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The Washington Post’s Shameful Stance on F-16 Sales to Turkey [1]
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Date: 2023-07-08
Unraveling the Influence of the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex and Turkey’s American Mercenary Warriors
The Washington Post's endorsement of the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey , despite acknowledging Erdoğan's authoritarian rule, egregious human rights violations, and close ties with Russia, is deeply troubling.
The Turks will not use these air fighters to defend themselves as American laws mandate or counter Russia, but to harass Greece, a staunch U.S. ally, sustain their occupation of Northern Cyprus, an EU member state, and continue their aggressive policies in the Eastern Mediterranean and South Caucasus against the Kurds and the Armenians.
They will kill Kurds, Armenians, and Greeks as they did in the past and drop bombs on innocent Yazidi children and women.
However, the Washington Post editorial board members failed to address or acknowledge these significant concerns in their discussion.
There was also no mention that Turkey purchased Russian S-400 air missiles and plans to buy more. Deploying these missiles would put American and NATO pilots at risk.
The Washington Post has a history of omitting information or redirecting attention away from unfavorable events in Turkey to avoid painting a negative picture of the country.
In May 2022, The Washington Post featured an article discussing Turkish women wearing headscarves.
However, given the Turkish regime’s flagrant disregard for women’s rights and the alarming epidemic of violence against Turkish women, it seems futile to prioritize publishing an article solely focused on headscarves.
Dying to Divorce (2021) , a British documentary directed by Chloe Fairweather, portrays women’s brutal treatment in Turkey. President Erdoğan tells his audiences, “You cannot put women and men on an equal footing,” and “that’s against nature.”
The Washington Post published yet another absurd article on April 7, 2023, which drew a parallel between Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the main opposition leader of Turkey, and Gandhi .
Kılıçdaroğlu falls far short of being compared to Gandhi. His audacious challenge to Erdoğan, urging the seizure of Greek islands and shameless declaration to emulate Ecevit’s actions in Cyprus within the Aegean region, highlight how far Kılıçdaroğlu falls from the ideals and principles embodied by Gandhi.
While alluded to human rights violations, they failed to address them adequately. They briefly mentioned in the article Erdoğan's alarming human rights record, including his suppression of the media, persecution of political opponents, and manipulation of state institutions.
However, the editorial board of The Washington Post did not provide concrete steps to address these violations. The suggested response of merely “speaking out” for Western values without taking meaningful action is insufficient. Acknowledging the need for concrete measures and plans to confront the trouble Erdoğan’s authorities cause is essential.
Nevertheless, there were additional problems with their stance.
Extolling democratic values while endorsing arming oppressive regimes is hypocritical. The Washington Post's commitment to its slogan, “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” is also questioned when its editors fail to disclose all the facts regarding Turkey to the American public.
Supplying the Turks with F-16s to appease them is a misguided idea. Among others, Hitler and Putin taught us that appeasement eventually fails. “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last,” said Winston Churchill. “It is precisely because the Turks have never been held accountable for their criminal actions and aggression that they continue to threaten the security and sovereignty of their neighbors. It is high time for the West to wake up and take Ankara to task,” said Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist unafraid to say the truth.
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