Chomsky - Erdogan ''Dialogue'' at Its Peak

• 01.21.2016, 18:47
•  America,  Region,  World

The left wing US academic Noam Chomsky has hit back at Recep Tayipp Erdogan after the Turkish President accused him of ignorance and sympathizing with terrorists, inviting Chomsky to visit the area in a defiant televised speech to a conference of Turkish ambassadors in Ankara.

It should be noted that Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, historian, logician, social critic and political activist. Sometimes described as "the father of modern linguistics,"Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy. He is an author of over 100 books on politics and linguistics. 

Chomski is also famous worldwide for his critical views on different statesmen and politicians.

In an email to the Guardian he said that he rejects Erdogan's invitation: ''If I decide to go to Turkey, it will not be on his invitation, but as frequently before at the invitation of the many courageous dissidents, including Kurds who have been under severe attack for many years.''

Chomsky also claimed Erdoğan was operating with double standards on terrorism.

The matter is that in the open letter to Erdoğan released last month, Chomsky and hundreds of others accused him of waging war against his own people. It said: ''We demand the state to abandon its deliberate massacre and deportation of Kurdish and other peoples in the region. We also demand the state to lift the curfew, punish those who are responsible for human rights violations, and compensate those citizens who have experienced material and psychological damage. For this purpose we demand that independent national and international observers are given access to the region and that they are allowed to monitor and report on the incidents.''

''We, as academics and researchers working on and/or in Turkey, declare that we will not be a party to this massacre by remaining silent and demand an immediate end to the violence perpetrated by the state.''

In response to this, Erdoğan said: ''We are ready to tell them what is happening in the south-east. They should see with their eyes whether the problem is a violation by the state or the hijacking of our citizens’ rights and freedoms by the terrorist organization,'' Al-Jazeera quotes.

He went on to accuse Chomsky and the other signatories of displaying the ''mentality of colonialism,'' saying: ''You so-called intellectuals are not enlightened persons, you are in the dark. You are nothing like intellectuals. Just putting your signature on a dry piece of paper means nothing. Come to Turkey.''

In his email to the Guardian, Chomsky accused Erdoğan of hypocrisy. He said: ''Turkey blamed Isis for the attack on Istanbul, which Erdoğan has been aiding in many ways, while also supporting the al-Nusra Front, which is hardly different. He then launched a tirade against those who condemn his crimes against Kurds – who happen to be the main ground force opposing Isis in both Syria and Iraq. Is there any need for further comment?''

However, most of the experts discussing all this ''dialogue'' between a celebrated and respected intellectual and the leader of one of the regional powers, assure that a number of ''Erdogans'' will come and go during years, while Chomsky will be Chomsky, and people like him will always remain in the memories of generations.