�Turkey is not as
politically stable or as secular domestically as they would have you believe,�
said one long time observer of US-Turkish relations in Washington, DC. �The
Turks do not have a large community across the United States like, say, the
Armenians and the Greeks who have been here a long time. Because of this you
see a very large Turkish presence inside Washington, DC.�
Lacking a legitimate
national grassroots organization, Turkey has built a notable presence inside
the corridors of power in Washington, by spreading cash around and buying
direct access to key US decision makers in and out of the US government. It all
seems legitimate enough: campaign donations and junkets for members & staff
of the US Congress (FMOCs); consulting fees to former FMOCs, US military
generals, US State Department employees; and promises of billions of dollars in
contracts to US corporate representatives operating in Washington. With so much
money chasing politicians, consultants and contractors of all stripes, there�s
bound to be some corrupt and even criminal activity. No seasoned observer of
politics anywhere is completely surprised at the occasional and well-timed
conviction of a white collar criminal.
But Sibel Edmonds�
seems to have stumbled into the really big white collar crime ring
that ties an old George Bush I family friend, Brent Scowcroft -- and his
American Turkish Council--in with former US Ambassador to Turkey Marc Grossman;
members of the Turkish Caucus in the US Congress; Douglas Feith, (once had his
security clearance revoked and was rumored to be watched by the FBI) who once
greased arms sales to Turkey back in the 1990s, is a famed Zionist, formerly of
the Pentagon and now at Georgetown University in Washington, DC; the Bob
Livingston Group (Livingston a FMOC), who has gotten very wealthy via Turkish
business; and Joe Ralston the former USAF general whose bank account has
blossomed after joining Lockheed Martin and being put on the Turkish payroll as
a counter-Kurdish insurgency expert. Finally, former Speaker of the US House
Dennis Hastert seems a natural part of the ring, whose claim to fame may become
that he kept debate on the Armenian Genocide Resolution off the House floor
during his tenure and was the subject of a Vanity Fair piece.
Many of us have
written on Ms Edmonds� case and after so many years find it infuriating that
the FBI continues to shut her up behind a State Secret Privilege holding.
Taking recent events at the Department of Justice as guides, it is probably
safe to say that Ms Edmonds� is being silenced because of some sort of State
Embarrassment Privilege. The Department of Justice, of which the FBI is a
subsidiary, is seeing its credibility quotient crushed under the weight of
Attorney General Albert Gonzales� arrogance and the adolescent antics of his
staff. Meanwhile at the FBI, Director Mueller is under fire for the antics of
his staff and its abuse of USAPATRIOT Act provisions to catch common criminals,
not �terrorists.�
A few thoughts come
to mind here. First, the FBI apparently was illegally monitoring subjects
associated, somehow, with the Edmonds� matter and, perhaps, saving a savory
scandal for the right time. J Edgar Hoover, former FBI director, was skilled at
that sort of subterfuge. If the illegal monitoring allegation is true, that�s
another damaging blow to the Justice Department and the US justice system.
Second, Ms Edmonds
must have stumbled upon the payola racket that Turkey had been running and
there were so many big US names involved in so many high places that to air
that laundry would damage US credibility not so much abroad, as right here in
the USA. Imagine on one news day FMOCs, active members of the US Congress, US
military personnel, US State Department people, US Justice Department folks all
get nailed for being in on the Turkish gig or at least knowing about it. And
what could be worse than the FBI, DEA and CIA knowing about it? Foreign
intelligence agencies, of course.
Third, if it is true
that Turkey is not as secular or as politically stable as its proponents in
Washington and Ankara say, then the whole Turkey-as-US strategic partner and
would-be European Union partner would be one of the better smoke and mirrors
acts sold to the US public, and the world, in recent memory.
The reality is that
Turkey remains a distant and unknown entity for most Americans, although if Ms
Edmonds were allowed to speak freely it may become a well-known country. It�s a
product that is difficult to sell to citizens here in the USA as a strategic
necessity, as a wonderful vacationland, or as a dynamic society full of
business opportunity. The harsher side to the story is that Turkey has
threatened to invade Northern Iraq/Kurdistan should it declare its
independence, or if an upcoming referendum on oil-rich Kirkuk goes the Kurds�
way; the Turks brutally repress their Kurdish population; free speech and
tolerance of government critiques are in short supply; and, in reality, the
Turkish military holds the keys to power in Ankara.
Lastly, according to
the observer of US-Turkish relations, �It seems to me that the government in
Ankara, Turkey, is always working on propaganda, on slogans. Trying too hard.
If you visit Turkey, you�ll notice everywhere you go that there is a picture of
Turkey�s founder Attaturk. It reminds me sort of like Soviet times where you�d
see a picture of Lenin everywhere. The Turks spend too much time worrying about
petty resolutions like those recognizing the Armenian Genocide.�
John
Stanton is a Virginia based writer specializing in political and national
security matters. Reach him at cioran123@yahoo.com.