Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm
The Turkish president’s chief advisor, İsrafil Kışla, has vowed that the conflict in Gaza will mark the end of United States dominance of the world order, to be replaced by a new world order, while also criticizing the president of Egypt for not opening the Rafah border.
Speaking at an event organized by jihadist charity the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve İnsani Yardım Vakfı, or IHH), which is aligned with the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kışla stated on February 17 that “these atrocities in Gaza will bring an end to America’s dominance on earth. We firmly believe in this, and indeed, the martyrdom in Gaza will pave the way for a just, new world order.”
Claiming that Western values have no merit, he added that justice, freedom, equality and human rights are merely empty rhetoric for the West. He asserted that the West cares only about pursuing imperialist and Zionist Israeli interests.
Lamenting the lack of support from any Muslim country for Turkey’s alignment with Hamas in the Israel-Gaza conflict, Erdogan’s advisor said Turkey’s reconciliation with Arab nations with which it had previously clashed was actually aimed at bringing those countries into Turkey’s sphere of influence. He was referring to Turkey’s decade-long conflict with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and others over the Erdogan government’s overt support for the Muslim Brotherhood network.
Erdogan’s advisor also directly criticized Egypt’s president for not approving Turkey’s request to organize a day of solidarity that would have involved bringing foreign ministers from Muslim countries to the Rafah border gate. He further noted that Egypt did not grant permission for the deployment of assets by the Erdogan government’s religious directorate, the Diyanet, at the border.
Kışla, who previously served as a lawmaker in parliament from Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), also holds the position of deputy chairman of the board at the İlim Yayma Cemiyeti (Society for the Dissemination of Knowledge) Islamist association, which serves as a revolving door for putting Islamists in government positions.
Kışla is not the only senior figure in Erdogan’s inner circle who has embraced a staunch anti-Western view. Erdogan has in fact assembled a team of advisors who reflect his worldview and act according to his wishes.
His former spokesperson and current intelligence chief, İbrahim Kalın, has long been a great admirer and sympathizer of Iran’s mullah regime. He has written articles in the past praising Iran’s Islamic revolution and its late leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He defined Khomeini as “the guide [rehber] of the uprising [kıyam],” “leader of the Islamic revolution,” “imam of revolutionary Muslims” and “an example for devout Muslims.”
His chief Middle East and North Africa advisor, Sefer Turan, has called for the destruction of Israel and denied Israel’s right to exist. Turan has previously written articles supporting the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which was listed by the United Nations Security Council as an al-Qaeda-affiliated group.
Turan was a suspect in a confidential investigation into the Quds Force network between 2011 and 2014. During this period, his phones were tapped under court order as investigators sought to uncover an Iranian intelligence network in Turkey. The investigation was aimed at uncovering any plots targeting Israeli, Jewish, or Western interests in Turkey.
In February 2014 Erdogan intervened and halted the Quds Force investigation before prosecutors could indict the suspects, including Turan, effectively sparing his aide from criminal prosecution and facilitating the escape of Iranian spies from Turkey.
The same investigation also provided clues on Erdogan’s real thinking about NATO. Evidence discovered in 2011 by Turkish investigators working the case revealed a scandalous conversation Erdogan had with his close associates.
“When I get a chance, I know what to do with NATO, Europe and Israel. I’m going to f*ck their mothers. NATO and the US are as terrorist as Israel,” Erdogan, then prime minister, told his loyalist lawmakers at a private meeting.
The outrageous remarks were delivered during a conversation about the proposed establishment of a new radar base in Malatya’s Kürecik district as part of NATO’s missile defense system, which works with missile interceptors in Romania and Poland.
Erdogan was clearly not happy with the NATO plans laid out at the 2010 Lisbon leaders summit but at the time felt he had to go along with them in the face of pressure from the military and other government agencies that considered Iran a threat to Turkey’s national security.
However, the massive purges that took place in the military and other government institutions in the aftermath of a false flag coup attempt in 2016 allowed Erdogan to eliminate resistance in the military by purging pro-NATO officers, including two-thirds of generals and admirals. Following this, he proceeded with the purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia, orchestrated the imprisonment of long-time employees of US consulates and dragged his feet in approving NATO bids for Sweden and Finland for a considerable period of time.
The anti-US policies pursued by the Erdogan government have become a hallmark of Turkey’s newly oriented foreign policy choices. Turkey has cultivated cordial ties with Venezuela, marked by frequent visits at the presidential level between the two sides. Ankara has also opted out of Western sanctions on Russia, facilitated sanction-busting practices with regard to Iran and empowered jihadist networks that extend into Europe.
