Erdogan's long shadow in Türkiye threatens to sink New York mayor's political career | WE

Turkey's ambition to project an image as an emerging, independent and powerful global power in its region. What has been defined as neo-Ottoman diplomacy, now attenuated by neighboring conflicts, now threatens to overthrow the mayor of New York himself, accused of corruption. The geopolitical reasons which linked the interests of Ankara and the Big Apple, those of Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and those of Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, are illustrated by the story of a 36-story skyscraper located just in opposite the United Nations headquarters and houses the Turkish consulate in the so-called capital of the world.

The Turkish government hoped to inaugurate the building, a glass and steel tower, in September 2021, during President Erdogan's visit to New York for the UN General Assembly, which represents the big week of international diplomacy . But the city's fire department raised objections after discovering more than 60 problems with the buildings' fire protection system. The interested intercession of future Mayor Adams, then still a candidate, but authorized interlocutor, given his large lead in the Democratic primaries, accelerated the permits and the inauguration ceremony took place on the scheduled date, September 20, 2021 , with the removal of Erdogan. the ribbon with great pomp. Three months later, Adams took his place in the mayor's office, a position he clings to today.

The $300 million building was the culmination of a dream Erdogan had cherished for years. In theory, nothing could stop the planned show of force by the Turkish House, a modern skyscraper that replaced the old consular building to house diplomatic headquarters, Turkish business offices and a cultural center. In other words, it was a monument to the Eurasian country's growing global influence: for Erdogan, it was like staking a claim to the heart of the West. The same happened, a few months later, for the United Nations to officially change the country's name to Trkiye to avoid the homonym of its English name. But the dreams of grandeur were spoiled by numerous delays in the project carried out by an American studio and a Turkish construction company and, in 2018, they encountered a new obstacle: the firefighters' requirements became stricter, which which in theory also delayed project completion and increased budgetary costs.

How did Turkey get around these limitations? According to the prosecution, those responsible turned to the future mayor of the Big Apple, who was then president of the Brooklyn borough. In exchange for pressuring the firefighters, Adams allegedly received numerous benefits from the Turkish government and entrepreneurs (business class flights, stays in luxury hotels and numerous campaign donations, including from unknown Turkish universities with campuses in Washington). This is according to the indictment, unsealed on September 26, which accuses Adams of five federal crimes (wire fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud, solicit foreign contributions and accept bribes bribery and two counts of solicitation of a contribution from a foreign national. The investigation has shaken the foundations of town hall: since the beginning of September, a dozen senior officials have resigned due to four parallel investigations for corruption.

The implosion of New York City Hall couldn't come at a worse time: local elections are scheduled for next year, and Adams, who is reluctant to resign, is considering running even without a team or budget: his campaign has barely managed to raise $190,000 in the past three months amid widespread corruption suspicions, while his legal defense fund has received a single $1,000 donation since the indictment. And as the presidential elections approach, the scandal also affects the Democratic Party in the country's largest city.

That's why prominent members of the party, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have called for Adams' immediate resignation, as a sort of firewall. But Adams insists he is ready to prove his innocence. And he's not only resisting, he's also exercising his power by appointing replacements for those who recently resigned, including the all-important New York Police Commissioner. The latest resignation to make headlines is that of the health commissioner who is also stepping down, for personal reasons. One of Adams' most trusted advisers, with ties to China, resigned a few days ago.

A city adrift

Politically, New York City resembles a copy of the Flying Dutchman: a ship adrift. The mayor's lawyers tried to get the judge to dismiss the bribery charge because neither gratuities nor courtesies to politicians (sic) constitute federal crimes, the defense brief reads. The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded to the scandal by assuring that its officials respected international law and diplomatic conventions. We will not interfere in any way in the internal affairs of any other country, the ministry said in a statement. The statement specifically referenced the consuls' intercession in September 2021 to ensure that Adams would facilitate the inauguration of the building.

The negligence and freedom of builders and developers in Turkey largely explains the devastating devastation of earthquakes in this country, where buildings collapse like sandcastles. But New York City's laws were a guarantee of safety… until Adams showed up on the scene. His fall is reminiscent of that of former Democratic senator Robert Menendez, convicted in July of corruption and influence peddling for having received money from Egypt in exchange for favors.

But Adams also has a chain of unsavory friendships: an opaque network of patronage built around his political rise and consisting, among others, of the two Banks brothers, whom the mayor called his own brothers and sisters and whom he appointed as Chancellor of Schools and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety; both resigned (one benefited a company he had ties to with contracts worth $1.4 million). The wife of one is Sheena Wright, senior deputy mayor, who also resigned a week ago.

Aside from the Foreign Ministry's brief statement, the Turkish government has responded to the controversy with silence. And curiously, he found an ally in the opposition, usually ready to use such affairs to attack Erdogan. Visiting New York to attend a meeting of the Socialist International, Turkish opposition leader ZGR ZEL rejected the accusations that Turkey is not a country that needs to resort to bribery. -wine) and said that the Turkish House is a building that all Turks are proud of. If one thing was done during the process of acquiring this building, we certainly did more for the magnificent space granted to the American Embassy in Ankara. This is not something that should be measured in terms of money; a strong alliance requires these things, he said. These statements contrast with those of his predecessor, Kemal Kilidaroglu, who went so far as to assert that the prolonged construction of the Turkish House hid the shadow of money laundering, which he associated with foundations linked to the Erdogan family .

Over the past two decades, Erdogan has promoted numerous major infrastructure projects that have changed the face of the country and modernized it, but which, opposition critics say, have also served to distribute revenue to large construction companies close to the government, which then financially help the party during electoral campaigns. According to former Turkish diplomats, few places outside Turkey have attracted the president's interest as much as New York, the epicenter of global finance and diplomacy. At the consulate's inauguration ceremony, Erdogan said the skyscraper reflected the nation's greatness, heritage and growing power. Today, just on the corner of the street opposite, signs in the windows of large commercial premises still under construction announce the upcoming opening, perhaps by chance, of a luxury establishment selling… Turkish delights.

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