If he insists on an isolationist political perspective and tries to use his power to replace the new middle class political figures with neo-nationalist politicians, he is likely to face political confrontation at best or political chaos at worst.”Unfortunately, in his two-year term he has tried to fight an uphill fight against the government and the sociopolitical groups that support the government. Gen. Başbuğ has not hesitated to take risks on behalf of ultra-nationalist circles that aim to target the democratically elected government. He backed military officers who were accused of being part of a plot against the government.
Assessing his military leadership over the last two years indicates to us that he was not a reliable commander. There are at least three reasons why he was not a reliable commander. First, during his term he emphasized over and over again that he respects the court’s decision on military officers. Yet on the first day of assuming the office of chief of General Staff, he sent an envoy to the prison where some military officers were jailed to show his support for them. Analysts considered such an action as a symbolic gesture to the military officers accused of being part of a coup plot against the government, while putting pressure on the court in favor of the accused officers. Further, he tried to cut a deal with the government to release the arrested officers. Last, but not least, during the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) meeting he tried to force the government to choose a general who was allegedly involved in “extralegal” activities against the government to harm its image in the eyes of public. Yet despite his hopeless push, the government did not appoint the general to the critical position that made him a loser of 2010.
Secondly, he was initially presented as the man of knowledge and logic. Yet in his two-year term he acted neither with knowledge nor pursued a logical path to lead his institution. For instance, it was obvious that the Kurdish question was in a rapid transition toward politicization. There was an opportunity before Turkish leaders to open dialogue to solve the decades-old Kurdish problem. However, Gen. Başbuğ has taken a rigid position against the Kurdish political aspiration and has tried to block the government’s initiative by highlighting the nationalist characteristics of the country. Further, under his leadership military intelligence continued to monitor politicians and reported their political positions. During his period, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç became a subject of military harassment, which led a judge to investigate what was happening in the secret rooms of the military.
Third, during his two-year term Başbuğ failed to provide satisfactory answers to the allegations that were directed against the military. For instance, just last month, Turkish daily papers Bugun and Taraf reported that there were military officers who tried to divert the destination of the Heron drones so as not to harm Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants. Yet the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) failed to provide a satisfactory answer as to what has happened to these officers who tried to avoid harming the enemy PKK. In addition, Taraf published an hour-long video obtained from the drones, showing a PKK attack on the Hantepe military outpost in Hakkari which killed seven soldiers -- an incident where reinforcements were not sent to fight against the PKK militants and defend the outpost. Başbuğ’s institution unsurprisingly did not release a statement to answer the questions of why the military didn’t send additional troops or helicopters to defend the military outpost in Hantepe.
A few years from now, when it comes to assessing the term that Gen. Başbuğ served between 2008 and 2010, it will be very difficult to find a single positive image left in the collective memory of the Turkish public. Media reports are full of allegations, including attempts to organize a plot against the government in 2009, reluctance toward preventive measures against PKK attacks, and a lack of convincing explanations concerning the allegations etc…
