Deporting Gülen would undercut NATO


Date posted: February 23, 2017

Michael Rubin

Ted Malloch, President Trump’s presumptive pick to be ambassador to the European Union, has reportedly said that he expects the Trump administration to extradite US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen. Here, for example, is a report from Sabah, a paper which Erdogan confiscated, transferred to his son-in-law, and transformed into the Turkish equivalent of the old Soviet Pravda:

US President Donald Trump’s potential pick for EU ambassadorship Ted Malloch said that he believes the new US administration will likely extradite Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) leader Fetullah Gülen, saying the new administration will have better relations with Turkey. Speaking in a live, televised interview on Turkish broadcaster NTV on Monday, Malloch said that he believes, “[Trump] will get along really well with President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan.” Malloch went on to say that “Turkey is a member of NATO and our strategic partner,” while emphasizing the importance of Gülen’s extradition and acknowledging that he was behind the July 15 failed coup attempt. He continued by saying that President Trump and his Turkish counterpart have held very constructive meetings over the phone and may meet in person in the coming months.

It is possible that Malloch is just speculating, projecting his own opinion onto Trump, and/or seeking to ingratiate himself with the Turkish press.  If he speaks the truth, however, Trump is on the verge of a huge mistake.

Erdogan’s obsession with and hatred of Gülen has many reasons. The basic fact remains, however: While there is much to criticize with regard to the Gülen movement’s past actions, the Turks have yet to offer any proof that Gülen himself was involved in the coup. Some soldiers involved were his followers, but others were not, and some may even have been Erdogan supporters. Many of the deaths on the evening of the coup appear to have been caused by snipers or members of SADAT, an Islamist militia run by the man subsequently appointed Erdogan’s military counselor.

Sacrificing Gülen, however, will not bring Turkey in from the cold. The purge in which Erdogan has engaged has been immense. While the pretext might have been rooting out Gülen’s followers, the reality is that Erdogan has used the purge to target secularists, liberals, and those officers whose training and experience in NATO he believes make them prone to oppose his vision and goals for Turkey.

Here’s the problem: To appease Erdogan by extraditing Gülen might seem like an easy solution to bilateral strains but, in reality, Erdogan would use his return to affirm to the public the wisdom of his purge and justify the arrests after the fact. In effect, Trump would be handing a death sentence not only to Gülen but also to hundreds of officers whose only crime was service in NATO.

Source: American Enterprise Institute , February 23, 2017


Related News

Mother of four under detention for months on coup charges

A tweet posted by Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, an academic and a columnist for the t24 news website, revealed that a Turkish woman with four children has been kept in pre-trial detention for nine months on alleged links to Turkey’s Gülen group.

Gulen Institute Youth Platfrom announces essay contest: ‘Hospitality in the Global Village’

The Gulen Institute Youth Platform has announced its “Annual Essay Contest” topic for 2013: Hospitality in the Global Village. The Gulen Institute Youth Platform encourages all high school students from the U.S. and from around the world to participate the contest. The youth platform hopes that this essay will help young minds define problems related […]

Angela Merkel, Meeting With Erdogan in Turkey, Emphasizes Free Speech

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany emphasized the importance of freedom of opinion in talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on Thursday, during a visit meant to help improve frayed ties between the two NATO allies.

Turkish teacher kidnapped in Mongolia freed after authorities ground flight

A Turkish teacher, who was allegedly kidnapped in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar and taken to the city’s airport, has been released after authorities temporarily grounded an airplane, according to local media and a social media posting by the man.

Alliance for Shared Values Statement on Detention of Turkish Nationals in Kosovo and Their Imminent Transfer to Turkey

The Alliance for Shared Values denounces the detention of six Turkish nationals in Kosovo on Thursday morning as a result of demands from the Turkish government. This is the latest incident in which the Recep Tayyip Erdogan regime has targeted innocent individuals solely based on affiliation with the Hizmet movement.

Ramadan Fast Highlights Shared Religious Practices

As part of the month-long celebration of Ramadan, the Turkish Cultural Center (TCC) of Queens hosted its annual interfaith Ramadan Iftar Dinner July 24 at the Woodhaven Manor. Throughout history, many of the disputes have been based on religious ideologies. By bringing all the faiths together at the Iftar dinner, members of different religions could understand that similarities, like fasting, do exist.

Latest News

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

Fethullah Gulen’s Message of Condolences for Senator John McCain

Romanian Judge Blocks Extradition of Second Arrested ‘Gulenist’

Body of Turkish woman fleeing to Greece found weeks after boat capsized

Thousands in anti-corruption protests; Erdoğan defiant

Is this corruption scandal backed by the US?

Hizmet is not a terror group, they embraces the entire human family

German spy agency chief says does not believe Gulen behind Turkey coup attempt

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News