Read the companion piece to this one: Why Turkey Should Be Removed From NATO
First, the obvious; there is no mechanism in the North Atlantic Treaty to remove a member without their consent.
The only conceivable workaround is for the other twenty seven member states to deposit their intent to leave the Alliance in Washington D.C., and then form a new Alliance. However, this “solution” has problems.
The credibility of the alliance would be compromised. Public’s on both sides of the Atlantic are growing ambivalent to collective security.
Collapsing and reforming the alliance to exclude one of the oldest and most strategically relevant will inspire a lack of confidence in collective security. The whole house of cards comes crashing down.
Read More: 10 Days In Turkey: An American Student Comes Face To Face With The Islamic Crisis Of Modernity
For the sake of argument, let’s say that excluding Turkey is possible, and won’t create a tremendous credibility gap; NATO would still be shooting itself in the foot in terms of its deterrence value.
Even ignoring that Turkey has the second largest military in NATO, its geographic position is invaluable in deterring Russian aggression against the alliance, and negating the Black Sea Fleet.
The Black Sea Fleet, recently reinforced by ships stolen from the Ukrainian Navy, would be free to do as it pleases, were it not for the Bosporus and Dardanelles, which act as a tremendous nautical choke point.
The Bosporus Bridge. Photo Credit: Güldem Üstün/Flickr (CC by 2.0)
This severely limits the ability of the Russians to act aggressively in the Mediterranean, as they must utilize this passage.
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Turkey is a guarantor of good behavior on behalf of the Russians in NATO’s southern flank, and gives the alliance a second front to project over the Black Sea.
If Turkey is so important, why would anyone want to be rid of it?
A reasonable criticism is that Turkey is increasingly undemocratic due to President Erdoğan, among other things, silences media at home and abroad, and continues to deny the genocide in Armenia.
Photo Credit: Hyeong Seok Kim/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
While these instances are wholly undemocratic, and contrary to the democratic ethos of the Atlantic Alliance, it would not be the first time an alliance member was behaving badly.
Both the United States and Belgium, for instance, fueled the Congo Crisis of the early 1960s, leading to the deaths of about 100,000 people.
The British and the French attempted to seize the Sinai Peninsula in a shameless imperialist land grab in 1956. Poland’s ruling party is also curtailing democracy in much the same way Erdoğan has.
Yet all of these parties remain in the alliance.
Instead of ostracizing an old and strategically invaluable friend, utilizing the existing alliance architecture to influence Turkey back onto the path of liberalism is the far more reasonable reaction.
Read the companion piece to this one: Why Turkey Should Be Removed From NATO
Do you with agree with this view? Give us your take in the comments below.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: ResoluteSupportMedia/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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The US Government Has Failed The World On The Ubiquitous Use of Cluster Bombs
In conflict zones spanning the globe, several factions are utilizing various types of “cluster munitions”.
Unlike ordinary explosives, which are a one and done affair, cluster munitions are a type of warhead that is far more insidious. They disperses bomblets, thus peppering an area with the loaded munitions.
This is problematic due to the tendency of some of the bomblets to not detonate immediately.
These unexploded ordinance can later detonate, and shred civilians in their wake.
Laos for instance has suffered heavily from unexploded cluster bombs in the decades since the American war in Vietnam.
As a result the UN passed a resolution banning the use of cluster munitions in 2008.
As is often the case, the United States is not a signatory to the convention, but has desisted from using cluster munitions, and the White House has blocked the sale of cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia, who has been using them in the war in Yemen.
This was after damning accusations by Human Rights Watch, claiming that Riyadh was even using cluster bombs in urban areas.
However, Saudi Arabia is joined by: Russia and Ukraine, the Libyan National Army, Sudan, and Russia and Al-Assad in Syria, who are potentially field testing a new variety of cluster bomb, according to War is Boring.
The American Government, has been largely silent on the use of cluster munitions.
While the sale of cluster munitions blocked by the President was nearly unnecessary due to a close fight in the House, this slight reaction was only triggered following Saudi airstrikes on urban centers.
A slap on the wrist for a customer and ally, but no condemnation for the many other actors who use cluster munitions on civilian centers.
Whilst the United States is not a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Bombs, this would not be the first time the United States has acted to enforce international law it is not a de jure party to.
The dispute in the South China Sea is one largely over the arcane minutia of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), of which the United States is not party to, due to vague arguments regarding sovereignty.
