WikiLeaks: West fears of possible Islamization of Turkish armed forces

9 February 2011

Anti-Islamic forces in Turkey are concerned about their problem of "how insidiously and cunningly Erdogan's government has slipped Islamic fundamentalists into various ministries". We would like to mention in this context that the term "Islamic fundamentalist" here means a person who makes prayers, i.e., prays regularly.

The U.S. State Department secret cables published by WikiLeaks show, in particular, the concern of the British government in connection with the internal situation in Turkey.

The Brits' contacts also said the Turkish military feared they would be targeted next by the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government, a 2009 U.S. diplomatic cable published by the Daily Telegraph indicates.

"If this were to occur, the British government believes the military would face an internal power struggle with unknown consequences for NATO and the [European Union], but it would almost definitely lead to a hard-line position on Cyprus," wrote an American diplomat in Ankara.

According to the cable, British officials were tired of "hitting their heads against the brick wall" of Turkey's refusal to separate the Cypriot question from Turkey's NATO role.

"The U.K. government is very concerned that the Turkish military is not as confident as it used to be, the threat from the fundamentalists is sparking self-doubt within the military, and the fallout from the Ergenekon investigations have tainted the military's reputation".

The only lever of influence on Turkey, the British believe, is the United States, wrote an American diplomat, but "devoid of the traditional self-confidence and weakened the latest trends, the Turkish army may not be able to respond positively to American influence."

The cable said the U.K. government believed the U.S. government was the only power that possessed sufficient leverage with Turkey, but, "without its traditional confidence, and weakened by both of these related developments, the Turkish military's ability to respond positively to the U.S. government leverage is weakened"

It is to be mentioned in this context that Turkey has always been under a special control of the Western alliance, because the historical experience of the Ottoman Islamic Caliphate that existed for 600 years, is capable, according to the experts, to awaken Muslims to revive any time their lost Islamic state.

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/02/09/13507.shtml.