Presidential torture

Not one billboard was saved. Gigantic posters with "President Erdo?an is honoring our city" inscribed in bold letters decorated the entire city.

Was I in Saddam Hussein's Baghdad? Years ago at the height of the presidential elections - which were indeed just a joke as only Saddam was contesting - I was in that then-very beautiful city. It was the time of the Iran-Iraq war but the dictator was busy consolidating his power. Posters proclaiming, "Saddam, we are ready to die for you," and his huge portraits were hanging from all tall buildings and bridges.

Turkey is, of course, not Iraq, and no Turkish leader can be a match for Saddam in any way. Though a peculiar democracy, there is some scent of democratic governance in this country. Can anyone make any claim or accuse the Turkish president of becoming Saddamish? No way, even if there might be such a case, no one can say it if he does not want to land himself in prison for some years. Yeah, after all, there are courts in this country and insulting or intending to insult the president is a crime. Besides, there are always people who are more royal than the royal himself. Some people might have undertaken that extravaganza to make the president happy so that he can make them happy?

Was Saddam not the Turkish leaders' good pal during those years? Well, that's another issue? In state-to-state affairs who is a foe and who is a friend depends on the conjecture. What was the name of that novel by George Orwell? "1984," was it not? How many times has history been rewritten according to changing the international climate or the Realpolitik?

After all, it was not only Saddam that was obsessed with a desire to see his portraits all around. North Korea was no exception, nor were the statelets of...