Nevertheless, the United States largely abides by the conditions of UNCLOS, and has demonstrated its determination to not recognize China’s maritime claims, based on the text of UNCLOS.
In the words of the late International Law scholar Lewis Henkin;
“Almost all nations observe almost all principles of international law and almost all of their obligations almost all of the time.”
If the cost of doing business is to adhere to certain laws and norms, then states will adhere to those laws and norms in all but extraordinary cases.
It then should be surprising that the United States has not used either the Convention on Cluster Munitions, or its own invented doctrine of no use in civilian areas, as a rhetorical stick to hit its adversaries hard and often.
Fear of hypocrisy has not deterred the American Government from criticizing bad actors before, and even more so when decades of damage to civilian populations is guaranteed by inaction.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
Photo Credit: Mario Micklisch/Flickr (CC by 2.0)
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The First Rule of Parliament Fight Club
The first rule of Parliament Fight Club is that you don’t talk about Parliament Fight Club.
There are parliaments all over the world and whilst they might be different in structure, language or composition it seems as though they are all bat-shit crazy.
Remember, parliament is where the ruling party or governing coalition meets with the opposition in order to discuss and draft laws as well as oversee the executive (government).
The presence of a functioning parliament is also a vital sign of a healthy and participating electorate, even North Korea held its first Congress in 36 years three weeks ago.
So if parliament is where citizens are represented by elected officials in order to make laws and ensure that government is not overstepping its boundaries, then why are the people there acting like toddlers?
In Turkey, Members of Parliament who belong to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) clashed over a proposed bill that would strip MPs of their immunity from prosecution. It was a literal clash:
The bill has now been passed by 376 deputies in the 550-seat assembly in Ankara.
It came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accused the HDP of being an instrument of outlawed Kurdish militants.
The bill thus clears the way for the prosecution of HDP pro-Kurdish MPs on terrorism related charges. It seems then that tensions boiled over and the fight itself was just two sides tired of doing what politicians do; talking.
Meanwhile in Kosovo, Prime Minister Isa Mustafa had to have his bodyguards swoop in with an umbrella, like a really strong Mary Poppins to protect him from a torrent of eggs.
He had just begun his speech when the torrent of eggs came pouring down from the opposition, who were protesting an EU deal that would give more legislative and financial rights to the Serb minority in the majority Albanian country.
The United Kingdom’s House of Commons resembles a high school classroom where the loudest one gets the most attention.
An MP in an arm-brace even, was not enough to quiet the House and show some courtesy to their fellow law-makers.
Another MP decided to treat the House like children and take their shiny toys away.
Even the Prime Minister gets into the banter from time to time.
Considering how important the job parliament is doing, precious time is being wasted when parliament is not working efficiently.
In the United States, The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was opposed by pro-segregation Democrat senator Strom Thurmond who conducted the longest filibuster ever.
The Senator spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes to try and stall the bill, although it was unsuccessful.
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It was reported that Thurmond recited the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and his grandmother’s biscuit recipe.
Thus politicians wasting time in parliament is not a new thing.
However as more parliaments and congresses across the world become televised for the public, we are starting to see it for ourselves.
I am not sure anybody likes what they see.
Most of the fights in Parliaments across the world end up just being fisticuffs and throwing water bottles.
However there have been serious incidents which resulted in injuries to really old men who should only close a fist when they’re sneaking butterscotch hard candies.
There was even a Jordanian MP who fired an AK-47 in the hallway of Parliament.
These are the things that happen when politicians are left to their own devices and those devices are the same ones we trust to create and debate serious laws.
Should we really trust politicians or should we feed them a bottle and send them to bed.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Özgür Gün TV /Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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The Teacher Who Changed My Life: Haitian Cai
I have met many teachers since I was a little child.
There are some who just taught me about subjects.
But there is one who taught me much more.
He was my electronic organ teacher during my extracurricular time on weekends when I was from 9 to 12 years old back in my home country of China.
His name is Haitian Cai.
When I first met him, he was already in his 50s.
I was very amazed to know that he would be my electronic organ teacher.
His hands were gigantic for me and on the keyboard, too.
How could he remember all those staves?
The first song I learned from him was the Song of Joy.
He taught me to practice with the right hand first then remember the chords on the left hand.
It was very exciting for me to use both hands to play a song, even it was the simplest one among all songs I would play.
Time and time again, I fell in love with playing songs since I learned more and more.
I enjoyed having classes with Mr. Cai, too.
