” In my introduction to the same article I quoted a senior international expert on military-civilian relations, Professor Ümit Cizre of Ankara-based Bilkent University, who made a statement that was not new in democratically minded societies:“The politicization of militaries, in general, will always mean they carry the risk of division within themselves. That is one of the reasons why Western democracies keep the military out of politics.”
How could any democratically minded person disagree with this statement, which reflects reality and not speculation? However if someone should not like those views and wish to denounce them, I will still respect their viewpoint.
In contrast to this, the e-mails I received contained criticism amounting to a denouncement of my article and referred to a Web site operating from abroad, claiming that my article was based on that site's information.
Why criticize content that did not even feature in my column? How can someone not even bother to read what I have written and instead simply send e-mails about something that I did not mention?
I have to admit that I am startled by such an attitude and find it difficult to take seriously.
I invite these people to act with more consideration in future, and not to send messages on your own or by someone else's volition about an issue without first trying to fully understand what you have read.
Incidentally I received these emails on May 2, the day after my column appeared. However in my May 3 column I referred to an allegedly bogus article on the Harbiyeli.net Web site, operating from Australia.
My articles of May 1 and 3 were concentrated on news analysis following the release of a strongly worded statement of warning to the government from the Turkish General Staff on its official Web site on April 27.
I also said in my May 3 article that whatever speculation had surrounded the statement -- dubbed a memorandum by many -- we should stick to it as long as it was not denied by the General Staff itself.
This is common sense.
When I touched on possible divisions within the military and whether it was too involved in politics, I was reflecting a reality that had been tested in many societies. In nations governed democratically the military has been kept out of politics and left to fulfill its duty of successfully defending the nation.
If anyone is annoyed by such democratic views they should be courageous and brave enough to discuss the matters openly rather than send e-mails containing information far removed from the article in question.
I have no choice but to disregard e-mails that have nothing to do with the content of my articles. In addition that I should note that whatever the purpose of an email about my or anyone else's article, be it praise or criticism, it should be kept within the limits of the rule of law and avoid wordings that could cause offense.
