London terrorism leading up to the British election during the Muslim month of Ramadan. By Tim Tufuga

(BBC)
With the British general election this week coinciding with the Muslim Ramadan holy month, it would not surprise political strategists to contrive an ultra reactionary propaganda strategy heading into the election.

The loser are the minorities and a tolerant multicultural society. The catalyst for this hatred unfortunately is indeed the Islamic religion and the segregationalism with a cultural caliphate culture which is not integrative but segregationalist at best and violently intrusive
This act of terrorism has only gave the reactionary political parties, the just cause for steering an election vote towards the ultra reactionary victory. The reactionary vote within the British Labour Party and the traditional Conservative parties may argue their own versions for a xenophobic Britain.

Islamic Jihadism has only succeeded in serving the political ultra right wing to defeat multiculturalism. Enoch Powell's foreboding warning of the river Tiber awash with the blood of racial hatred has been justified with the acts of terrorism by instruments of hatred by both the ultra right political parties and extremist religious terrorists. The winner in this age of global terrorism is the ultra rightwing xenophobic political parties.

By Tim Tufuga

Source:

BBC.com, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40148737

ninmsn.com, http://www.9news.com.au/world/2017/06/04/07/30/vehicle-ploughs-into-people-on-london-bridge-reports

The Turkish Constitutional Referendum the harbinger for Pan-Turkish Ottomanism and anti-Laicism. By Tim Tufuga

The nation of Turkey will be having a very important constitutional referendum scheduled for the 16th April, 2017. The Turkish Constitutional referendum will restructure the very fabric of the Turkish political system with the abolition of the office of the Prime Minister and the increase of the executive Presidential powers which would also include the extension of the tenure of office for an elected government. Electoral reforms would increase the four year tenure to five years. The Turkish parliamentary membership will increase from the present 550 to 600, although, the executive will be tightened to a Presidential inner circle which will also curtail the military judicial influence from the executive.

The Turkish government's incumbency of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, from the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, (AK Party, or The Justice and Development Party), has been in power for 11 years. The Justice and Development party is considered politically as a pro-Islamic right wing conservative political government which has veered Turkey away from its post 1918 Kemalism (or Ataturkism) and Laicism secularism stance which has been embraced by the Western nations since the end of hostilities in the Great War of 1918 ushering the Ataturkism period of a post Ottoman Empire Turkish political and social culture, that was until the 2002 election, when, paradoxically, the Turkish pro-Islamic political wave swept aside the hitherto, Kemalism and Laicism of post World War One Turkey. In 2002, whilst the world was entering a new era of global terrorism since September 11, 2001, in Turkey, somewhat against the grain, Turkish democracy moved more to the Islamic rightwing and away from the Secularism of the Kemalism and Ataturkism era of over a century of Turkish political history. Erdogan, therefore, was to become the harbinger for an anti-Kemalism executive government structure, which was resisted not by the people, but, paradoxically, by the military themselves, with what would be considered as a failed coup attempt in 2016.

Militarily, the coup was overthrown by the people, politically, however, the seemingly glass house political structure of the present Turkish government was measured by a seemingly ineffectual executive political structure as demonstrably challenged by the recent 2016 attempted coup by some dissdent rank and file within the Turkish Military. In light of this political inefficiency and ineffectiveness, it would be considered pragmatic for a decisive executive structure to articulate down the vertical political process in a control and command process so as to minimise these political inefficiencies. Interpretively, therefore, it was considered important, to have a stronger executive presidency in which emergency powers may not need parliamentary accountability, which may be considered too time consuming and inefficient, particularly in a politically tenuous and fragile environment where the threat variable for the National Security for Turkey is at its highest level. In order to consolidate a fragile power base, it was necessarily to overhaul the political foundations from its very root, through the Constitution itself.

