leadership." Some of the sharpest criticism came from Netanyahu, who called Erdogan's comment a "dark and mendacious statement, the likes of which we thought had passed from the world." Also White House spokesman said in a statement that "We reject Erdogan's characterization of Zionism as a crime against humanity, which is offensive and wrong," Deutsche Welle / March 1, 2013
Kerry to Urge Turkey to Patch up Relations with Israel after Zionism Row Trip overshadowed by row over PM’s comments that Zionism was a crime against humanity.
Kerry is meeting Turkish leaders in talks meant to focus on Syria's civil war and bilateral interests from energy security to counter-terrorism. But the trip overshadowed by a row over comments made by Erdogan that described Zionism as a crime against humanity. In response, Kerry urged Turkey to attempt to restore the country's "frozen" relationship with Israel, The former commander of on his first trip to a Muslim nation since taking office. The collapse of ties Turkey's land forces has between the two countries have been jailed pending trial in undermined US hopes that Turkey could a widening investigation of play a role as a broker in the broader the toppling of Turkey's first region – Washington sees Turkey as the Islamist-led government in key player in supporting Syria's 1997. Reuters / February opposition and planning for the era after 28, 2013 Assad. The Guardian / March 1, 2013
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EVENT CALENDAR
05 March 2013 GEORGIA
* Anjelika Akbar - Mehmet Akatay / ODTÜ Kültür Kongre Merkezi * Hüzzam / Oda Tiyatrosu
Capital: Tblisi (official), Kutaisi (legislative) Largest City: Tblisi Language: Georgian Independence: 1918 (From Russia), 1991 (From USSR) GDP (per capita): $5.491
06 March 2013 * Soğuk Bir Berlin Gecesi / Şinasi Sahnesi * Venedik Taciri / Küçük Tiyatro
Government: Unitary, semi-presidential republic
“Chavez’s Last Tango”
07 March 2013 * Bülent Ortaçgil / IF Performance Hall
Fosforlu Cevriye / Akün Sahnesi
08 March 2013 * Haluk Levent / Jolly Joker * Aşk Hastası / Büyük Tiyatro
09 March 2013
* Hayvan Çiftliği / Cer Modern * Hayyam / Anadolu Kültür Vakfı
10 March 2013 * Pal Sokağı Çocukları / Akün Sahnesi
O Nefeste Gizli Herşey / Gençlik Parkı Kültür Merkezi
Social Events Correspondent: Yağmur Çiftçi (@yagmurciftci)
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INFO & ADS GENERAL DIRECTOR Alper AKGÜN CO-EDITOR Yiğitcan ERDOĞAN COORDINATORS Hazal AKGÜL, R. Sinan Usta, Cansu BULUKLU, Begüm ÇELİKTUTAN EUROPE CORRESPONDENTS Ekin BOZKURT, Dan PRITCHETT, Asude Dilan YİĞİT AMERICAS CORRESPONDENTS Didem ELERMAN, Ayça ŞEN ASIA CORRESPONDENTS H. Sinan GÜLER, Ayşenur ŞANLI M. EAST & AFRICAS CORRESPONDENT Çağlar YILDIZ, Meriç YAŞAR TURKEY CORRESPONDENT Okan İDUĞ
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