Thursday, 19 May 2005The New Anatolian / Ankara
"Further steps must be taken for more accountability and transparency of the TSK,' says report
A new Europe Union-ordered report jointly prepared by Turkish and European civil organizations puts relations between the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the nation's civilian leadership under the microscope. Examining the past of the TSK, the as yet-unreleased report notes how a 1961 Internal Service Act gave the TSK the greenlight to defend the Turkish order "if necessary by force," thus justifying its periodic forays into politics and overruling of the civilian leaders. In the report, the hierarchical position of the chief of Staff is discussed, and a proposal is made for chiefs heretofore to come under the defense minister instead of the prime minister.
The report was drawn up in the context of Turkey's EU accession, and the organizations were tasked by the Netherlands, the current EU term president, to prepare it.
The report, entitled "Turkish Civil-Military Relations and the EU: The 'Further Alignment' Challenge," was prepared by three civil groups: The Netherlands-based Centre for European Security Studies (CESS), the Ankara-based Center for Eurasian Strategical Studies (ASAM), and the Istanbul-based Istanbul Policy Center (IPC). But while the final studies were being carried out, the ASAM members resigned from the undertaking. The head of ASAM, former Ambassador Gunduz Aktan, accused the European members of being prejudiced towards Turkey. After conflicts among the three groups, it's unknown if the report will be completed and released to the public.
'State within a state'
The report cites European Union views on Turkey's military-civilian relationship. "Europeans believe that it's customary in Turkey to defer the military on all matters directly or indirectly related to security," it says. "Moreover, the military have an influential voice in public affairs in general. The armed forces exist as a state within a state for all practical purposes. Defense is certainly not subject to intrusive legislative scrutiny, much less by wider societal oversight. It's not even subject to close executive direction at a ministerial level because the high command answers directly to the head of government."
TSK's role in Turkey
In the report, as the military's role in the past was discussed, its intervention into politics was scrutinized in detail:
FOUNDERS: "The founding fathers of the modern Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal and Ismet Inonu, were both former generals. They made the military an important partner in establishing and safeguarding unity and secular state with a reformist agenda and a European vocation. They embraced democracy adopting a parliamentary system of government, with the assurance that the TSK would defend the Constitution if the unity or secular character of the Republic were ever endangered."
COUPS: "Through the 1950s, the ruling Democratic Party (DP] became increasingly authoritarian and oppressed the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). It also gave short shrift to secularism. This conduct provoked the coup of May 27, 1960. In the name of guardianship, a group of officers took power into their own hands.
"The aftermath resulted in a new Constitution. This institutionalized the military's role of guardian by creating the National Security Council (MGK).
"Civilian government was quickly restored afterwards. However, Turkish politics thereafter took an anarchic turn with the risk of civil war, prompting a second instance of direct military intervention in 1971, and third in 1980. In both, the military argued that they were fulfilling their legal obligation, and their action had popular support."
In the report, the period which led the government of Necmettin Erbakan to resign in 1997 -- the "postmodern" coup -- was highlighted:
"The military's choice here was not to threaten Erbakan outright but first to successfully mobilize public opinion against his government and then to make it difficult for him to continue in office."
Modus vivendi
The report characterizes the relationship between the ruling Justice and Democracy (AK) Party government and the chief of General Staff as a "modus vivendi":
"No less important is the modus vivendi that appears to have been established between the TSK's high command and the incumbent AK Party, despite the latter's perceived religious orientation (because, though committed to secular politics, it is run by people who are practicing Muslims). .... The chief of General Staff believes that the TSK should stay out of day-to-day politics, always on the understanding that the democratically elected politicians have the last word. For his part, the prime minister has himself shown acute awareness of military sensitivities, and his government has, for the most part, avoided adopting measures that would arouse military opposition. Mr. Erdogan believes in the necessity of separating religion from politics and he and his colleagues have accordingly kept their distance from political Islam with the AK Party defining itself as a conservative democratic party. On this key subject Gen. Ozkok's sentiments mirror those of his political boss. The chief of General Staff acknowledges that religious people can also pursue secular politics."
Parliament's 'rubber stamp'
In the report, future steps to be taken towards a civil-military reform program are also discussed:
"The annual budget for the TSK can be reviewed and changed by Parliament's Budget and Planning committee. But over the years, the typical parliamentarian has been prepared to let the government and the General Staff exercise the initiative in military matters. In short, legislators have been content to play a 'rubber stamp' role."
The report suggests that Turkey announce a timetable:
"We suggest that Turkey might usefully issue a declaration of intent to develop a coherent continuing convergence program that would incorporate measures to optimize the higher organization of defense, plus measures to promote more effective legislature to oversee military affairs."
Source: TDN, 19 May 2005 |
Thursday, 19 May 2005
TDN
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