Events
On Wednesday, July 15, 2020 Bay Atlantic University and the Global Policy Institute held an online event titled:
“Four Years After the Failed Coup in Turkey: Impact on US-Turkey Relations”
Keynote Speaker:
Amb. H.E. Serdar Kilic, Republic of Turkey, Ambassador to the USA
Panelists:
Ergin Saygun, Former Deputy Chief of the Turkish General Staff, General (ret.)
Robert Amsterdam, Partner, Amsterdam & Partners LLP
Moderator:
Sinem Vatanartiran, PhD, President, Bay Atlantic University
Welcoming remarks
Paolo von Schirach, President, Global Policy Institute, and Chair Political Science and International Relations, Bay Atlantic University.
Event Recording:
Event Summary:
In his Key Note Remarks, Ambassador Kilic noted that the July 2016 attempted coup was very different from previous attempts on the part of the Turkish armed forces to subvert the existing political order. In previous instances the armed forces were led by senior officers. In this case, Generals took orders from civilians. They were all part of the Gulenist Movement. This was unprecedented. Furthermore, in July 2016 armed soldiers fired on civilians, killing hundreds and wounding many more. Besides attempts to overthrow governments in Turkey, Ambassador Kilic continued, in recent years there have been other subversive efforts, organized by the Gulenist movement, a large underground organization intent on seizing power via indirect means. In some instances their methods included fomenting social unrest hoping that it would destabilize the government. In another instance, after the successful infiltration of the judicial system, subversive Gulenist elements initiated preposterous judicial proceedings against establishment figures, including high ranking members of the armed forces. It is well known that Fethullah Gulen lives in the United States. The US Government, thus far has not responded favorably to a formal Turkish Government request to extradite Gulen so that he could face charges for his alleged key role in masterminding and directing the July 2016 attempted coup. This is a major disappointment for Turkey. However, to make things even worse, Ambassador Kilic continued, American authorities until now failed to recognize that the Gulenist Movement here in the US managed to take over hundreds of charter schools, this way gaining a significant foothold in the US public education system. These schools controlled by the Gulenists have engaged in visa and tax fraud. While there have been investigations, so far no major legal action has been brought against these schools that are clearly fronts for the Gulenists here in the US.
General Saygun pointed out that the Gulenists managed to gain a great deal of influence in the US presenting themselves as dedicated educators. Furthermore, they have been very good at cultivating local authorities and elected leaders who in the end form a protective shield preventing any serious investigation in what goes on behind closed doors in the schools operated by Gulenist Movement members. Ultimately, it is plausible to believe that the US Government wants to protect Gulen and his followers because they see him as a useful representative of a “good”, moderate Islam who can provide a politically acceptable alternative to destructive, violent radical Islam. General Saygun further argued that the extradition of Gulen is not going to happen, so long as he is mistakenly viewed in the US as a peaceful man, a religious figure not involved in politics. The truth is, General Saygun pointed out, that Gulen and his followers are terrorists. Regarding his own personal experience, General Saygun recounted how he was personally targeted by Gulenist prosecutors and judges at the end of his career as a high ranking military officer. He was tried and sentenced to 18 years in jail. He was denied proper medical care and risk losing his life, while in custody. Clearly it took many, many years of patient infiltration of the armed forces and the judiciary to be able to mount this kind of fake legal actions, targeting so many innocent people. And this shows how successful Gulen had been. The order given to the followers is to get into “the arteries of the system” and work on it from within.
Amsterdam noted that the Gulenists have very sophisticated infiltration plans here in the US. They begin with education, by acquiring or starting charter schools that will then receive public funding for their operations. Notwithstanding mounting evidence of fraudulent activities which include the secret obligation of the teachers to give back part of their salaries, these schools continue to operate in the US. The fact is, Amsterdam noted, that the Gulenist Movement hides its goals very well. In public it is all about peace and education. It is not acting as a political movement. Some scholars have called this approach “para-politics”, a long term effort to seize power without any active participation in the political process, by funding candidates and working in campaigns.
General Saygun added that support for Gulen in America started with the US effort to cultivate “moderate” Islam. Important people vouched for Gulen when he applied for residency in the US. Saygun expressed the hope that may be by now US authorities have realized that they made a huge mistake. Gulen is about subversion, not moderation.
On the broader issue of US-Turkey relations, General Saygun pointed out that the problem is not just about the disappointment in the lukewarm US Government reaction to the failed coup. There is a host of other issues in which the US Government failed to understand that its actions would be viewed as unfriendly or worse by Ankara. They include supporting the YPG, affiliates of the banned PKK in Syria, supporting Greek Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean when it comes to conflicting claims on off shore natural gas deposits, and failure to support the legitimate Libyan Government now fighting insurgents from the East of the country. All this is probably about the fact that Washington does not want to see a strong Turkey in the Region.
On the same topic of US-Turkey relations, Amsterdam expressed the hope that the Gulenist inroads into American public education will be stopped. He also expressed concern that Americans do not realize that Turkey is hosting millions of Syrian refugees, this way preventing a true humanitarian disaster in the war-torn country.
Regarding bilateral relations, Ambassador Kilic commented that the US-Turkey Alliance cannot be just an empty concept. There has to be content. There has to real cooperation and empathy. This is not what took place when the Turkish democracy was under siege in July 2016, and the US failed to speak up in support of the constitutionally elected government. Ambassador Kilic continued by listing the other points of friction, including US support for the YPG in Syria, and the failure to appreciate that Turkey bought Russian air defense systems because the US made it very difficult to purchase US made systems. In the final analysis, Ambassador Kilic concluded, Washington should realize that good relations with Ankara are in America’s best interest.
General Saygun pointed out that much damage has already occurred. Indeed, on account of deteriorated relations now 81% of Turkish citizen believe that the US is the biggest threat to Turkey and that Turkey may soon be attacked by America.