World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (November 3, 2011)

The Washington Post published an article headlined “The Mideast’s new game.” It says that diplomatic versions of the three-cushion shot in billiards are perilous, but let’s suppose you could accomplish the following: Lift the stature of Egypt’s fragile transitional government, support Israel’s desire for Arab recognition, reanimate the Palestinian peace process and deal a blow to Iran. The formula for Hamas to shed its pariah status has been spelled out clearly by the United States. Hamas must explicitly renounce violence, accept Israel’s existence and agree to abide by past commitments of the Palestinian Authority. To that, I would add an obvious corollary: Given that Egypt would broker any such transition, Hamas must accept the reality of Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel. A second sign of movement is the mediation game that’s already being played by Egypt’s ruling military council. The Egyptians brokered the exchange in which Hamas last month traded Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

“Iran’s waning influence on Iraq” is another article published by the same information agency. It says that as the United States prepares to withdraw its forces from Iraq by year’s end, a chorus of influential voices is insisting that the beneficiary of such a move is Iran. That is, a beleaguered Shiite theocracy overwhelmed by low-simmering opposition at home and growing isolation abroad is said to emerge as the local hegemon. Such views discount how Iran’s contentious vision for the future of Iraq and its divisive tactics have alienated Iraqis across the sectarian spectrum. Iran may have been able to project its influence in an Iraq beset by civil war, but Tehran increasingly is on the margins as Iraq reconstitutes its national institutions. Whether the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq is wise is an issue worthy of debate. But the imperative at hand is to ensure Iraq’s continued stability and prevent Iranian mischief in light of America’s departure. The key to this lies as much in diplomacy as in military deployments.

The New York Times reported that more than 600 people were crushed to death in the earthquake in Turkey and more than 2,600 injured. It was only the latest of more than 220 strong earthquakes that have rocked Anatolia over the past century, killing some 100,000 and injuring half a million, according to government figures. Yet, in their lack of concern about building standards in the house they poured their savings into and entrusted their lives to, the Nalbantoglus were no exception in Turkey. Two out of three buildings in Turkey are illegally constructed without permits or supervision, according to the national chamber of mechanical engineers. Of the 18 million buildings in the country, 40 percent are not earthquake-safe, the chamber estimates in a comparatively conservative assessment — some experts guess that share to be as high as 70 or even 90 percent.

The Turkish Information Agency reported that Turkey’s prime minister has again slammed Europeans for ignoring the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party’s (PKK) activities in their territories, calling on German officials to cooperate more in the anti-terror fight and help Turkey join the European Union.“We are totally unable to understand the tolerance shown to the activities of the terror organization in some European countries, despite the fact that we have provided them with all the necessary and concrete intelligence and documents [about such activities],” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a special gathering with the participation of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Turkish workers in Germany.