Press review on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (January 11, 2012)

The Los Angeles Times reported that US Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner faces a stiff challenge this week as he tries to convince China, Japan and South Korea to reduce their dependency on Iranian oil and natural gas. The Obama administration is pressing those countries to help squeeze Iran financially, hoping to compel the Middle Eastern nation to abandon what Washington and allies say is a plan to develop nuclear weapons. China has so far rebuffed the overtures, arguing there should be no link between trade with Iran and its nuclear program. Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. "There are some thorny issues between the U.S. and Japan, but since we're so dependent on the U.S. forces for our national defense, I don't think we have any other choice but to follow the lead of Washington," one Japanese official told reporters.

The same agency reported that Syrian President Bashar Assad's condemnation of fellow Arab leaders exposes the power struggle running through a region where he, and his father before him, helped lead the cause of Arab nationalism. In his first address to his country since June, a defiant Assad vowed to crush a 10-month-old popular revolt against him. But he also raged at what he regards as the Arab League's betrayal of Damascus, singling out the Persian Gulf nations that have risen in stature as traditional powers Syria and Egypt have faded.

The Washington Post reported that The Obama administration sees economic sanctions against Iran as building public discontent that will help compel the government to abandon an alleged nuclear weapons program, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official. In addition to influencing Iranian leaders directly, the official said, “another option here is that [sanctions] will create hate and discontent at the street level so that the Iranian leaders realize that they need to change their ways.” The intelligence official’s remarks pointed to what has long been an unstated reality of sanctions: Although designed to pressure a government to change its policies, they often impose broad hardships on a population. The official spoke this week on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration assessments.

The Turkish information agency Hurriyet reported that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday defended the chief of General Staff against deriding comments by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in a rare show of solidarity between the Army and government. “Targeting the chief of General Staff and insulting him with the aim of swearing at this nation is arrogance. In this country, being a non-commissioned officer is a source of honor and dignity. Go to your armed masters and they will tell you all about the heroic non-commissioned officers,” Erdoğan said at the parliamentary group meeting of his Justice and Development Party. His remarks were directed at BDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who last week scoffed at Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel as a “non-commissioned officer” after the general said he was against Kurdish-language education.