Background of Academic Collapse: What happened in Turkey?

Abstract

Turkey was considered as a country which combined the democracy and secularism, at least in words, with its Muslim population. Justice and Development political party that came into power in 2002 drew a democratic image. At that time, Turkey had made remarkable process towards integration with European Union and widened the freedom in all area. But, in the course of time, R.T. Erdogan, the current President Turkey, has deeply dominated the whole party and became the only power. Erdogan’s and his close companions’ great triumph in referendum in 2010 and in general election in 2011 caused them to think that they had sufficient power to apply in the country whatever they want or how they want and they became rapidly autocratic. They declared their civil allies which supported them to fight against the military coup threat to establish the values of European Union, to amend the new regulations to be integrated with European Union’s norms and to broaden the freedom of humanity, freedom of speech, freedom of Journalism etc. as terrorists. Ironically, they became allies with the undercover powers that they fought against for years.

After the Gezi Park social protests in the spring of 2013 and 17-23 December corruption operations, later it is followed by serial investigations, the Gülen Movement, Liberals and some other democrats were called state enemies (traitor). Erdogan and his family were at the center of corruption and the evidences are based on a lot of undeniable and confidential hard materials. Those investigations were disposed and resulted in damage of Police Forces and Law-Justice Enforcement. As an excuse for their increasing autocracy, Gulen Movement was announced as a new traitor. The Witch Hunt was accelerated especially against the sympathizers of Gulen Movement after the very suspiciously organized Military Coup in July 15 of 2016 and continued with mass arrestments and dismissing from governmental institutions and confiscations of properties. The Authoritarian Regime that Erdogan has gained so far became completely official with the controversial referendum in 2017. Turkey is now in a dystopic position where everything is ruled and controlled by only one person. His statements and his actions are accepted as a rule and an order for all institutions, including Law-Enforcement.

From Military Autocratic Secularism to Social Supported Fascism

Turkey sounds when it is looked from outside, having the majority of its population Muslim but it have a secular constitution. In addition to that, it also seems that it has adopted the contemporary values such as, independency of law and superiority of democracy. The Justice and Development party that came to power in 2002 describes itself as conservative democrats.^[1] Until 2011, it endeavored to establish European Union’s values and to provide more freedom for institutions in the country. At the beginning, the party had a very democratic style of speech but later, it turned out to be a leader party that everything belongs to only one person. Erdogan dominated everything in the party. The party that had variety of efficient politicians and intellectuals was taken under control by Erdogan and he remained the only political figure on stage. Many figures, as effective as Erdogan in the party (AKP), have resigned from their positions in party’s governance and disappeared forever. After 2011, The Justice and Development party has adopted rhetorically more Islamic, nationalistic and xenophobic understanding of political party management.^[2] Erdogan, who was the prime minister between 2003 and 2014 and currently as a President, ruled the country alone, has reversed the acquired freedom and democratic values.^[3],[4]

Turning Point: 2011 General Elections

A few important core factors can be accounted why he became so evasive about democracy. Erdogan and his team, who took into consideration that they strengthened their dominance in ruling the country by gaining 49%,5 of votes in 2011 general elections, has declared that they would separate themselves from those allies who supported them along the way of integrating with EU’s democratic values (Liberals, Gulen Movement, Liberal Democrats and some Kurdish Initiative Civil Groups). Erdogan has gradually terminated his relationships with those groups and his new allies became Undercover State Militants, Mafias, Racists and that sort of Groups.^[5]

In that period, Erdogan and his partners have put those who prioritized democracy into state enemy category or traitor. In the spring of 2013, the social protests that began in Gezi Park were heavily used to consolidate his bases. Finally, the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the country erupted in December 2013 with involvement of four ministries from his party with their children and Erdogan himself. Erdogan has called the investigation that targeted four ministries as a movement to topple the ruling government. He has kept Gulen Movement and its Lieder as responsible. After that occasion, he has understood that he could not run the country no more on democratic system because the evidences of corruption scandal were undeniably confidential and strong. He has ended that investigation by taking all Law-Enforcement under his power. ^[6],[7] After that Turkey has deviated from its course. They already announced in the spring 2014 that they would start new Juristic reforms in order to open thousands of court cases to carry on the Witch Hunt against Gulen Movement. They started that with mass interrogations of Journalists and the police forces by amending new laws. What is happening now in Turkey is the continued of what happened.^{[8],[9],[10],[11]}

