KANI XULAM, kani at kurdistan.org, @AKINinfo
    Xulam is director of the American Kurdish Information Network. He said today: “Turkey is dangerously lurching towards a civil war. 128 rally goers were massacred last Saturday (October 10) while shouting for peace. 34 youth were murdered on July 20. Five lost their lives on June 5. Most were Kurds or their friends. Kurdish cities are now under martial law.

“One man’s lust for power is the source of this uptick in violence and he is the president of Turkey. One Turkish commentator, the editor of the newspaper Gercek in Istanbul, recently assailed him as a ‘malediction for Turkey and the Middle East. And the longer he remains at the helm of his country, the more trouble will be brewing for the peoples of the region.’

“A fragile peace with Kurds translated to a loss of votes for Mr. Erdogan’s party in the last election. He is now trying war to regain his majority in the Turkish parliament.

“America has remained on the sidelines as Mr. Erdogan continues to play Russian roulette with his country’s future. President Obama is in effect saying: ‘Let me use your Incirlik Airbase and you can have your blank check.’

“President Obama has disrespected the Turkish constitution by directly conducting foreign policy with the Turkish president. The parliamentary system in Turkey mandates foreign leaders to engage prime ministers, which the White House has not done.”

For more background information, see this op-ed by Mr. Xulam.