Amb. Indyk's Big & Black Umbrella For Erdogan

Amb. Indyk's Big & Black Umbrella For Erdogan

The Brookings Institution, 100 years old think tank here in Washington DC disappointed in every which way by its performance before and during the Turkish President Erdogan talk last Thursday. Brookings, for some reason or another, wanted to play an umbrella role for Erdogan to shield him against any unwanted and unplanned “accidents.”

Brookings Crocodile tears

First, Brookings watched Erdogan’s security details terrorizing protesters, journalists and anyone who was present around Brookings Institution’s front door last Thursday for over an hour. For more than an hour, Erdogan’s security people threw the nastiest cuss words, kicked, pushed and attacked people in front of everboydy. They seemed charged as if bulls seen a color of red and going after anyone standing up there. Later on when Brookings issued a statement about what happened, they could not condemn the actions of bodyguards. In the statement, it said, "we oppose any effort to silence or harass members of the media" but in reality Brookings itself silenced members of the media by robbing journalists' right to ask question. It brazenly breached the trust of Turkish people and Turkish journalists. And if this is not enough, now Brookings again started posting some Turkey pieces in which mentions press freedom issues in Turkey while itself did the worst thing to steal Turkish journalists right to ask questions last week. This is called crocodile tears.

Indyk's Big & Black Umbrella

American’s former Israeli Ambassador Martin Indyk came to rescue Mr. Erdogan. He, as if Erdogan’s security detail is opening an umbrella to shield Erdogan against protesters, opened his big and black umbrella to protect Erdogan inside the Brookings. Amb. Indyk, as if a paid lobbyist of Erdogan, held him passionately, and does not let him go until he is sure that Erdogan is out of Brookings.

Indyk, as if talking about Turkish press freedom issues, asked Erdogan whether he does not like to hear criticism, after few tender sentences about press freedom issues in Turkey. If there is a case study to teach journalism students how a “soft ball” question can be prepared and presented, Indyk can be certainly up there as an sample. Indyk did not ask about Erdogan’s nearly 2000 insulting cases opened against ordinary people, journalists and others. Nor he saw any need to ask Erdogan’s disrespect of the rule of law, Constitutional Court decision. Instead, Indyk asked Erdogan whether he does not like criticism. In thanking Indyk, Erdogan government arrested half a dozen journalists as soon as Erdogan got back to Turkey.

Not Erdogan but if it was N.Korean dictator sitting at the Brookings last week, he could have really scored well and left a good impression on Washington's "policy audience". Indyk was there to make sure his guest will leave Brookings without a scratch.

Reza Zarrab

Largest topic of Erdogan visit was Reza Zarrab’s arrest. Reza Zarrab, a money laundering and sanctions busting actor was praised by Erdogan in recent past. When Zarrab released after a couple of months in jail in the beginning of 2014, Erdogan said “justice is served.” Zarrab, for whatever reason, wanted to come to US and arrested only days before Erdogan's visit. Everybody talked about Zarrab and wondered if Erdogan still thinks he is a charitable and nice guy, as he once described him so. But not Indyk. Indyk apparently was not reading Washington Post or any other commentaries on Erdogan's visit to Washington. Indyk had something else in his mind. He was going to open the discussion with EU and Cyprus issues. Quelle belle! Zarrab’s big shadow over Erdogan also did not warrant Indyk to ask that question. What’s more, Indyk also did not intervene when Erdogan skipped it altogether the Reza Zarrab question when he was asked after his speech. Indyk did not remind Erdogan that he was supposed to answer an question.

I warned it and my warnings still on twitter

But was this whole episode unexpected? No. On March 29th, two days before Indyk’s Erdogan train-wreck, I tweeted at him and Brookings, reminded them that he is not a Turkey expert and asked him if he he is ready to follow up with Erdogan for an unanswered question. @Brookings FP tweeted back at me, assuring that he will "of course" do a follow up. We have all seen how this turned out. Instead, just as I heard days before Brookings, he was ready to accommodate his guest for any circumstances.

Indyk met with Turkish Embassy Officials 2 days before the event

Now I learned that Amb. Indyk had a meeting with Turkish senior diplomat from Turkish Embassy two days before Brookings talk. In that meeting, Indyk and Embassy’s senior official talked about Erdogan’s Brookings talk and the settings in the room. They even talked and did bargaining about who should get in the main room. Turkish Embassy presented some “suspicious” and “unwanted” people and they did not those certain people in the main room. According to sources close the Turkish Embassy who would know the meeting, Indyk was very “accommodating” while getting “instructions” from Turkish Embassy official and “coordinating” the event.

For example, Brookings tried to send one of Turkey’s most prominent Turkey expert in Washington to the secondary room, not the main room, even though the expert was there and early enough to be able to easily get in the main room. However, it was clear that this one of leading Turkey experts, was presenting a danger to Erdogan and despite Indyk’s best efforts, could have asked unexpected question. The Turkey expert made it to main room after objecting the instructions by Brookings people.

I asked about Ambassador Indyk’s performance, in other words, his robbing Turkish journalists' right to ask question, to Brookings’ Vice President of Communication, Mr. David Nassar. Nassar gave this lousy respond via email: “Due to limited time, Ambassador Indyk chose to only accept questions from the policy audience.” No, it’s not. Indyk did not choose to only accept questions from the policy audience because of limited time, but it was a decision made between him and Turkish Embassy, or Turkish Presidency.

Brookings, by this lousy explanation, proved that it can easily compete with an Arab dictatorship at a “giving best lousy excuse contest”. Indyk and Brookings robbed journalists right to ask question, then did not follow up questions, and did not ask the questions needed to be asked. Indyk opened a big, black umbrella to shield Erdogan under it. In fact, Indyk’s black umbrella was bigger and more effective umbrella then Erdogan’s security details’ black umbrellas protecting him against protesters.

Brookings' train-wreck
I pointed at this train-wreck before it happened. 

I warned both Amb. Indyk and Brookings on twitter. Nothing was going to stop Indyk to make sure Erdogan got a free ride there. Wonder what he and Brookings got in return. But one thing for sure that Ambassador Indyk and Brookings had their one of the blackest days when it comes to transparency, accountability and being a reputable think tank. 

They threw Turkish democracy under the bus, after long days of planning. So this was not an accident but deliberate operation to throw Turkish democracy under Erdogan's bus. 

Hope they are happy what they got in return. Whatever it is.