As bloodshed plagues Turkey, politicians enjoy full security
A wave of terrorist attacks in Turkey has claimed hundreds of innocent lives, but never the armchairs of government and security officials.
Over the past year, 12 large bomb attacks, the last at Istanbul’s main airport June 28, have rattled Turkey, claiming close to 300 lives and leaving some 1,500 people wounded. The one-year timespan is not chosen casually here as the unprecedented wave of bloodshed started after the June 7, 2015, election in which the Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since coming to power in 2002. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan argued at the time that a coalition government would mean instability, and, through various machinations, blocked any such prospect, forcing new elections on Nov. 1. The tactic worked. The AKP restored its majority and returned to power alone. Yet, far from receding, the spiral of violence has only intensified since then.
The bloodiest attacks have been blamed on or claimed by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Islamic State (IS). Meanwhile, another “terrorist organization” has been omnipresent in government rhetoric — the followers of US-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen. Ankara’s history with these three groups is crucial for understanding Turkey’s current security turmoil.
Here is a brief overview:
Up until spring last year, the government was engaged in a “settlement process” with the PKK. The initiative attracted much criticism — not only because Ankara was negotiating with a group it designated as a terrorist organization, but also because of the shroud of secrecy that cloaked the issues under discussion. The main opposition, for instance, argued the Kurdish conflict should be resolved on a parliamentary platform to ensure a broad-based consensus on the country’s gravest problem. The AKP dismissed the objections, portraying critics as political vampires who opposed peace and sought to feed off the conflict.
