The Pentagon announced on Oct. 29 that the US State Department has approved a $70 million sale of "smart bombs" to Turkey—one day after the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA [10]) informed Congress that the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM [11]) systems would be sold. Lawmakers have 15 days for any block. The package to be sold to Turkey includes BLU-109 "bunker-busters [12]" as well as 900 "smart bomb kits," 100 laser kits and 200 warheads. "It is vital to the US national interest to assist our NATO ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability," the DSCA stated [13] on its website. (Hurriyet Daily News [14], Oct. 30)
It's a perverse irony that the sale is announced precisely as Turkey is preparing to move against US-backed Kurdish forces [15] in Syria. The YPG [16] Kurdish militia reports ongoing attacks by the Turkish military on the border of Kobani [16] canton. (ANF [17], Oct. 31)
The sale is doubtless motiviated by the Russian intervention [18] in Syria and the potential for superpower confrontation. Washington wants Turkey prepared for a showdown with Russia and "World War 5" scenario, while Turkey will be tempted to use the new firepower to crush the Kurdish autonomous zone and replace it with a military "buffer zone [16]" (in the ongoing World War 4 context of states against non-state actors). Hopefully, the White House will be able to restrain Anakara, but the sale certainly raises questions about Washington's seemingly inevitable betrayal [19] of the Rojava Kurds
The sale also comes as a dictatorship may be consolidating in Turkey. Following new elections Nov. 1, Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP [20]) is on track to regain the majority it lost in June [21] and form a government alone—potentially reviving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's push for constitutional changes [21] giving himself broad executive powers. The AKP's 50% of the vote was followed by the Republican People's Party (CHP [22]) at 25% and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP [22]) at 12%. The Kurdish-led leftist Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP [23]) just squeaked past the 10% threshold needed to maintain parliamentary seats. (BBC News [24]; Hurriyet Daily News [25])
There were scattered clashes and charges of vote-rigging during the election day, and serious street confrontations broke out in Diyarbakir as the resutls came in. (AFP [26])
The elections of course took place in an atmosphere of terror [23] and amid a vigorous crackdown on the media [27]. On Oct. 28, police raided the studios of Kanalturk [28] and Bugun [29] TV stations mid-broadcast to take them off the air Oct. 28. The stations were said to be in sway of Erdogan's former ally and now exiled rival Fethullah Gulen [30]. (NPR [31]) However, restrictions on social media remain in place, overwhelmingly aimed at silencing the Kurdish and leftist opposition.
