First Secretary of the CC of Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and soL columnist Kemal Okuyan wrote an article on October 24, 2016, on the position of the capitalist class of Turkey vis-a-vis President Erdoğan’s foreign policy. Emphasising Erdoğan’s attempt to restore and strengthen relations with Turkey’s traditional capitalists after the coup attempt, Okuyan explains the reasons why the bourgeoisie takes a risk and gives support to Erdoğan’s controversial foreign policy moves.
Didn’t we tell you not to get in Koç's (*) car?
Our bourgeoisie finally has decided to be braver!
Our insidious and cheeseparing traditional bourgeoisie which is always too cautious, makes their moves quietly and doesn’t want chaos, seems to change its mind. The members of the Koç or Sabancı families make public announcements every day, supporting Erdoğan’s inconsistent and unfounded foreign policy. The first point they underline is that “Turkey is a country that has to be taken into account.” Then “we have to unite” comes right after that and their third point is a fair warning to the government with which they are very happy: “It is necessary to avoid frightening the frog being boiled alive in the water.”
The frog in this metaphor describes those people who are concerned about laicism. The bourgeoisie says “You've been destroying laicism but don’t go too far, too fast; and don’t make them perceive the danger and disturb us.”
So, why have the leading capitalists changed their mind? The answer is really important.
They have always been pleased with Erdoğan’s deceiving and intimidating pro-market policies, but there have been three subjects that used to irritate them.
First of all, the fanciful agenda of Erdoğan’s foreign policy entailed huge risks, some moves with high expectations led to the loss of what you have. Secondly, Erdoğan turned into a hate figure and a source of tension. Thirdly, Erdoğan intervened in the internal balances of the capitalist class and tried to organize the economic sphere on his own.
There were some moments when the biggest monopolies attempted to get rid of Erdoğan, again with cowardly and insidious methods. They complained about him to the United States, carried out lobbying activities and told the Gülen movement “go on, we stay behind you.” But they were always cautious and while enjoying the economic policies of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) based on pillage, rent seeking, and arbitrariness, they have always said that these policies should be permanent.
In fact, the formula of an AKP without Erdoğan would satisfy both them and the rulers in the US and the UK. So they bet their chips on this number.
However, Erdoğan was determined to fight in order to survive. Not only did he manage to counter Gül's and Davutoğlu's maneuvers but also foiled the attempts at carrying the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) to a key position in the system (it was also a plan by the same groups). The most important thing was to bring the Gülen community into disrepute. We always kept our position about the Gülen movement, but this movement’s transformation from the most credited actor of the system to a case of “leprosy” was a result of Erdoğan’s survival strategy.
Fethullah Gülen had lost his legitimacy in Turkey before July 15. The coup attempt came upon this, the Gülen movement probably paid the price of putting down deep roots in the state and was badly wounded after the attempt it made with over (self-)confidence.
While fighting to survive, Erdoğan saw that one side in the US had given up on him and the other side was not so eager to defend. As usual, in big fear and panic, he began to search for a new ally. He couldn’t blindly trust Russia but at least he took some extra steps to ease the tension. At any rate, he could win some space and time for bargaining with the US.
But his biggest move was inside. At the most critical point, while he benefited from the credit opened by the Republican People's Party (CHP) and some Kemalist nationalists, he resorted to strengthen relations with the traditional capitalists of the country, especially with Doğan, Koç and Sabancı.
These capitalist groups had already paved this way and began to directly manipulate Erdoğan. These groups had no reason to be afraid of Erdoğan after the state engaged in the assets of the Gülen community. Erdoğan had no chance but to have good relations with them. In the name of state of emergency, nearly all regulations desired by the capitalists were put into effect.
These are all intelligible. But why is the bourgeoisie supporting Erdoğan’s moves in foreign policy? Why don’t they say “let’s be careful”?
Because capitalism in Turkey has so developed that it cannot avoid this fight and noticed that a new war for the division of the region is near. It had to notice it.
Because there is no safe haven. The US is in a state of internal crisis and it has difficulty in maintaining its world hegemony. There is a split in the EU. And we have arrived at a point where the fight for the ultimate division of this region is about to begin after the earthquakes triggered by the imperialist interventions mainly by the United States.
Erdoğan says “take Turkey seriously” and the bourgeoisie in Turkey is in need of showing its irredentist, greedy face in such an explicit way for the first time. They take risk, outrage the borders drawn by the powerful imperialist centres and chase their losses.
And while they get ready for the fight, they advise Erdoğan “Oh, let’s not frighten the frog being boiled alive.” “The ones sensitive about laicism," they continue, "is not aware of what is going on, we have already robbed the entire country. We now drag it into war but don’t stomp on laicism which is already down and torn into pieces. They can wake up…”
So you frogs, how do you feel?
Didn’t we tell you not to get in Koç's car?
(*) The Koç family is the country's wealthiest family. It owns businesses in oil refining, banking, car manufacturing, and electronics.
