The globalization of corruption
The clash between the sons of light and the sons of darkness is not just a local matter. It is a globalization issue. There is no better proof of this than the coping mechanisms employed by both sides of the conflict, the government and its rivals, during the ongoing corruption scandal threatening to topple the regime in Ankara.
The police in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir investigated possible corruption by government ministers and, appropriately, did not inform Recep Tayyip Erdogan of its activities; and the court thwarted an attempt by the dictator to squash the police investigation. This is different than certain affairs that have occurred in other countries, even in comparison to Israel, for example, when the former police commissioner and the chief of his investigations department questioned former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi about his domestic opulence.
These are essentially the remnants of the Western legacy Ataturk left his country following World War I that permeated the country's government structure. The courts' and police's willingness to stand against Erdogan's whims is a salute to an era that ended with the electoral victory of the Islamist party.
Do corruption scandals have the power to topple regimes neck deep in such indignities? How much of a role did corruption play in former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak's downfall? And how crucial was it to the revolutions in North Africa-
The answer is complex. There is no doubt that corruption extends the life span of unworthy regimes. They use the public's money to buy enemies and friends, secure economic and religious interests, and the regime is perceived, for a while at least, as stable and strong. Ultimately, however, corruption seeps in and erodes the regime's foundations. Even Iran, currently enjoying the courtship of Western countries, is not immune. It knows there are elements on the street cognizant of and full of hate for the regime due to the breadth of its corruption, and they are working to bring it down. It is a long road, though. Patience, tolerance and perseverance are required until the table finally turns one day.
What we can learn is that corruption is an almost necessary condition for regime change. It is not, however, enough. Just as "the evidence of two witnesses" is needed in court -- sometimes even "three witnesses" in order to arrive at a conviction -- this is also the case when a rotten regime fights an enraged street. Every regime to fall was infested with corruption, but not only.
Erdogan knows this. Perhaps he understands that if the investigation is allowed to proceed unhindered it will not stop at the sons of ministers. Maybe it will reach their fathers. Maybe it will reach even higher than their fathers. Like any dictator, he cannot trust that the investigation can be contained sufficiently. That is why he is working hard to deny any wrongdoing and is pinning the blame on hostile foreign elements, which he unconvincingly claims are trying to oust him.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו