Erdogan angles to tag Gulenists as a national security threat

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a lecture at Marmara University on Oct. 13, surprised the audience when he said, “When we convene the National Security Council [MGK] at the end of the month, my agenda will be to ensure that the National Security Policy Document addresses whatever threat there is against our country.” Erdogan’s remarks were interpreted to mean that the US-based Gulenist movement, which is accused of penetrating the state mechanism to set up a “parallel structure,” might be added to the list of “national security threats against Turkey.”

This is the first time Erdogan revealed that he would be taking his struggle with the Gulenists to a new level. Erdogan, as the commander-in-chief and the chairman of the MGK, appears determined to include the Gulenist movement as an “internal threat” in the National Security Policy Document, popularly known as “the Red Book” in Turkey.

The Red Book is prepared by the MGK, which is attended by the president, the prime minister, the defense, foreign and interior ministers, the chief of general staff and force commanders. It is a secret document known as the secret constitution of the state. Its contents are never published, but experts can guess what was discussed from ensuing council of ministers decisions and decrees. The Red Book was last changed in 2010 when religious reactionary trends once listed among internal threats were removed.

AKP deputy and columnist Mehmet Metiner wrote in the pro-government daily Star that Erdogan’s remarks were very important. According to Metiner, the “parallel structure,” while pursuing coup plots against the state, wants to confine Erdogan to the presidential mansion and distance him from politics. This is why declaring the parallel structure as a threat to national security will empower the government in its work against such plots. Such an official move would formally label the Gulenist movement as a national security threat, while until now it was treated as a criminal organization. Relevant offices will then have legitimacy in whatever steps they may take against Gulenists.