For Erdogan: “The God Blessing” Military Coup

In 15^th of July, Turkey has experienced a very strange Military Coup. But it is better not to call it as a military coup, rather false flag operation. The unusual military coup thesis was used to accelerate to create a stronger dictatorship in the country. The Extraordinary State situation that lasted for two years has dismissed the constitution and paralyzed other currently working institution in the country. During this period, Erdogan has used additional authority that the government had provided him and the authority that the constitution had not provided him, effectively to create a stronger dictatorship. It is apparent that Erdogan has managed to get what he wanted with that false flag operation. A military coup could only be done for such kind of reason without allowing any independent commissions to investigate.^{[12],[13],[14],[15]}

Erdogan’s coup has targeted all institutions in the country; First of all, highly respected and deeply influential establishments have been either confiscated or demolished, including Military, Courts, Supreme Court, Police Forces and Universities. Thousands of educational institutions and organizations have been either demolished or confiscated with new amendments during the State of Emergency Period. Thousands of firms at value in total more than 20 billion Dollars have been confiscated. During five years up until the beginning of 2019 approximately half millions of people have been arrested and kept into custody for months and some of them for years without any further investigations. Some of them have died during the custody due to the either unbearable prison conditions or lack of medicals. Turkey has now become the country which keeps the most number of Journalists and academics in the world. While they were torturing thousands of innocent people in prisons on one hand, and giving messages to the world that they are decisive to protect the democracy on the other hand. The worst of worst is that even outside the country, they did not allow international journalists to ask them questions freely and called those people who asked them questions either a terrorist or blamed them having the same speech with terrorists, at least those asking people are called Gulenist.^{[16],[17],[18],[19],[20]}

Academia as a Primary Target

The new regime’s primary targets were Academia and Universities. Despite many restrictions in the Constitution of Turkey, about ten thousands academics were dismissed from their positions and most of them were arrested. The worst part of that was mass arrestment and dismissing was, either due to fear or worries, accepted and supported by the nation. What the academics have suffered is the part of what is happening in the country. The most astonishing point is that the rest of academia was silent, did not react and therefore failed in that process.^{[21],[22],[23]} Different academics have appeared almost in all universities who denounced their own colleges for either personal vengeance or to be appointed to higher positions. The influenced people from the mass propaganda on one side and the ones who try to benefit from the situation are in remarkable number.^[24] Was pathetic during that period is that some of the oppositions and social associations and foundation unions which always defend democracy and justice either supported or provoked the lawlessness and anti-democratic actions.

1. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/03/turkey-democracy-local-elections-akp-erdogan ↑
2. https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/06/03/how-democratic-is-turkey/ ↑
3. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17994865 ↑
4. https://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/15/europe/turkey-erdogan-referendum-politics/index.html ↑
5. https://www.swp-berlin.org/fileadmin/contents/products/comments/2014C44_srt.pdf ↑
6. http://world.time.com/2014/01/02/how-erdogans-troubles-are-good-for-turkish-democracy/ ↑
7. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/22/opinion/turkey-election-erdogan-ince.html ↑
8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ekrem-dumanli-turkeys-witch-hunt-against-the-media/2015/01/01/7544429a-8fad-11e4-ba53-a477d66580ed_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.65140263cf6a ↑
9. https://stockholmcf.org/turkeys-erdogan-calls-for-expanded-witch-hunt-against-gulen-followers/ ↑
10. https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/19/turkeys-witch-hunt-of-erdogan-rivals-only-just-starting.html ↑
11. https://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Power-Erdogans-Witch-Abuse/dp/1935295772 ↑
12. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/democracy-post/wp/2017/07/14/one-year-later-the-turkish-coup-attempt-remains-shrouded-in-mystery/?utm_term=.0811e04a9417 ↑
13. https://www.aldrimer.no/nato-insiders-suspect-staged-turkey-coup/ ↑
14. https://www.quora.com/Was-the-coup-in-Turkey-a-false-flag-operation-by-the-government-to-consolidate-power-over-military-and-courts ↑
15. http://www.aei.org/publication/turkish-officers-speak-erdogan-may-have-staged-coup/ ↑
16. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/turkey ↑
17. https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2019/turkey ↑
18. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/world/europe/turkey-emigration-erdogan.html ↑
19. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-42586115/turkish-president-erdogan-berates-french-journalist ↑
20. https://www.dw.com/en/erdogan-in-paris-journalists-are-gardeners-of-terrorism/a-42037145 ↑
21. https://arsiv.toplumsal.com.tr/gundem/dort-akademisyeni-olduren-volkan-bayar-o-akp-linin-muhbiri-cikti-h19942.html ↑
22. http://www.tr724.com/katilin-isbirlikcilerine-sucustu/ ↑
23. http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/feto-davasi-tanigi-profesor-rektor-secimlerde-40490130 ↑
24. https://www.sondakika.com/haber/haber-chp-li-altiok-tan-aciga-alinan-rektor-hoscoskun-la-9323116/ ↑