The Constitutional Referendum would be necessary to cement a destabilising political system a contagion being spread from the Middle Eastern Arab Spring virus threatening to infect Turkey from both within its National sovereign borders, its immediate neighbours, and rippling outwardly to include Europe and further. In the immediate outcome of the constitutional referendum, there will be a significant cultural impact upon the Turkish cultural landscape and one in which will be marked as the Erdogan era which will replace the hitherto Kemal Ataturk legacy, which was noted with Laicism and a democratic parliamentary republic process that was palatable to the Occidental world. The Parliamentary Republic of Turkey will be physically increased numerically, but, and the abolition of the office of the Prime Minister (as a member of the cabinet, and, therefore, as a member of the Executive), in actuality, institutional political power, however, for the Turkish National General Assembly (Parliament), will be significantly reduced, when a constitutional restructure will create a more powerful Executive Presidential system within the Turkish political structure. In short, the Presidential powers of the Turkish Devlet Baskani (President), will be increased at the expense of parliamentary accountability.

The ultimate outcome of the 2017 Constitutional Referendum, if the yes vote is successful, will see the Turkish military branch severely punished with limited political influence; and that, the Turkish Parliamentary Republic, whilst it will increase from the current number of 550, to 600, will, at the same time, limit the executive (cabinet) size, and scope, with the abolition of the office of the Prime Minister. The power vested by the Executive President, after the Constitutional Referendum will significantly be increased, which at present will mean that the office of Presidency will rest with the current President, whom has been noted as a pro-Muslim Brotherhood supporter, and, therefore, is an outright pro-Sunni Islamic President whom is anti laicism and anti-Kemalism.

At the hustings

The domestic campaign

The background for the Yes vote, for increasing the Executive Presidency within the Constitutional referendum, has been tempered with a firm pro-Sunni pan-Turkish fervour, as a direct reaction to the 2016 attempted coup, which was a domestic implosion stemming from two significant domestic crisis points, First, the over the border Syrian crisis, and, more directly,the subsequent influx of Syrian refugees, in the millions, attempting to migrate towards Europe, via, Turkey; and, since the collapse of the Ottoman empire, with the perpetual sore, since 1918, with the Kurdish Separatists, and Kurdish Nationalists, which has led to domestic violence, and, in a very likely direct conflict between the PKK, YPG, and inadvertently, an imminent clash with the Peshmerga (Kurdish forces).

Externalised from the immediate domestic crisis for the Turkish government, is the over the border military and political geo-political and geo-military confrontations, that would involve direct NATO and Russian confrontations, as a member of NATO, Turkey is the only NATO member nation which has had direct military contact with the Russian military with 24th November, 2015, shootdown of a Russian SU-24, by a Turkish F16. The Russian Turkish adverse relationship was further exacerbated with the Russian's ambassador to Turkey, His Excellency Andrei Karlov's assassination in late 2016, by a purportedly pro-Aleppo and therefore an IS sympathiser Assassin assigned as the Russian's Ambassador's personal protection security detail.

The Russians Syrian crisis campaign has been a line in the sand moment for Turkish-Russian relations, which has been on breaking point with the Russian foreign policy stance of supporting the Assad regime which is a pro-Shia Syrian Government platform, which has seen in Turkey an outright anti-Russian attitude, by the Turkish military and a pro-Sunni Erdogan administration. Although, in saying this Sunni leaning Islamic governmental stance by the Turkish government, the Erdogan administration has vehemently distanced themselves from the Imam Bagdadi's led Daesh, or Islamic State, although, the IS have declared themselves as a Sunni Caliphate, and, that the Turkish government has listed the Islamic State (IS or Daesh) as a Terrorist Organisation, the pro-Hezbollah, pro-Alawite, and, therefore, pro-Shia Syrian Assad regime, has been considered as the lesser of the two evils by the Russians. This foreign policy stance by the Russians according to Erdogan's AK government, as a line in the sand, in which has been crossed over by the Russians. and one in which will see an irreconciliable difference in foreign policy objectives by Turkey and Russia.

Oversea's campaign for the Turkish Constitutional Referendum.

The pan-Turkmanism was the global diaspora of the Turkman and to shore up domestic ascent the Turkish expatriate Turkmen citizenry with enfranchisement rights is still considered a significant voter group. The Constitutional Referendum for both the Yes and No campaign were in the hustings throughout Europe in order to shore up expatriate support for either the yes or no vote.

A mea Culpa for Pan Turkish Ottomanism.

