Ibrahim Karagul, editor-in-chief of the Yeni Safak daily, the mouthpiece of Turkey's leading AKP party, wrote in a November 27, 2018 op-ed that Turkey is facing now its greatest struggle after WWI. According to Karagul, "the real topic of discussion through the murder of Jamal Khashoggi is the new power formation [U.S.-Israel-Saudi Arabia-UAE], which directly targets Turkey."[1]
Karagul stated that the new power formation's plan is to encircle Turkey by fomenting local wars all around the Anatolian country. "The pressure building up from Crimea to Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria and the north and west of the Black Sea region will increase by the day," he wrote.
He also added that the U.S.-Israel plan is to close in on Turkey's south through the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Islamic State (ISIS): "The corridor in northern Syria is aimed at besieging our country and is the declaration of a hidden war."
Accusing Saudi Arabia and the UAE not only of planning to encircle Turkey from the outside but also of having financed the July 15, 2016 attempted coup in Turkey, Karagul stated that this is why Turkey has to be on the alert to respond to the external and internal threats – both of which are being sponsored by the "new power formation."
Below are excerpts of Karagul's op-ed, which was titled: "'Clash Of Great Powers' From Crimea To Syria, From The Baltics To The Mediterranean. Take A Map And Place It On The Table: There's No Plan Bigger Than Turkey. Soros's Money Traffic: So Who Are The Two Crown Princes Financing?":[2]
Karagul with Turkish President Erdogan (Source: Sendika62.org)
No Crisis From Crimea To Romania, From The Baltics To The Mediterranean, Is Local – "They Are Global Conflicts Shaped By And Disguised As Local Disputes"
"The crisis that erupted between Russia and Ukraine the other night [November 25, 2018] over the control of Kerch Strait, and [that] reached the point of conflict, is not a crisis between the two countries alone. It is a situation that can lead all the way to the occupation of Ukraine if the world leaves it alone, and this can be sparked suddenly through such small clashes.
(Source: Wikipedia)
"This is one of the most important fronts of the power struggle between the East and the West. Ukraine is the West's East and the East's West border; it is one of the most important fault lines on earth. Hence, it will be – and already is – one of the acutest fronts of the East-West power showdown.
"Russia's annexation of Crimea and the world's rejection of this; the power struggles carried out over the Black Sea; the showdown between Russia and the U.S./NATO and EU from the Baltics to Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean; [and] the U.S. and NATO's military buildup from Poland to Romania and Bulgaria and European military debates are indicators of the harsh and currently indirect showdown between the central powers.
"The pressure building up from Crimea to Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria and the north and west of the Black Sea region will increase by the day. Similar to the Middle East, the conflicts and crises here are certainly not local. They are global conflicts shaped by and disguised as local disputes.
"The next step will be the east of the Black Sea region, which currently seems calm. Just as the Eastern Mediterranean is currently the stage of large-scale power struggles, a similar struggle will start a while later in the eastern Black Sea."
A New Power Formation Is Targeting Turkey; The Plan Is "To Close In On Turkey's South Through The PKK And ISIS"; "The Corridor In Northern Syria Is Aimed At Besieging Our Country And Is The Declaration Of A Hidden War"
"Let us continue with similar examples: Efforts to form a new energy equilibrium, which Italy and some Arab countries recently joined, in the Eastern Mediterranean headed by Israel, Greek Cyprus and Greece, and in connection with this, for the world’s most powerful fleet buildup to occur in the Eastern Mediterranean, are signs of a crisis in the Black Sea that is dozens of times more dangerous.
"The seismic research and drilling operations Turkey launched with the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa and Oruç Reis ship, the position Turkey's fleet has taken in the Mediterranean along this parallel, and taking place at the center of the new energy equilibrium is an attempt to interpose on the main axis of the great power struggle.
"The Syria War is entirely an Eastern Mediterranean war. The way this war broke out and the way in which it was perpetuated [until] today is part of the plan to build a corridor from Iran to the Mediterranean and to find a way from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Caspian through Syria. The U.S. and Israel's plan to close in on Turkey's south through the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Daesh [ISIS] is a siege plan, a map operation from the Mediterranean to Iran and the Caspian Sea.
"The 'U.S.-Israel axis' established through Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt and the UAE is part of the 'Clash of Big Powers' that spans the Black Sea and east Mediterranean, the Baltics and Syria, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, and which Turkey is right at the center. Our real topic of discussion through the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is this new power formation, which directly targets Turkey. It is the establishment of a new front that is being serviced to the region through Saudi Arabia and the UAE's crown princes.
"If you look carefully, you will notice that all these conflict areas are around Turkey. The Black Sea is Turkey's north and it will be the stage of many more spats and showdowns in the upcoming period. The Eastern Mediterranean is in Turkey's southeast. Everything that happens in this region, where the world's biggest military buildup is present, is of critical importance in terms of Turkey’s national security.
"The tensions of the Eastern Mediterranean will in time encompass the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), as well as the Aegean. The 1974 Cyprus operation and the TRNC's geopolitical value is now revealed.
"The U.S. buildup in Romania and Bulgaria is a threat to Turkey and its future. The corridor in northern Syria is aimed at [be]sieging our country and is the declaration of a hidden war. These buildups are aimed at closing the doors of the West to Turkey.
"The wave of terrorism reaching from the north to the southeast of Iraq and Syria and toward the Black Sea is part of this global conflict, it is a plan to suffocate Turkey on the inside. The July 15 coup attempt in 2016 and the 2013 Gezi Park terror were also efforts to cause Turkey to collapse internally that were planned and implemented for this purpose."
Turkey Has No Option Other Than The 'Relentless Resistance'
"The planning and preparation that will drag all the countries between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea to war, and which is believed may erupt in a few years, targets Islam’s two sacred cities [Mecca and Medina], and directly concerns Turkey.
"Our country will not hesitate to become involved in such a crisis, as it has such a historical and religious responsibility to do so. One phase of the plan to siege from northern Syria is the effort to sever Turkey's relations with the region and prevent this involvement.
"Take a map that shows our region in the most comprehensive manner and mark the conflict and crisis points. You will see that the most painful and chaotic conflict and crisis areas of the earth are in close vicinity of Turkey - they almost surround all four corners of the country. We are a country that has to deal and overcome such large crisis areas.
"We live in a very challenging region, in a country that is hard to govern, in a region and country where treachery is rampant, and we are trying to keep this country standing and make it stronger. We are trying to stand tall as an isle of stability, and an island of strength and freedom in the middle of this ring of fire. While one enemy is defeated, the other takes the stage. While one traitor is defeated, it is replaced by another.
"Turkey has no option other than to remain strong, invest in power, and strengthen its state power domain and social solidarity. Turkey has no option other than the 'relentless resistance' against treachery and threats both domestically and abroad.
"Who Financed The July 15, 2016 Coup Attempt?... Who Is Being Funneled Money Indirectly Though Mohammed Bin Salman And Mohammed Bin Zayed, And What Are The Preparations For?"
"Turkey has no option other than strengthening its defense shields and neutralizing the 'native invaders.' Turkey does not have the luxury of lending an ear to foreign 'intelligentsia' who continue to promote EU discourses and talk about 'social separation in Turkey.'
"Clues regarding the money traffic flowing to our country from George Soros for the Gezi Park events have started to be exposed.[3] Who financed the July 15, 2016 coup attempt? Who is financing terrorism? Who are those working for the covert imposition funding domestically? Who is being funneled money indirectly though Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed and what are the preparations for? Turkey no longer has any tolerance for these internal operators.
"At a time when the region's survival is at stake, there is no luxury to waste time with petty plans, conflicts of interest, covert operations carried out under the name of 'democratic opposition,' and those who appear to be Justice and Development (AK) Party supporters but take part in sly scenarios under the guise of 'speaking the truth.'
"From Crimea to Syria, from the Eastern Mediterranean to Yemen, from the fight over energy to military preparations, and from the Persian Gulf to the domestic operations in Turkey, nothing is local, no political agenda is innocent, and some 'inside criticisms' are apparatuses of a foreign intervention.
"This is why Turkey will and should always be in a state of alert. We are living in such a critical period of history that certain nations will disappear and some will rise again. When we wake up one morning, we might find dozens of countries from the Baltics to the Black Sea, and from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea at war with one another. This is more likely than ever before.
"Therefore, Turkey is demonstrating its greatest struggle after World War I. Every attempt to weaken or muddy this struggle is a threat. Just as we have no other option but to rise again after a century, there is also no legitimate ground in question other than supporting this struggle.
"Just look around you. You will see everything!"
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7782, AKP Mouthpiece Yeni Safak Editor-in-Chief Karagül: Saudi Arabia And The UAE Are Building An Anti-Turkey Front With The Goal Of Confining Us To The Anatolian Borders, November 29, 2018; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7779, Turkish President Erdogan's Confidant Karagul, Editor-In-Chief Of AKP Mouthpiece: WWI Is Repeating Itself; A Regional War Targeting Turkey May Erupt; UAE's Mohammad bin Zayed Is The Boss Behind The New 'Axis Of Evil', November 28, 2018; MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1425, Turkey's Divergent Messages – To The West And At Home – About Khashoggi's Murder, November 27, 2018.
[2] Yenisafak.com, November 27, 2018.
[3] Recently, George Soros' Open Society Foundation announced it had decided to cease operations in Turkey, saying that "an increasingly hostile political environment" and a number of "baseless accusations" had made it impossible for the foundation to carry out its work. See the Open Society Foundation's full statement.
