Since then the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been relatively quiet, sometimes creating the impression that it sides with the military for an Iraqi invasion. In the middle of this general warlike atmosphere emerging in the country, there came late night statements from the military, perceived as a warning to the government, but falling short of a direct intervention into politics. All these developments, coupled with increased PKK-instigated terror incidents, mainly in the Kurdish-dominated Southeast, have become a source of concern for Turks who are worried about the severe consequences of a possible Turkish invasion of northern Iraq; even that increased talks about a cross-border operation have begun to adversely affect the country's already fragile economy.
But a statement released following a summit meeting on terror that took place on Tuesday in Ankara with the participation of top political leaders, Gen. Büyükanıt and top security officials under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has created the potential to reverse the ongoing negative climate into a positive one.
Unlike expectations in some segments of Turkish society seeking to benefit from the negative climate being created in the country, the summit statement ruled out a Turkish cross-border operation into northern Iraq, while stressing determination in the fight against terror, but within the supremacy of the rule of law and democracy.
Turkish security sources close to the summit meeting told to me that a decision to declare a state of emergency, mainly in the Southeast, had not been made. This was also good news.
The emphasis on the supremacy of the rule of law and democracy while fighting against terror are the key words that will discourage terrorist organizations from action, says Associate Professor İhsan Bal, an expert on international terror and criminology.
"Terrorist organizations fear democratization processes in their countries, and so does the outlawed PKK. 2004 marked the biggest democratization move in Turkey's history. That was also the year that PKK-instigated terror incidents went down considerably. Thus the terror summit statement, emphasizing the supremacy of the rule of law and democracy while fighting against terror with determination, are important elements in discouraging the PKK from attacks," Bal asserted.
However I should note that both the previous coalition government and the current government missed a golden opportunity following the 1999 capture of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, currently serving a life sentence on a Marmara island prison, when both political leaderships failed to benefit from this relatively calm period, mainly in the war-stricken Southeast.
First of all they failed to address the economic and social problems of the region's people, in particular, who have already been going through a trauma as a result of the decades-long battle against the PKK.
Still, any government ruling the country following the July 22 general elections will have the chance to address the region's economic and social problems rather than seeking short-term solutions, such as invading another country, before considering all the solutions that could be found within Turkey's borders.
But listening to a roundtable program on NTV news channel last Tuesday made me slightly pessimistic when certain parliamentary candidates made remarks that failed to link the fight against terror within the supremacy of law and democracy.
Those two candidates, from the Democrat Party (DP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in particular, resorted to an old argument in the fight against the PKK, which has so far failed to yield any result in minimizing the terrorism threat.
For example they blamed the US and the EU in particular as the sources of PKK terrorism, a long-standing argument that has so far failed to help address the terror problem, but instead increased anti-Americanism and dissatisfaction with the EU among Turks.
Instead this rhetoric of blaming outside powers alone diverts attention from the real causes of terror, which is produced from anti-democratic policies prevailing in the concerned countries.
Bal, participating in the round table discussion, recalled that at one point American Catholics had long supported Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorists in Ireland, but the Irish and British governments had refrained from publicly and frequently blaming the US. Instead Britain and Ireland pursued a secret diplomacy and private discussions on the issue with the US to address IRA terrorism, Bal said.
Nevertheless, despite some pessimism that again engulfed me with the NTV program, the wording of the terror summit declaration -- that the fight against terror will continue with determination within the supremacy of the rule of law and democracy -- has again created a hope in me that democracy will one day mature in my country.
