Chuck Hagel: Turkey’s Friend in High Places​

American Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel  is flying between few South American Capital cities. He gave a lecture about climate change. Since being followed by the mainstream media, he was asked two important questions regarding the new terrorist developments in the Middle East. One was about the ISIS jihadist attacking Baghdad and another one was about the Kurdish city of Kobani in Northern Syria being overrun by the same Sunni militants. Mr. Hagel must be very concerned about Baghdad but he could care less about Kobani. Ankara has portrayed the Kurds as the Cold War era’s terrorists. Unfortunately, the Secretary whose hero is Ataturk, a fascist Kurd killer, sides with Ankara’s state terrorism. Mr. Erdogan, Turkey’s new president and his AKP party belong to the Muslim Brotherhood, the region’s first Islamist terrorist.

The subject of “climate change,” a much improved subject, rather than “global warming,” is considerably more understandable. According to Jim Garamone’s Oct. 13, 2014, report on the Department of Defense site, our Defense Secretary was concerned about incorporating climate conditions into the US Defense Department’s planning and strategies! Mr. Hagel was concerned about climate extremes, the spread of infectious diseases, hurricanes, and famine. He said, “droughts and crop failures can leave millions of people without any lifeline and trigger waves of mass migration.” He believed that his Department has a scientific roadmap of its mission and duties.

On the question of ISIS capturing almost all of the Iraqi Province of Anbar and approaching the capital city of Baghdad, Mr. Hagel reiterated the statement of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Martin E. Dempsey, that Baghdad was fully defended by the Iraqi security forces that are controlling the situation. Yet, the Iraqi army, frightened by the brutality of the ISIS in Anbar Province, is begging for American air support. Instead, they were dropped food and water by American planes. He nevertheless said that other members of the coalition or even Americans might help defenders of Baghdad.

However, he deliberately left out Iran’s name. As the world’s largest and most powerful Shia country, Iran will certainly defend Baghdad and Southern Iraq. It already has thousands of boots on the ground in Iraq. Iran will not allow a bunch Sunni terrorist to take over Shia holy burial sites. Without Iran’s help and American air strikes, the ISIS would have taken Kurdistan in Northern Iraq with all of its oil fields quickly. Turkey, one of the sponsors of these Jihadist terrorists, could have continued buying more oil from the ISIS at below-market prices.

The Key Kurdish city of Kobani in Northern Syria has been under siege by the ISIS terrorists since September 16, 2014. A self-governing city for the last two years, Kobani is located in a strategic place near the border with Turkey. Since everybody has been predicting its fall and the massacre of its civilian population, especially the enslavement of the Kurdish women, the Kurds singlehandedly have been defending their rightful territory. On October 12, 2014, Terri Moon Cronk stated that Kobani could fall to ISIS. Mr. Hagel again echoed General Dempsey who said, “I am fearful that Kobani will fall.” The General spoke to his Turkish counterpart a couple of days ago about the conditions in Kobani. Nobody came forward to help the Kurds because the Turks believe the political party in control of Kobani is affiliated with the PKK, a Kurdish Pishmerga partisan and freedom fighter group.

After Mr. Hagel apologized for allegedly criticizing the Israeli lobby, he was became Defense Secretary in February, 2013. In his very first press conference in the Pentagon, the Secretary surprised many by expressing his admiration for Ataturk (1881-1938) and the Turks. Hurriyet Daily News (March 29, 2013) reported that Mr. Hagel repeated the same positive remarks about the Founding Father of the Republic of Turkey during a speech at a session organized by the American-Turkish Council (ATC) in Washington, D.C. After the Israeli lobby, the ATC is the second most powerful in the US.  Mr. Hagel remarked “Ataturk is one of the most valuable leaders in the 21st century. The children in the United States know nothing about such a big leader. He should be taught at schools, take part in history books.”

