02.02.2024, Ankara.
Pro-US parties in Turkey hold positions of power despite a lack of popular support, Turkish columnist and political analyst Mehmet Ali Güller wrote on January 29 in his article for Cumhuriyet.
In his article, the columnist questioned why pro-US and pro-NATO parties still gain seats in power even though the vast majority of people oppose the US. and NATO. In his opinion, one of the key reasons is the gap between the propaganda of these parties and their practical actions. The policy direction of such parties is positioned by propaganda as “national”, but in practice they adhere to the principle of Atlanticism.
Güller noted that the Turkish government pays lip service to national independence and supports Palestine in the conflict between Palestine and Israel. “Why doesn’t the Turkish government, which postulates such a viewpoint, take part in trials and take concrete steps against Israel, which is supported by the USA?” the expert asked.
Güller also quotes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political ally, Turkish nationalist head Devlet Bahçeli, as saying that the US presence in Turkey’s neighboring countries is immoral, illegal, and illegitimate.
The political analyst points out that Bahçeli, while objecting to the US base in Greece, does not object to the US base in Turkey, complains about the presence of US troops in Iraq and Syria and at the same time welcomes their presence in Turkey.
The expert also recalled that Ozgur Özel, a member of the Turkish parliament and a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party, said in late 2023 that Turkey’s path is “the path of those who threw the 6th Fleet into the sea [meaning the fleet of the US Navy stationed in the Mediterranean Sea – Rossa Primavera News Agency].” However, 40 days later, his party approved the NATO expansion program.
Thus, Güller notes that one of the main reasons for the success of pro-US and pro-NATO parties in Turkey is the gap between the promises they make to the population and the actual actions they carry out in practice.
The consequence of this, in his opinion, is the distrust of the Turkish population and protests against the USA and NATO.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