On March 11, 2017, the Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, was attempting to initiate a pro-yes rally campaign in Rotterdam, Netherlands, but, was prevented from entering the country for previous political comments made by the Minister, with regards to the alleged mistreatment of Turkish emigres as a non-EU and non-Schengen Aquis member within Europe, whose citizens continue to have settlement difficulties within the Netherlands. The Turkish Minister was forced detour his pro-yes campaign efforts to France instead.

Meanwhile, the Turkish admission into the European Union membership status has had a slight obstacle by way of the Erdogan anti-Laicism and pro-Islamic administration. The Islamic nation within NATO has also meant that differences of opinion will arise from time to time and certainly with the present Erdogan administration the NATO chain of command within the Turkish military circles has presented its own domestic unrest which has culminated with the 2016 coup attempt. What has started as a preventative measure by European nations of potential domestic divisions amongst the Turkish communities within Europe over the oncoming Constitutional Referendum may spark a Nationalism rally by the pan-Turkish movement globally in shoring support for ex-patriates against their respective European host nations anti-Turkish xenophobia. Perhaps, a period has arisen whereby the Turkish people within Europe may feel the chagrine ire of xenophobic Europeans of their Islamic culture and perhaps significantly, a mea culpa political crisis that will strain the multiculturalism harmonious homeostasis which has allowed for the international inclusion of many cultures and nationalities to freely move, integrate, and cooperate economically, culturally, and politically unrestrained by xenophobic resentment and presenting a security threat to their fellow citizenry.

With the banning of the Turkish Foreign Minister from the Netherlands, and the subsequent indignant reaction from Turkey's conservative government and most significantly by the Turkish people, globally, the supporters for Erdogan and the his blend of pan-Turkmanship patriotism and chauvinism has tempered a nascent revision of Kemalism politics, and, a reversion to Ottomanism and the granduer of the Ottoman Empire by the Turkmen being revisited by the current Erdogan administration.

The outcome of the April 16th, 2017, Constitutional Referendum, will confirm the present attitude of the Turkish people. If it is yes, then the nascent rise of the Ottomanism and pan Islamism of the Erdogan era has arisen to its zenith and the Kemal Ataturk Laicism and particurly for the ANZACs, in that the memory of the post-Gallipoli era will be undone.

History will recall the outcome of the April 16th, 2017, Turkey Constitutional Referendum event, as a focal point in the demise of the Laicism and the return of pan-Turkish Ottomanism or the retention of the status quo, of Parliamentary Republicanism, and the continuation of Kemal Ataturk Laicism?

By Tim Tufuga

20th March, 2017

Source:

1. Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, wikipedia.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mevl%C3%BCt_%C3%87avu%C5%9Fo%C4%9Flu

2. Turkish Constitutional Referendum, 2017, wikipedia.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_constitutional_referendum,_2017

3. Turkish Coup, 2016, wikipedia.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Turkish_coup_d'%C3%A9tat_attempt

4. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wikipedia.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recep_Tayyip_Erdo%C4%9Fan

5. Kemalism, wkipedia.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemalism

6. Turkey's downing of Russian plane, BBC.com, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34912581, 1st December, 2015

7. Andrei Karlov's assassination, news.com.au, http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/russian-ambassador-to-ankara-gunned-down-during-art-gallery-visit/news-story/8678761871fa963d07d62ca83dc8caf8, 20 December, 2016.

8. Tensions rise in Europe, telegraph.com.uk, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/17/erdogan-calls-turkish-families-have-five-children-bulwark-against/, 17th March, 2017.

President Trump's direct approach to China may elevate DEFCON readiness: The USS Carl Vinson and the CSG1 sails in the Chinese claimed territory.

