NATO needs to take punitive measures against Erdogan, here's why

It’s hard to fathom why, since the failed military coup in 2016 in particular, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still rampaging against his people and defying his Western allies with near impunity, especially as Turkey is a NATO member state, which requires all members to uphold democratic principles while fully adhering to its shared values and goals. 

Western officials often explain that Turkey occupies a critical geostrategic location between East and West and is the energy hub for Europe. In addition, Turkey hosts NATO’s long-range missile systems and US military forces at Incirlik Air Base. 

It’s hard to reconcile these explanations, however meritorious, with Erdogan’s egregious human rights violations and abrogation of Western values. To change his behavior, it’s essential to first assess the litany of his egregious domestic and foreign transgressions and take the necessary measures corresponding to the scope of his transgression. 

Erdogan’s human rights violations

Widespread human rights violations have continued since the failed 2016 coup, which includes arbitrary detentions, infringements of freedom of association and expression, violations of the right to work, and freedom of movement.

In addition, he fired 150,000 people, including public servants and teachers, falsely accusing them of affiliation with the Gülen movement, which Turkey alone considers a terrorist group. 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara, Turkey August 23, 2022. (credit: MURAT CETINMUHURDAR/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

He also sought the extradition of Turkish citizens from other countries who are allegedly affiliated with the movement. Torture and ill-treatment became routine in police custody and prisons, which included severe beatings, sexual assault, and deprivation of sleep. To make matters worse, he detained human rights defenders and activists, intended to exert pressure on civil society groups and NGOs critical of him. 

Brexit has made the UK a lower-status nation, says David Miliband

The UK has lost influence since Brexit to become just one of many “middle powers” in the world, former foreign secretary David Miliband has said.

Writing for the Observer, Miliband, now president and chief executive of the International Rescue Committee, said that in order to reverse the decline, the UK needed to enter new “structures and commitments” with the EU on foreign policy.

“Our relations in Nato are strong, but with the EU they are almost nonexistent. And this is all the more glaring since the war in Ukraine has brought the EU and Nato closer together,” he said.

Miliband suggested that the UK’s downward trend could accelerate if Donald Trump was re-elected later this year. But he believes that, even if Joe Biden wins a second term, “the warning signs about American willingness, patience and ability to provide active and continuing strategic global leadership are still there”.

Related: In an increasingly unstable world, Britain can’t afford to isolate itself from its allies

He added: “In a world where the EU is shipping weapons to Ukraine, hosting 6 million Ukrainian refugees, is a major development actor, sits in the G20, and is a regulatory superpower in trade, climate and digital areas, we need our mindset to change.

“A UK policy on Russia separate from the EU will be weaker and less effective. The same is true in respect of China. So the decision of the UK in 2019 to refuse a political and foreign policy relationship with the EU needs to be reversed. Structures and commitments need to be put in place to drive cooperation and coordination in the many areas of shared foreign policy, defence, security and development policy interest.”

Miliband’s comments go far further than any policy outlined so far by Labour towards closer working with the EU, if the party wins power at the next general election.

Miliband, who was foreign secretary from 2007 to 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, says that “one of the delusions of Brexit” was that the UK’s destiny would depend only on its own decisions, rather than the ability to engage and bargain with other countries.

He said: “The danger for British policymakers was exemplified by the Johnson government: wishful thinking about our power and position in a world dominated by growing global risks and muscular, transactional, adroit – sometimes predatory – nations and non-state actors, all growing in influence by the weakening of the multilateral system.”

Britain, he said, still had global reach and power, and retained hard and soft power. It is also one of the world’s richer countries and is privileged to have a seat on the UN security council. “But we have an imperative to understand the realities of our power as it is today, and not as it used to be.

“We do not have the finance of Saudi Arabia, the EU anchor of France, the regional activism and risk appetite of Turkey or the demographic strength of India or Indonesia. We are one among a number of ‘middle powers’ in the global system. Our wealth, military assets and reputation have all declined relative to others in the last decade.

“Our position, on critical interests from the economy to the climate crisis, national security and international development, will get worse unless we get our act together. The reason is simple: the world is trending towards an unhealthy disequilibrium, and Britain is on the wrong side of some of the key trends.”

Iran launches massive drone attack on Israel

Iran has launched a major drone attack on Israel as Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was prepared for a “direct attack” for the first time.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Iran had launched dozens of drones from within its own territory, signalling that the long-awaited attack on Israel’s territory had begun.

Israeli forces said warships and fighter jets were on “high alert” and the US was working to help intercept the drones before they reached Israel’s airspace.

The drones launched from Iran were seen flying low as they passed over Iraq, in an apparent attempt to avoid radar detection. A loud buzzing noise could be heard on videos posted on social media as they passed overhead.

“We are closely monitoring Iranian killer drones that are en route to Israel sent by Iran,” Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said in a televised statement. 

“This is a severe and dangerous escalation. Our defensive and offensive capabilities are at the highest level of readiness ahead of this large-scale attack from Iran.” 

He added: “We are working in close cooperation with the United States and our partners in the region in order to act against the launches and intercept them.”