Each time I knew it was time for the class I would beg my mom to take me to the class at least 20 minutes earlier.
During weekdays, I spent at least 1 hour every day to practice.
My parents even joked that I would be a genius to put the same amount of efforts into my regular classes at school.
Mr. Cai was very different from other teachers.
Most music teachers in China are gentle and young women.
But Mr. Cai was sedate, sincere and patient.
He had steps to teach us little children and told us about interesting stories about the people that he met in other musical schools.
There was a concert held by the institution and I got a chance to see my mates to perform on stage.
The first time I saw the beautiful song played by a girl and it just stimulated me to practice more and learn that song.
One day I would be able to shine on the stage.
I was 10 and I loved learning and playing so much that I didn’t stop during breaks.
I enjoyed interacting with Mr. Cai and listened to his feedback about my playing.
When he played I couldn’t stop looking at his hands.
He told us it was very important to know the principles first then to play.
There is one story that I remember the most.
He said us girls who played well would marry elegant boys because we would be matched.
At that time, all girls laughed and were shy but we all knew it was truth.
Mr. Cai once talked with my mom and got to know that I was so enchanted to playing the organ.
He expressed his compliments to me in front of all my mates.
I was shy and knew that I couldn’t be complacent.
I just needed to keep going and purse my shining dream.
As time went by, my skills grew better.
Mr. Cai invited me to join his “talented class “ in which are his most outstanding students.
I was so happy to be able to learn from other mates.
I kept learning more and grew faster than before.
Mr. Cai encouraged me.
For example, if I could finish a 4-page song in a week, he would say I can start to learn the next one.
However, it was not always good to grow too fast.
If he found some defects in my playing he would let me practice for a specific phase for one hour then play for him.
He also said playing songs is like eating the fruits that we bought before.
If we play old songs, we enjoyed the sweetness of fruits.
If we just forgot and let go of old songs, those fruits decayed over time.
Mr. Cai was not a strict teacher.
He would call us to go back to the room to practice when the break time was over.
But he never forced us to go.
He knew that everyone has his or her own pace to learn things.
There were other students who were taken by their parents to learn but not for their own interest.
Mr. Cai knew this deeply.
He encouraged every student in different ways.
To me, he had higher standards and was never mean to express his recognition towards me.
I liked the way the Mr. Cai taught me.
Not like other young teachers who just talked gently with children and lose temper easily, Mr. Cai was more sincere and calm.
I felt very comfortable to talk with him and learn from him.
He would find some beautiful songs to enable me to learn more than what I needed to pass the music level test.
Mr. Cai was versatile and he taught traditional Chinese painting, Erhu and flute, too.
By the time when I was preparing for the level 10 test (which is the highest level), he was ready to teach painting.
I decided to end my learning if I passed the test because I knew I would had enough knowledge and reached my goal.
So I didn’t accept the invitation to join his painting class a year before I took the test.
It turned out that after several months, another young teacher took over Mr. Cai’s classes.
It was said that Mr. Cai asked for a long leave.
I was only half of a year before the test.
I was sad but I didn’t know when he would be back.
I felt lost after he was not there.
I had a new teacher but she was young and didn’t give much feedback as Mr. Cai did.
I missed him but I had to keep going to pass the test.
Finally, I passed the test, which made me the only student who first passed level 10 among all his students.
I felt proud of myself.
It was a little sentimental that my mentor Mr. Cai was not there.
Even before I left, he never came back.
I don’t know what happen to him.
Maybe he was sick or he had something important to deal with.
I imagined that I wrote a letter to him to express my gratitude and appreciation towards him.
I thought about the words I wanted to say to him.
However, I never got the chance.
This experience opens my window towards the beauty of music.
My voice is deep and I was not considered as a good singer at school.
But learning the organ developed my talent in music and I started singing and playing.
Since I was 9, music has been my best friend.
It changed the way I look at the world.
It enriches me with the opportunities to find more beauty in life.
Those four years of learning music and playing was the most precious time in my life.
I didn’t get much happiness from study at school.
I paid all my attention and efforts into one thing I enjoyed and loved.
I got such a great teacher to guide me and motivate me.
Mr. Cai kept encouraging me to learn, practice and grow.
Now whenever I meet challenges, my memory will bring me back to the girl who was so hard-working and persistent.
It is always lucky to do what I like to and grow.
I hope Mr. Cai is still well and I will always make wishes for him in my heart.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Kris McGuire/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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