The
ruthless Machiavellian opportunists like Erdogan and the European
establishment politicians do not hesitate to spread the hate across
the people just to serve their micro-political ambitions
It was too
obvious. From the start of the recent crisis between Netherlands and
Turkey, many analysts pointed that it was related with yesterday's
Dutch elections and the Turkish constitutional referendum of April,
16. Indeed, the conflict proved very convenient for the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
who both gained ground to fulfil their targets concerning these
political events.
Indeed,
Rutte managed to slowdown the rise of his Far-Right main opponent,
Geert Wilders, by showing that he can be as tough as him against
Muslims or other minorities. Erdogan, on the other side, hopes to
unite the Turks abroad behind him as the polls so far show that his
victory in the oncoming referendum is far from certain. It appears
that his extreme rhetoric is quite effective so far if we see the
reactions of Turks inside Turkey and abroad.
Yet, if you
still want a proof that this was just a hardcore political show, just
take a look at the recent statement of Turkey's minister for EU
affairs. From arabnews
:
Dutch
investment in Turkey is not at risk from the diplomatic row between
the two countries as Ankara’s ire is focused on the Dutch
government, not its people or businesses, Turkey’s minister for EU
affairs told Reuters.
Turkey
suspended high-level diplomatic relations with the Netherlands on
Monday, banning the Dutch ambassador from the country and preventing
diplomatic flights from landing in retaliation for the Dutch barring
Ankara’s ministers from speaking to rallies of overseas Turks.
Despite
the furor, Minister Omer Celik said Ankara was making a call to
businesses worldwide that Turkey was a safe country for investment.
“Dutch businessmen who invest, have businesses and create
employment in Turkey are included in this (call). They are definitely
not part of the crisis,” Celik said in an interview late on
Tuesday. Asked if Dutch companies active in Turkey would be affected
by the row, Celik said: “The private sector, business world,
tourists and the people of the Netherlands are not a part of the
crisis.”
Got it? It
is remarkable how the 'holy' investors, one of the sacred cows of
neoliberalism and free market are left out of such a hard conflict,
especially from the Turkish side. So, the authoritarian Turkish
president can insult the Europeans with names like 'fascists' or even
'nazis'. He can blame the Dutch for a massacre in Srebrenica, yet the
investors remain untouchable and out of any potential sanctions from
the beginning! Money is above all and both Rutte and Erdogan need
money for their parties from their 'honorable' private donors after
all.
The hand of
extreme nationalism cannot touch the sacred cows of neoliberalism.
Also recall
that, according
to Die Welt, “German Chancellor Merkel and
Dutch PM Rutte agreed a refugee quota with Turkey in 2016 without
informing other EU leaders. They reportedly pledged to accept up to
250,000 Syrian refugees per year.”
So, you
should not be surprised by this hardcore political show staged by
Erdogan in cooperation with politicians of the European
establishment. It's a win-win situation for them. It seems that they
have a good 'underground' communication.
In reality,
the current political status in Europe is quite convenient for
Erdogan because it is certain that with the Far-Right in power he
will have a big problem. So, this latest show may help both Rutte and
Erdogan to extend their presence in power. However, it was a very
dangerous and even irresponsible gambling which may bring serious
problems in the long-term.
Fanaticism
grows fast in Europe and the Muslim world. Such dangerous political
games can boost fanaticism further, leading to very dangerous
situations. The ruthless Machiavellian opportunists like Erdogan and
the European establishment politicians do not hesitate to spread the
hate across the people just to serve their micro-political ambitions.
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