Mr. Hagel is functioning as an assistant to the new Secretary of State, John Kerry, and is more concerned with the downsizing of his own Department and involving American allies in dealing with problems in the Middle East and the Muslim World. Actually, he has an honorable mission to advocate a peaceful plan. According to De Luce (2013), Mr. Hagel is applying a “Political, not military” approach to the region’s bloody conflicts. He is being accused of being soft on Iran and courting so-called moderate Muslim Brotherhoods in Turkey, Egypt, and Syria. Mr. Hagel is one of a few American politicians regretting having trusted in the political Islam of the Brotherhood. However, the US Defense Secretary knows little about Ataturk. In high school and college, Mr. Hagel failed to learn anything substantial about the Father of the Turks, who invented Turkish fascism and genocide.

Boufesis (2013) clarified the fact that “it is one thing to tolerate Turkey for the sake of its geopolitics and another to openly cheer for one of the greatest butchers history has ever known.” Ataturk personally ordered the killing of the largest numbers of non-Turkish ethnic groups. He was the first to commit genocide against the Kurds. He is only number two, after Saddam, as mass murderer of the Kurds. The present PM of Turkey, Erdogan, and his ruling party do shy away from the Drunken-Adulterer-Dictator-General. By the way, Ataturk died in pains and misery due to a lifelong venereal disease and lung failure from over-drinking and wild sexual orgies. His major legacy was the massacre of civilians including children in the Kurdish city and region of Dersim from 1937-1938. There, over 14,000 Kurds were murdered under Ataturk’s direct order that then PM Erdogan had to apologize for after 75 years, in 2012.

Although it is not well known whether any foreign lobbyists ever paid Mr. Hagel any money, this type of behavior is usually the result of influence from Beltway lobbyists.  It is possible that Mr. Hagel was not recruited or fired by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). If he was being ignored by the most powerful foreign lobbyist in Washington, AIPAC, then naturally he would be enlisted by the second most powerful, the Turkish one. This is based on his admiration of Ataturk and Turkey and not appreciating anything good about the American friendship with Israel. If this is the case, the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood in Ankara must be very happy to have one of the most powerful men in Washington on their side.

Mr. Hagel, however, is a latecomer in admiring those national leaders such as Ataturk who committed genocide against the Kurds. The veneration of a fascist-dictator-nationalist-reformist such as Ataturk belongs to the previous century. Mr. Secretary needs to learn that the new government of the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood, TMB, appears to have disavowed Ataturk. The founding father of the Turkish nation no longer appears to command the nation from his grave.  Former PM and current President Erdogan in Ankara, who apologized for Ataturk’s genocide, is still one of Obama’s best friends. Washington listens to him regarding his lies about the Kurds. After all, the regime in Ankara is a moderate Muslim model. The moderate TMB is slightly better than the ISIS.

 DR. M. KOOHZAD is the author of a forthcoming book entitled: Kurdistan: An International Colony.

Sources

Boufesis, Alexandros. “Chuck Hagel: ‘I Admire Mustafa Kemal Ataturk!’”

defensehorizon.com, Sunday, Mar 31 2013. http://www.defensehorizon.com/index. php/america/item/449-chuck-hagel-i-admire-mustafa-kemal-ataturk.

De Luce, Dan. “Political, not military” solutions needed in Middle East.” yourmiddleeast. com, Last updated: May 10, 2013. http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/political-not- military-solutions-needed-in-middle-east_14946.

Garamone, Jim. “Military Must Be Ready for Climate Change, Hagel Says.” DoD News, Defense Media Activity. Oct. 13, 2014. http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx? id=123399.

Moon Cronk, Terri. “Dempsey Expresses Concern Kobani Could Fall to ISIL.”

DoD News, Defense Media Activity. Oct. 12, 2014. http://www.defense.gov/ news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123395.

 

 

 

Dr. Koohzad is the author of a forthcoming book entitled: Kurdistan: World’s Largest International Colony.