New Army Commander: Globalization Is A Threat
Gen. Ilker Basbug took over as chief of general staff from Gen. Yasar Büyükanit in a handover ceremony at the General Staff headquarters in Ankara. In his speech he warned about the threats Turkey faces due to its strategic geographical location. (click for article)
Basbug also stated that the military has the right to have its say when it is a question of defending secularism and nationalism. “The TSK has always defended and will continue to defend the nation-state, the unitary state and the laic state…. [T]he reactionary threat is reaching alarming proportions…. Intentional, constant and systematic attempts are being made to erode the achievements of the Kemalist revolution.” Professor Beril Dedeoglu: “With the speech the army has clarified that they really do not want to be a member of the European Union.“ (click here)
Gen. Isil Kosaner, who took over as new commander of Turkish Land Forces, gave a speech that warned against the corrosive effect of globalization on the nation state. These threats come from improved communication and transport, ethnic diversity, transnational civil society, and economic control. Separatist movements are a particular threat. The exploitation of ethnic and cultural sensibilities, Kosaner said, can be “concealed with efficiency under a veil of modern values like democracy and human rights.” (click for article)
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