(wikipedia) 1

As the Trump administration approaches the second month in office, the global media attention have been focused on apparent over one hour long scathing media conference on fake news by the President of the United States, resulting in a reciprocated global media cringe with the POTUS media relationship. Needless to say, that there is mere thought the Trump presidential impact upon American domestic and international policy has been incrementally transitional has been very far from the reality. Living up to erratic expectations of a seemingly unpredictable Presidential election result culminating in a shoot straight from the hip twitter presidency which has not only promised to make America great again, but, to directly put into action these lofty promises by flexing this American military greatness throughout the world, and with these grandiose visions of greatness the Trump administration would tread onto places where no other President fear to tread.3

The Trump presidential administration in military foreign policy with regards with their relationship with China may be considered a fullhardy direct approach in foreign policymaking, which has now manifestedly become either a Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson caution, followed by an actioned mea culpa, which may, inadvertently, initiate a cassus belli conflict between the United States and China.4 Or, conversely, with a show of Trump machismo greatness, concluding with an eventual back down by the Chinese PLAN, and, an eventual phase down of Chinese activity, and presence, within the Nansha, or the Sprately, group of Islands within the South China Sea. More likely though, with this high noon showdown with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), a direct military confrontation seems imminent with the arrival, within the South China Sea, of the United States Navy's Carrier Strike Group 1 (CSG1) headed by the US Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson. A game of Chicken, and military brinkmanship, between, and undoubtedly, the two most powerful military superpowers in the world are about to face head to head within the first hundred days of the Trump Presidential administration. If China backs down then, obviously with a a National loss of face to China, this would overtly reveal to the world the true Trump machismo greatness throughout the world. More than likely, National pride by a military Superpower like China will almost certainly lead to a direct imminent confrontation with CSG1. Insodoing, America may be prepared for an elevated DEFCON readiness. An elevation from Defcon five, to a double take and if contact is made, to Roundhouse alert.5

Within two months in office, the newly elected President of the United States (POTUS) has transitioned America from a hegemonic upholder of the status quo and homeostasis and as a conscientious King Solomon Hegemonic leader to being an unilateral direct interceder of global disputes. The American gunfighter has strode into this Ok Corral for their high noon appointment with the toughest and meanest baddass in town.

(wikipedia.com)

Tim Tufuga
21st February, 2017.

Source:

1. ABC Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-19/us-carrier-group-patrols-in-south-china-sea/8284224, 19th February, 2017.

2. Defencetalk.com, http://www.defencetalk.com/carrier-strike-group-1-conducts-south-china-sea-patrol-69189/, 20th February, 2017.

3. ABC Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-25/china-tells-trump-to-stay-out-of-south-china-sea-dispute/8212246, 27th January, 2017.

4. Washington Post, Denya, S, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/01/24/is-trump-ready-for-war-in-the-south-china-sea-or-is-his-team-just-not-being-clear/?utm_term=.b14d6910c329, 24th January, 2017.

5. DEFCON, Wikipedia.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEFCON

2016 The most fatal year in suicide terrorism

A re-cap on 2016, and the increase level of suicide bombings has resulted in five and a half thousand casualties in 2016 from suicide bombing. Most killings are overwhelmingly in Iraq, and over 70% are attributed to the Islamic State.

The global Jihad violence has become the harbinger for the rise of the reactionary right throughout the globe and now, at the lead of this nascent 'direct' and 'aggressive' approach is the, hitherto, one month tenure of the Trump administration.

The subliminal global Jihadist terrorism has replaced the traditional twentieth century terrorist narratives, and, in particular, since the post-World War Two era, the terrorist violence narrative that was often ideologically associated with a global Communist and Capitalist schism, which was geo-spatial in its scope, as noted by Central American Communist insurgencies; Indo-China and South East Asian post colonial ructions; and the continuous revolutions and anarchy in within the African continent. Meanwhile, as a direct consequence of the de-colonisation period, the Middle Eastern conflicts focused, primarily on the newly created Jewish State of Israel which, still continues its struggle to reconcile their existence and forcing out the Palestinians who have lived in Palestine for over two thousand years since the Jewish Diaspora, which was in itself a consequence of an imperial Roman invasion which had raised Jerusalem to the ground two thousand years hence.

Meanwhile, since September 11, 2001, the world has accepted the most ominous threat to the Occidental way of life is the spread of the Islamic faith and most ominously along with it is the associated violence in which we are all too familiar with today.

In a world which see's a clear conflict of culture, traditions and ideology, it seems overwhelming, that the present clash of cultures and religion has ushered in a world of paranoia, mistrust and the desire for xenophobic segregationalism.