The Israeli military has already begun planning for a retaliatory strike on Iran or its proxy groups in the region.

Israeli civilians have been advised to monitor government alerts and follow advice from the Home Front command.

Schools across the country and beaches near Gaza have been closed “in light of the security situation,” Mr Hagari said.

He added that the IDF’s interception attempts would scramble GPS signals across the country.

The Israeli defences will involve fighter jets and navy ships, which are both equipped with anti-aircraft missiles, and Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system.

The US has moved the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier and three other warships closer to Israel in the northern Red Sea in recent days.

Jordan said its air defences were also ready to intercept and shoot down any Iranian drones or aircraft that violated its airspace, two regional security sources said. Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said: “Our defence systems are deployed, and we are prepared for any scenario, both in defence and offence.

“The State of Israel is strong, the IDF is strong, the public is strong. We appreciate the US for standing by Israel’s side as well as the support of the UK, France and many other countries.

“I established a clear principle – whoever hurts us, we will hurt them. We will defend ourselves from any threat and we will do so calmly and with determination.”

Benjamin Netanyahu convened a War Cabinet in Tel Aviv© Provided by The Telegraph

A statement from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported on state television said: “In response to the recent crime of the Zionist regime against the Iranian consulate in Syria, the IRGC air forces have successfully fired tens of drones and missiles towards the occupied territories.”

However, by launching the drones from Iran, well over 1,000km away from Israel, the regime seems to have deliberately avoided the element of surprise.

Joe Biden, the US president, cut short a weekend trip to Delaware and returned to Washington to receive a briefing from his security team. Channel 12, an Israeli news network, reported that the US had been the first to warn Israel the attack was incoming.

A White House spokeswoman said the attack was “likely to unfold over a number of hours”, adding: “The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defence against these threats from Iran.”

Jake Sullivan, Mr Biden’s national security adviser, earlier on Saturday reiterated the US’s “ironclad” support for the defence of Israel, after the government said it had redirected some military assets there in response to Iran’s threats. 

The attack was first considered “imminent” by US intelligence on Wednesday, after Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader  said Israel “must be punished” for a strike on an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on April 1.

The drone strike is thought to be directed at government and military buildings in Israel, not civilian targets. It is the first time that Iranian forces have directly attacked Israel, although Iran has backed the proxy groups Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and Lebanon.

Israel has indicated that it will strike Iran directly in response to any attack on its territory. Earlier on Saturday, Israel warned it would suffer the “consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further”.

It was unclear whether the drone salvoes would be followed by further launches of cruise or ballistic missiles. It is thought Iran may have launched the drones well in advance of the missiles, in an attempt to ensure the weapons reach Israel at around the same time. 

Iran’s most notorious drone is the Shahed, which has been deployed by Russia against Ukraine and by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

‘Hungarians rise’: Tens of thousands protest against Orban in Budapest

Tens of thousands of people staged a rally in Budapest on Saturday in support of a critic of Prime Minister Viktor Orban as he outlined plans to challenge the nationalist leader.

The protest against Orban’s government was called by lawyer and former insider Peter Magyar, who has shot to prominence in Hungarian politics over a child abuse scandal.

AFP journalists said about 100,000 protestors gathered in Kossuth Square in front of the parliament, with many carrying national flags and holding up signs that read “Hungarians rise!”

“We will take back our country step by step, and brick by brick we will build a sovereign, modern Hungary,” Magyar told a cheering crowd.

He said he would soon announce a new political party to run in European and local elections in June.

Magyar, 43, is the ex-husband of Orban’s former justice minister Judit Varga and was in the orbit of the ruling Fidesz party until he split, vowing to challenge Orban’s “power factory” by forming a new party.

Varga was forced to stand down from public life over her role in the pardoning of officials involved in a child abuse scandal and Magyar has since emerged as a fierce Orban critic.

Last month, Magyar released a recording allegedly implicating a top minister in a high-profile corruption case, and called for the chief prosecutor to resign. 

“Magyar’s initiative has to be supported because... with the current opposition, it is hopeless to fight Orban,” 49-year-old cook Leo Szabo told AFP, adding he would vote for Magyar’s party once it is operating.

Sports coach Tamara, 36, who declined to give her full name, said she was “sceptical”, but went to the protest since “something needed to be done because it’s insane how much this government has gotten away with”.

Twenty-year-old student Peter Nagy said he was willing to give Magyar a chance as Hungarians “had nothing to lose”.

According to a recent poll, Magyar’s party could get between 11 to 15 percent in the country of 9.7 million, where elections are due by 2026.

Orban is facing the biggest political crisis of his 14-year premiership since it emerged in February that a man convicted in a child sex abuse case had been granted a presidential pardon and was released from jail.

Since returning in 2010 to lead the EU member state, Orban has moved to curb press freedom and made other changes to tighten his grip on power, often clashing with Brussels over rule-of-law issues.

He has also clashed with other EU and NATO members over his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, maintained even after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He held up an EU aid package for Ukraine for months, before finally lifting his veto in February.