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[Sergarr]

Well, while everyone was busy with Trump being Trump, Turkey is going... well...

Starting from standard-but-still-amazingly-ungood-for-a-EU-candidate journalist oppression in the lieu of upcoming referendum that will grant Erdogan supreme power over the land.

Following with a film dedicated to Erdogan. And by "dedicated" I mean it's literally his "biography", describing the struggle of him and other "pious Islamist" against the "evil secularist military". Literally:

Coming soon: Erdogan 'The Chief'

The much-anticipated “Reis” ("The Chief") — a biopic tracing the life of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from childhood to the pinnacle of political power — premieres in Turkish cinemas March 3. Excerpts posted online leave no doubt that the protagonist is a larger-than-life hero. The timing of the launch is likely not inconsequential, coming as it does just weeks before the referendum on constitutional amendments whose sole purpose, in the eyes of many, is the consolidation and prolongation of "one-man rule" in the hands of Erdogan. In the bigger picture, “The Chief” is a film about the history of not just Erdogan, but of the Turkish Republic itself.

An early scene involves one of the most controversial prohibitions in Turkey's history — the ban on reciting the Islamic call to prayer in the original Arabic that was imposed in 1932 by the one-party, Kemalist regime and lasted until 1950, when the first free elections brought the opposition Democrat Party to power. “The Chief” covers the ban, abhorred for decades by Turkey’s religious conservatives, in a dramatic fictional fashion.

As the unpopular Turkish-language call to prayer is delivered from a minaret, a bold imam walks into the courtyard of a mosque and dares to recite the Arabic call to prayer. A soldier under strict orders to stop such “reactionaries” forces the imam to cease and beats him with his rifle. The man’s young grandson, however, proves his bravery and continues with the recitation, despite the menacing presence of the soldiers with their guns.

Another dramatic scene is set in the year 1961. Turkey is under the rule of a secularist military junta that has overthrown the democratically elected Democrat Party government. The young boy who bravely recited the Arabic call to prayer is now a pious Islamist with a “cause.” A truck full of soldiers heads into his modest neighborhood, where they break down his door and arrest him as he is praying. For added drama, the man's aged parents try to stop the soldiers and save their son. They are viciously thrown to the ground, in a scene reminiscent of Nazis in Holocaust films.

Meanwhile, a young boy in the neighborhood has been watching all this with sadness, but also with a certain wiseness, knowing that these dark days will pass. At that point, Erdogan's voice is heard reciting a line from a famous poem: “Don’t leave this nation without a hero, my God.” That boy is the young Erdogan, the very hero that “this nation” — Turkey’s religious conservatives — has been waiting for for a century. That, apparently, is the message of “The Chief.”

Many of the other emotion-laden scenes — such as Erdogan’s brief imprisonment in 1998 by another secularist, military regime — emphasize the same basic message: The good, religious, modest people of Anatolia defeated a brutal, vicious, secular establishment in Turkey thanks to Erdogan — the bold, brave, unyielding “Chief.” Erdogan’s exceptional personality is of course highlighted: He is afraid of no threat, including death, which he sees as “coming together with God.” He leads the people around him and instructs them on doing the right thing. He keeps all his promises, and is forever self-confident. He is tough against evil, but also compassionate toward the meek, the poor and the otherwise downtrodden.

And finally, for the {killer blow}, you have... I can't even...

In run-up to referendum, Turks can say anything but 'no'

Saying no can have a high price tag for ordinary Turks as pressure builds in the days leading up to an April 16 referendum on constitutional amendments designed to widely expand the president's powers.

On Feb. 2, the photo of a supposedly official document appeared on social media with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s signature. The document asked public employees to avoid using the word “hayirli” ("blessed" or "good"), which is very close to the Turkish word for "no," "hayir." The document asked employees to refrain from using "hayirli" until May so as not to confuse or influence voters.

...

A communications scholar who asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing his job told Al-Monitor, "In the last 10 days, we have not heard anyone was being investigated for this fake document, so it is highly probable that AKP trolls were the ones that published it. It has been more effective than a genuine decree because this way, all AKP supporters get the message that they need to avoid the word 'no,' and words containing 'no,' at all costs."

...

On Feb. 15, a baby girl born in Diyarbakir province was named Evet ("Yes" in Turkish). The parents told the press they wanted to show their appreciation for Erdogan. The district’s AKP representative visited the baby and gave the family a gold coin as a sign of appreciation. The father appeared on television saying the whole family will be voting for the referendum and they hope Baby Yes will be a good luck charm for Erdogan. (Meanwhile, social media users were busy focusing on the fact that the father has three wives, even though polygamy is officially banned in Turkey.)

On Feb. 14, Konya municipality stopped printing and distributing pamphlets against smoking. The pamphlets had read, “Decide what you want to accomplish. Do you want to poison your kids? Have cancer? If you say no, then you have won your life and your future.” Public health officials said they stopped distribution for fear of misunderstanding: “If you say no” had appeared in red capital letters on the leaflets' covers.

Beyond these laughable examples are subtle but undeniable facts: Many of those against the referendum are sticking to their guns and using "hayirli" at every opportunity. Yet, uttering the word "no" on its own — even in a non-political context — has become risky, as can be seen in street interviews posted and shared by various news networks. People who are scared to speak up often say, “I don't know, maybe it's for the best” — but use "hayirlisi," a derivation of the taboo word. Most of them do not want the camera to show their faces.