With the conflicts of religion and cultures has borne from it the bigotry of cultural and racial intolerance. Anti-multiculturalism with the tower of Babel narrative from the architects from the Ultra Right, has severed the global heterogeneity of internationalism and a global Utopia ideal. The harbinger of the ultra right xenophobia may be credited directly, in the twentieth century, to the Islamic Jihadist terrorists, particularly since 911.

The Donald Trump's, the Le Pen's, the Pauline Hanson's, and the achitects of Brexit and other Autarky regimes in the making of this world, may thank the Islamic Jihadists for elevating them into power, directly.

Tim Tufuga
20th February, 2017.

The Trump immigration policy the most salient counter terrorism initiative.

I had arrived back into Australia over the weekend after spending some time in the Mid West of the United States with my wife. During my visit, the Trump administration had been in office for less than a week and in that time an Executive Order was initiated for the United States immigration policy known as the Executive Order: Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.

"Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq., and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and to protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States." 1

Whilst, I had glanced up at the welcome to the United States sign with a picture of the United States President Barack Obama still smiling invitingly down at me at the escalator, I was processed and had my Australian passport stamped along with my Transportation Security Authority (TSA) approval, with minimal delay. I soon realised that the regime change would come into effect on the Friday and as an Australian I would not be affected.

Whilst in Indianapolis, news reports of a distraught Iranian brother of a man whom had been refused entry into the United States was broadcasted across the television, which was due, directly, to the recent Presidential Executive Order abovementioned. Another story, of a Syrian traveler's story, soon the negative story of the US government ban seemed to continue the negative international reputation of the newly inaugurated Presidential administration straight off the bat.

However, in a immigration reciprocity perspective, of the seven countries in which the United States government has recently imposed immigration entry restrictions into the United States, the seven restricted nations of Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Somalia,Sudan and Libya, have imposed immigration bans on Israeli citizens and passport holders.2

The United States government response is considered in a reciprocated light when reciprocation of Nationals like the Israeli citizens and passport holders from some sixteen countries throughout the world, including the seven countries that are presently considered affected by the recent POTUS immigration policy executive order ban aforementioned.3

Meanwhile, as I was returning to Australia, the United States government through the court system, had repealed the travel ban by the POTUS which seemed to be universally justified from a human rights perspective but not from a reciprocated perspective especially from a Israeli perspective.

From a counter terrorism and National Security Strategic and operational perspective, the propaganda against global terrorism has been given a most direct action response by a more assertive cut to the chase Presidential approach putting on notice multicultural and multiracial tolerances within many countries.

The inadvertent ban on Muslims, from the aforementioned listed seven countries, is premised, directly, upon the likely religiously related violence, which is stipulated, succinctly, within the POTUS executive order on the present seven nation list.

From an Australian perspective, the about face humanitarian approach by the Trump administration of the Australian processed refugee relocation bilateral agreement into the United States has hit a Trump wall roadblock. It may be considered a more draconian xenophobic approach which may be considered understandable from a country now intolerant of the persistent and consistent occurrences of terrorism related violence and incidence within the United States and affecting Americans citizens abroad.

The Trump administration has been broadly accepted by the populist mainstream with an overt 49% approval of the Trump banning of the seven nations list.

Australia may emulate such a restriction which may be considered a mutual response to such nations which imposes bans on certain nationals from entering their respective countries as well. In such a perspective reciprocity is considered reasonable.


Tim Tufuga

9th February, 2017.

Source:

1. The White House, The Briefing Room, Executive Order: INA, 8 U.S.C 1101 section 301 of title 301, US Code, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/27/executive-order-protecting-nation-foreign-terrorist-entry-united-states, 27th January, 2017.

2. Haynes, G, United Kingdom The Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/articles/most-countries-on-trumps-list-also-ban-visitors-based-on-nationality/, 31st January, 2017.

3. Dr. Sweir, R., http://drrichswier.com/2017/01/30/sixteen-countries-ban-anyone-with-a-passport-with-an-israeli-stamp-or-visa-from-entering/

4. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/airlines-board-nationals-barred-muslim-ban-170204091834947.html