Murder, outrage, retaliation

I’m still recovering from the chilling video that shows us how the Russian envoy, Andrei Karlov, was heartlessly murdered in Turkey. It was a shuddering reminder of our short-lived existence. You’re addressing an august gathering in a high-end art gallery one minute, and the next minute, you’re dead. Life is cheap. I got a jolt as Karlov collapsed. Seeing death from such close quarters is disturbing. Who knows, we might just be the next victims somewhere in this infected, unpredictable world.

The irony is that the murderer was all of 22 and an off-duty riot control cop who graduated from a police academy in Turkey, not so long ago. He shot the unarmed ambassador to avenge Syria in some incomprehensible manner. “Don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria,” he screamed in Turkish, pointing his finger in the air, while the diplomat’s dead body lay beside him. Shockingly, the ambassador’s close protection team did not get remotely suspicious of the officer who had been casually patrolling behind the ambassador. The assassin shot the envoy from behind with remarkable ease. Strangely enough, there was no blood splatter. It was a scene out of radical theatre, or perhaps, a Tarantino movie. A big bravo to the intrepid photographers who must have ice in their veins to carry on taking pictures for us to devour, consequently magnifying the analysis and outrage.

Hopefully, the killer’s somewhat impulsive act will not hurt the stitched up ties between Ankara and Moscow. If Putin decides not to eat Turkey for Christmas, the incident could spur stronger efforts between the two countries to secure their role as Syria’s main power brokers and perhaps negotiate a settlement to the war on their terms. Additionally, it could consolidate Erdogan’s already-strong grip on Turkey.

Some suspect that the bloke was a part of the Gulen movement, an Islamic transnational religious and social movement led by controversial Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen in the US. If this is proven, Russia may join Turkey in demanding the extradition of the former imam. Some theorise that he had been radicalised by a jihadist group in Syria. Putin has already taken steps to bring those who masterminded the murder, to justice.

The grim reality is that no one and no place is safe any longer. With incidents of the ilk on the rise, we are becoming increasingly numb and immune to cold-blooded terror. That’s scary. To a large degree, we have become desensitised to each other. What is happening in the world is uncontained guerrilla warfare. The power of social media has resulted in people sitting behind computers and consuming a wealth of audio-visual data that shapes stubborn opinions. Those who feel suppressed, oppressed or repressed by not having a good outlet willing to listen, are getting easily brain-washed and used as weapons of mass destruction. The world may have actually been safer during the Cold War.

Tailpieces

1) After weeks of campaigning for Hillary Clinton, Katy Perry has been awarded the Audrey Hepburn humanitarian prize for her charity works by… surprise, surprise… Hillary Clinton. Thumbs down to another sickening mutual admiration society.

2) Explaining why he is setting up the Tony Blair Institute, Britain’s former PM said: “I care about my country and the world my children and grandchildren will grow up in.” This, coming from a man who, through his interventions in the Middle East, was instrumental in the creation of the IS, making the world a more dangerous place for Britain’s children.

3) Daniel Craig says he’d ‘rather slash [his] wrists’ than play James Bond again, but his Miss Moneypenny, Naomie Harris, is confident that he will be persuaded to sign up for his fifth film. No grey cells needed to guess what she means — the size of the pay cheque.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2016.

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