Rather than entertain Fidan’s ambitions [to succed Erdogan], the Biden administration should derail them. Fidan is perhaps the only man in Turkey more dangerous than Erdogan himself. Since his days as a junior officer, his international sympathies aligned more with the Islamic Republic of Iran than with the West. As intelligence chief, he exposed Israeli operations against Iran’s nuclear program and provided logistical, if not financial and material support to both the Islamic State and Hamas.
Among Turks, Fidan has as ruthless a reputation. When Erdogan turned against Fethullah Gülen, a one-time ally turned rival theologian, Fidan masterminded the purge of Gülen followers in the government, military, media, and private sector. Under Fidan’s supervision as intelligence chief, Turkey kidnapped dissidents from Kosovo to Kenya to Kyrgystan. While Erdogan called the 2016 coup attempt “a gift from God” because it allowed him to crackdown on Gülenist (and other) rivals, Fidan is among only a small handful of Turkish officials who know the true story about the “Reichstag Fire” coup and the state’s role in it.
Rather than roll out the red carpet for Fidan or bolster his ambitions to succeed Erdogan, another tack would better defend U.S. interests, regional security, and Turkey’s own freedom and ability to thrive. If any figure deserved Global Magnitsky Act designation, it is Fidan. Designating him for corruption and repeated human rights abuses would signal to Turks that the United States is an ally for freedom rather than a partner to a man whose ambition is their subjugation for another two decades."
Michael Rubin
Source: https://www.19fortyfive.com/2024/03/is-hakan-fidan-seeking-u-s-endorsement-to-succeed-erdogan/