Their fear is warranted. Several AKP members, including cabinet ministers and the prime minister, have indicated multiple times that saying no is what terrorists would do. The most worrisome statement came Feb. 12 from Erdogan himself. When asked about current polls, Erdogan was unhappy. He said, “It is too early to gauge the health of the polls” because he had not yet started actively campaigning. Erdogan told the press, “April 16 will be the answer to July 15 [the day of the coup attempt]. Those who say no will be siding with July 15.”

On Feb. 15, another AKP official took a step further, saying that unless 50% of voters say yes on April 16, Turkey should brace itself for the possibility of a civil war. In the ensuing uproar, the AKP announced it would request the official's resignation.

Despite all the public pressure, some brave individuals have taken the risk — and paid the price. One of them is news anchor Irfan Degirmenci, who was fired from his job at Dogan Holding, the most prominent mainstream media network in Turkey, for declaring he would vote no. Pro-AKP media bigwigs were upset at the network for telling the public the reason for Degirmenci’s dismissal.

There have also been multiple stories of brutality and intimidation of those who attempt to join rallies or refuse to distribute pamphlets, or who simply tell others that they plan to vote against the referendum. There has been so much of this talk that people have started questioning if the vote will be done through open or secret balloting, and whether those who dare to say no will be taken into custody after they vote.

Straight up Orwellian bullshit. Straight. Fucking. Orwell.

This is the end, isn't it? This is where the Ataturk's legacy dies. Finita la comedia. And this is where the Ottoman Empire, the old theocratic Islamic backwards piece of shit, comes back to life.

D:

[martinuzz]

Can I claim movie rights to the next crusade?

[redwallzyl]

Can I claim movie rights to the next crusade?

fourth crusade two electric boogaloo Merkel for Basilius?

[smjjames]

About the only other dictators that I know of that made a movie completely dedicated to them would be the Kim Jong family, and maybe Ghaddaffi.

The second one sounds like the crazy shittyness you'd get over language peculiarities in an authoritarian state.

[Loud Whispers]

Erdogan's been busy

[ggamer]

SA continues to exert pressure on Yemen, who is still attempting to deal with AQAP (and Daesh, apparently)

The long siege of Mosul continues, with the Shia majority government showing that it has not learned its lesson by once again persecuting the Sunni minority; it is unlikely the US will take any action.

The Turk's power play, of course, has already been covered.

The Turk and the Russian consolidate their hold on Syria. The Turkish army (and it's militia affiliates in the FSA) continues its ill-fated push into Al-Bab under operation Euphrates Shield, while lying about its success to Turkish media. (fair warning: a lot of my sources in the region are Kurdish-affiliated, so this push might be more effective than I thought)

The SDF continue their (hopefully less ill-fated) push into Raqqa under operation Euphrates Wrath, and will probably initiate the fight for the city itself within the next couple of months.

I'm not sure if Operation Inherent Resolve is still in effect under the current POTUS (unlikely, given what the rumor mill is telling me), but if DEFSEC manages to convince him then we might see something much more comprehensive in terms of aid for the SDF.

The likelihood of unification for the Kurds decreases steadily, for two reasons: the Turk and the Russian see this as a major power play on the part of the US, and will oppose on principal, and the KRG and Rojava are becoming more and more like two distinct entities, especially with Barzani sending only minimal Peshmerga assistance to the SDF, and more recently closing off the border between the two regions.

Israeli leadership continues to be inept. In other news, sky still blue, bear still shits in the woods.

And in Afghanistan, the Taliban urges people to plant more trees.

[Loud Whispers]

Very few times one can say they agree with the Taliban

[Sergarr]

SAA apparently just took back Palmyra from ISIS.

Spoiler: possibly first sighting of Russian ground combat drone Uran-9 in Syria (click to show/hide)

[redwallzyl]

SAA apparently just took back Palmyra from ISIS.

Spoiler: possibly first sighting of Russian ground combat drone Uran-9 in Syria (click to show/hide)

thank god, i cant take any more destruction in Palmyra without flying into a rage.

[martinuzz]

ISIS is most likely secretly funded by monument restoration companies. /s

[Sergarr]

Horror of Mosul where sinkhole became mass grave for 4,000 of Isil's victims

Yikes.

[martinuzz]

Sadly, I'm sure that won't be the last, or the largest mass grave they're going to find.

[Loud Whispers]

Just think, there's gonna come a time when the war ends and the digging begins. What they'll find

[Sheb]

Just think, there's gonna come a time when the war ends and the digging begins. What they'll find

I wonder, how quickly do you think the war will end once ISIS is kicked down? As it stands, the Caliphate is on its last legs, it'll soon have lost Raqqa and Mosul. Once it's gone, the US will loose it mains motivation to fight this war. That could drop support for the SDF considerably. I could see the SDF reaching a deal with the regime to avoid death by Turkey and the whole thing ending up fastish.

[Sergarr]

For now, SDF is protected by both USA soldiers (who're currently patrolling around Manbij with flags) and Russian-backed SAA (with Russian military police dancing off with Kurdish troops in Manbij countryside).

Do note that these movements are apparently non-coordinated. In other words, you have Russian and American troops in close proximity to each other, with no guarantee that they won't decide to settle the dispute of "who this city belongs to, anyway?" with force of arms. Cool!