The question is: Is this impact a possitive push to the economy or a negative one? I mean can we account the improvement of the Turkish economy that BigOZ described before to the economic activities of the Turkish army and it’s penetrating into the deep state?
Guns and bombs, you might say, are bad for the body, but good for the economy. The Turkish Army is not just involved in the arms economy it is also involved in any number of sectors from banking to manufacturing to agriculture. In that way it is like many militaries across the world. Do I think producing bombs and guns is a worthwhile and beneficial activity ? No. Does it make money ? Yes.
From what you said:
A) retired officers doing business activities. Ok I knew about that but why do you account them in the Turkish army. They ARE retired.
They may be retired but they are crucial in the revolving doors of the military-industrial complex. How are contracts for new equipment, munitions, biscuits, trucks, you name it, awarded ? Again this is par for the course in militaries across the world.
B)Army expenditure, army contracting… Yes they may have huge effect but they are all spending. Spending does not push economies forward! It pushes them backwards. It just makes some people rich on the expense of the rest.
It is not 'all spending' but even if one accepted that it was, spending levels are massive and it locks up huge amounts of investment, has the effect of steering the economy in particular directions, absorbs massive amounts of labour power, and is a spend which hundred of thousand, nay, millions of people then become dependent on. For example, in northern Cyprus just the presence of the Turkish army - I believe in the order of 30,000 personnel - has had a dramatic economic effect and created an economic dependency. Local shopkeepers who over the years have become dependent upon Turkish army squaddies buying drinks and cigarettes. Now you may say 'so what ? i don't care', but little mr corner shop guy who never supported the turkish army has become dependent upon it. Multiply this phenomena across northern Cyprus. Mr corner shop guy want the army to leave, but he doesn't want the army to leave. That is a political reality.
C) Army founded economic enterprises. For this I would like to receive more information. What enterprises are they, are they profitable, do they re-direct their profits in the army, what ?
This is a big question and I don't have the info and sources readily to hand, but I can say that some companies are formally army entities, others are arms-length entities and some are quite autonomous. (I think the 'Ulker' brand of biscuits, for example, are produced by an army company !)
D) I also heard the Turkish Army is also involved in the drug producing/exporting business,
I couldn't possibly comment
I mean look around you in this forum, the vast majority of the TCs consider the Turkish Army their guardian angels.
Quite right too. Before you blow up at that comment, consider this : let's divide the TC population in two, those born after '74 and those born before. We now have two generations of TCs in Cyprus whose life and consciousness from the day that they were born has been shaped by the twofold story that (a) '74 was a final disaster and (b) that the Turkish army saved them. To that add the settler population. How and under what circumstances would one reasonably expect most TCs to suddenly change their tune ? They might be mistaken in their belief - I'm sure you'd insist that they were - but this belief is as profoundly ingrained as many GCs who hold that (a) '74 was a final disaster and (b) that the Turkish army committed war crimes. Why should a TC give up or overturn this dearly held conviction which is reinforced day in day out by, on the one hand the Turkish state itself and on the other hand by many GCs who say TCs have no standing (i.e, TRNC is illegal). TCs are locked in even if they wanted to be out.
I happen to think that the Turkish army is a huge part of the problem - not least for Turkey - but I understand entirely why TCs (and Turks) are convinced that the army is their saviour. From my point of view holding a pure position is the easy bit - "never again", "TRNC forever", "Turks are war criminals", 'Greeks are fascists", whatever puritan slogan you want - as is falling for your own propaganda. The difficult bit is trying understand why 'the other side' thinks like it does and, given that it thinks like that how do you get any movement are convergence.
You see, if there is no negotiation then (a) the status quo remains indefinitely and (b) the prejudices and myths are repeated and deepened for another generation, and another generation, and another generation ,.,,
It is a truism that you negotiate with your enemy. Mandela-De Klerk, Paisley-Adams, Barak-Arafat, Gorbachev-Reagan.....Venizelos-Kemal, Makarios-Lloyd. Negotiations occur between parties who often are radically hostile to each other. Problems aren't solved before negotiations take place; negotiations are the effort to resolve intractable problems.
I think he put forward the consequences and not the ideal but I am sure he will put you right on that???
