Today, The Guardian published an article concerning recent football events in Chechnya, when Ramzan Kadyrov, the 34-year-old strongman who is head of Chechnya, led his team on to the pitch for a bizarre match against an all-star team from Brazil. All attention was on Kadyrov, who effected the role of a goal-hanging centre-forward. Both teammates and opponents seemed keen to give him the ball, but his early efforts bore little fruit. According to the article, the former separatist rebel, who switched sides and became the Kremlin's stooge in the region, has transformed war-torn Grozny into a smart, modern capital, but he is accused of crushing all political dissent and targeting civilians in his fight to quell an Islamist insurgency. Last year, he praised people who fired paintballs at women not wearing Islamic headscarves and called human rights campaigners "enemies of the people". He now wants Grozny added to Russia's list of 13 host cities for the 2018 World Cup. The author concludes that at the final whistle the score was 6-4 to the Brazilians who, despite valiant efforts, could not hide their superiority.
Also, the paper keeps publishing daily hour-by-hour updates on Libyan events. One of The Guardian’s experts authored an article headlined ‘Soft power is the best way for the West to intervene in Libya’.He suggests that diplomacy with opposition leaders may not be the quickest or most dramatic option, but it is more likely to get lasting results. Western countries are urgently considering a number of options for intervention in Libya, ranging from military operations to diplomatic initiatives and stepped-up humanitarian assistance. The overall aim, according to the US, Britain and France, is to prevent further violence against civilians by the Libyan regime, facilitate a peaceful transition to democratic rule and bring to an end the 41-year reign of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The author points out that the best options the West has regarding this conflict are co-ordinated international diplomatic efforts to talk to opposition leaders, build personal and political ties with the Benghazi council, advise on organisation and outreach as rebel-held territory expands and help create a roadmap towards a post-Gaddafi, democratic future. Soft power options also involve stepping up immediate humanitarian relief operations and evolving plans for long-term development assistance.
The New York times reported that a powerful Iranian clerical body appointed a candidate backed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as its new chairman on Tuesday to replace former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, state media reported, strengthening the hand of hard-liners seeking to silence dissent. According to the author, while the manoeuvre is unlikely to have a far-reaching practical effect, it will nonetheless bolster those around Mr. Ahmadinejad who have moved persistently and forcefully to quash opposition that surfaced in huge demonstrations after a disputed presidential election in 2009.
Yesterday, Hurriyet agency published an analytical article entitled ‘Ergenekon reloaded – or a leap of McCarthyism’. The author sees the recent arrest of two journalists as a part of Turkey's controversial Ergenekon probe as a leap of McCarthyism. The Ergenekon probe began some five years ago, when many grenades (i.e., facts) were found in an Istanbul home. As the police dug it up, the links led them to some retired officers who were ready to "save the country" from the incumbent Justice and Development Party, or AKP, by all means necessary, including false flag attacks on secular targets. As the probe continued, facts multiplied, as guns, bombs and rocket launchers were unearthed from secret locations. The author suggests that this is how the prosecutor's logic works: Ergenekon is a terrorist organization. Oda TV, which makes propaganda on behalf of Ergenekon, is also a terrorist organization. And those journalists who seem to cooperate with Oda TV are also terror suspects. Faced with the media reaction, the prosecutor also released a statement saying that there is some other "serious evidence" to arrest Şener and Şik – but evidence that "cannot be disclosed at this time" – and that is, in the author’s opinion, unacceptable. The author would rather believe that the prosecutors, the police, and all other authorities involved are quite honest and sincere in their over-suspicious way of seeing Ergenekon everywhere. But, alas, so was Senator Joseph McCarthy, in the way he saw Communist subversion everywhere.
Also, the European Parliament’s report on Turkey will be voted on this week. It will highlight broader concerns about Turkey’s lack of media freedom. The European Parliament's main concern and focus are the people in Turkey, their rights, freedoms and opportunities. The historic opportunity to serve justice and reconciliation and to restore trust, both domestically and with the international community, will be lost if the government of Turkey does not act.
