A Turning Point In World History – OpEd

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We experienced a turning point in world history last night, December 19, 2016. This is not an exaggeration. Whether you have as many armored cars as you want, thousands of security guards, hundreds of young security personnel, anti-terrorist personnel, all your protection depends on their loyalty to you.

Under a security cover, a young, well-dressed policeman with a clean face can change all your security precautions. Last night, the event in Ankara’s contemporary art center, under the Russian embassy’s sponsorship for photo artists named “Ankara Travelers Group”, was an exhibition of their selected photos taken during their travels from “Kaliningrad to Kamchatka.”

In the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was invited to give a speech before the ribbon cutting.

During the opening speech of the  Ambassador, a security officer standing to his left turned into an assassin. Everyone had an iPhone in hand, all digital cameras, all videos were on record.

A 22-year-old young police officer turned into a villain. He said his cause was to punish the aggressors in the Aleppo war. The assassin was “neutralized” by an anti-terror team, which was an unnecessary initiative  as it made it impossible to interrogate him alive.

Monday’s attack reminds us that we could all be there in similar situations.

On the same day, a Pakistani immigrant truck driver went through all critical search routes, passed all protection roadblocks, border posts, passport controls, with his TIR truck into Berlin’s Weihnachtsmarkt Celebration park in Kurfunstendam street and crushed 12 innocent people.

I was there just three weeks ago on a cold night with my family in the same place. It was nice peaceful place  in the open-air to sip hot spicy wine till the end of the night.

Last night, a hit man entered the Zurich Islamic center, and shot three people who were worshiping there.

We are now in an era where terror can strike in normal places. Wherever you go, you can not escape the consequences of these terror instances. I do not know what the solution is. Is it with more education, more dialogue, in fair world? Or is it a more controlled, more obstructive, more discriminatory, more oppressive world that we will be creating by running away easily? I have nothing to preach, nor can foresee.

Haluk Direskeneli

Haluk Direskeneli, is a graduate of METU Mechanical Engineering department (1973). He worked in public, private enterprises, USA Turkish JV companies (B&W, CSWI, AEP, Entergy), in fabrication, basic and detail design, marketing, sales and project management of thermal power plants. He is currently working as freelance consultant/ energy analyst with thermal power plants basic/ detail design software expertise for private engineering companies, investors, universities and research institutions. He is a member of Chamber of Turkish Mechanical Engineers Energy Working Group.

One thought on “A Turning Point In World History – OpEd

  • December 21, 2016 at 6:03 am
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    I believe solution lies in the lyrics of ths John Lennon Song,

    Imagine,

    Reply

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