Ali Çimen, who has been one of the leading names in popular history writing in Turkey, casts light on the lives of the most known dictators in history, who shaped history with their cruel, brutal and mostly absurd policies. While getting lost in the pages of the book, you will learn new surprising facts on bad guys of history, while looking at what you already know from a different angle. From mighty Stalin, to crazy Hitler, from ‘Butcher of Uganda’ to ‘Duche of Italy’, from to Eternal Leader of North Korea to, his son, ‘Dear Leader’ and many more. All wait for you with their astonishing stories…
10 Nisan 2011 Pazar
The Dictators Who Changed History
Ali Çimen, who has been one of the leading names in popular history writing in Turkey, casts light on the lives of the most known dictators in history, who shaped history with their cruel, brutal and mostly absurd policies. While getting lost in the pages of the book, you will learn new surprising facts on bad guys of history, while looking at what you already know from a different angle. From mighty Stalin, to crazy Hitler, from ‘Butcher of Uganda’ to ‘Duche of Italy’, from to Eternal Leader of North Korea to, his son, ‘Dear Leader’ and many more. All wait for you with their astonishing stories…
The Days That Changed History
The book touches on the days which turned out to be turning points in history such as the days when history witnessed the fall of Saigon, the fall of Constantinople, the fall of Shah in Iran, the demise of Soviet Empire, 11 September, the abolition of the Ottoman Empire and many more, concluding with the fall of Baghdad in 2003, and shows how the events of a single day can shape the future in a myriad of ways. Some of the events mark the end of an era while others paved the way for something new, and while many are bloody battles, others are momentous decisions or breathtaking discoveries. Together, they are remembered as powerful symbols of their time and pivotal moments in world history.
10 Temmuz 2009 Cuma
Empires that changed history
Come and…
Witness how the 2000 year-history of Chinese empire flourished; be a part of the assassinations, court conspiracies and peasant revolts that turned China upside down! Cross the Bosporus with Alexander the Great, walk into the Asian steps and fight elephants in Indian forests. Take side of Persians and defend Persepolis against Alexander!
Join Islamic armies; wave your sword for the word of God, and let the justice prevail; conquer Andalusia with Umayyads, rewrite the history of Europe!
Ally with Caesar, march into the heart of Rome; overhear the gossips in the Senate, mingle with the Romans on the streets of Rome; applause the emperors before watching their executions silently. See how much blood, sweat and tears were shed to build Rome.
Mix with the Byzantine knights, shoot your arrows from the walls of Constantinople to attacking enemies; then join the forces of Mehmed the Conqueror, surmount the walls of Constantinople and take the city changing the history forever!
Enlist in Attila’s army and scare Europe to death; appear at the gates of Rome and make Popes kneel down before you. Ride horses with the Mongols, reduce to ashes whatever confronts you and set about plundering the world as if there was no tomorrow!
Make friends with Italian explorers, set sail with Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch sailors into the unknown. Note the slaughters of the greedy ‘conquistadors’ who followed your route and see how the cross-bearers Christianized and ‘enlightened’ ‘Indians’. Get lost in the dark corridors of British castles the walls of which are beaten by rain. Take your seat around the dining tables of the queens and kings whose hearts beat for an empire the sun never sets on. Have afternoon tea with British sailors, soldiers and statesmen while following the expansion of British Empire from the rocky mountains of North America to the desolate shores of Australia…
Enter into Admiral Nelson’s service and blast the French with artillery fire! Serve as Napoleons’ orderly and wave your sword in Egyptian deserts, the salty waters of Mediterranean and the Russian steps dreaming of frenchifiying the world French!
Listen to the provocative and fervent speeches of Adolf Hitler in the suburb pubs of Munich, feel the Nazi Terror in your bones. Travel to the concentration camps in the railway cars stinking urine, blood and sweat. Share the last moments of Führer in his bunker and try to find your way in the dust storm caused by the collapsing dreams of Nazis…
Write speeches for Lenin in Petrograd, support the working class masses marching towards the palace of Czar Nikolai. Oust the monarchy and found the Soviet Union! Meet the brains of the ‘Evil Empire’ that terrified the world with its nukes, secret services and ruthless ideology. Shudder at Stalin’s presence, get excited at that of Khrushchev and applaud Gorbachev’s reforms. Hold your breath at the hot fronts of Cold War.
Fight ‘redcoats’ with Americans shoulder by shoulder; lay the foundation for the United States of America! Help black Americans out in their struggle for freedom, lift off for space, feel the ground shaking by atomic blast. Follow the foot prints of ‘American Imperialism’, tear the Soviet Empire down! Try to figure out the philosophy of the last standing empire of today’s world.
Come! Do not read history, be a part of it!
click here to see the link of the publisher about the book
click here to return to the previous page
Witness how the 2000 year-history of Chinese empire flourished; be a part of the assassinations, court conspiracies and peasant revolts that turned China upside down! Cross the Bosporus with Alexander the Great, walk into the Asian steps and fight elephants in Indian forests. Take side of Persians and defend Persepolis against Alexander!
Join Islamic armies; wave your sword for the word of God, and let the justice prevail; conquer Andalusia with Umayyads, rewrite the history of Europe!
Ally with Caesar, march into the heart of Rome; overhear the gossips in the Senate, mingle with the Romans on the streets of Rome; applause the emperors before watching their executions silently. See how much blood, sweat and tears were shed to build Rome.
Mix with the Byzantine knights, shoot your arrows from the walls of Constantinople to attacking enemies; then join the forces of Mehmed the Conqueror, surmount the walls of Constantinople and take the city changing the history forever!
Enlist in Attila’s army and scare Europe to death; appear at the gates of Rome and make Popes kneel down before you. Ride horses with the Mongols, reduce to ashes whatever confronts you and set about plundering the world as if there was no tomorrow!
Make friends with Italian explorers, set sail with Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch sailors into the unknown. Note the slaughters of the greedy ‘conquistadors’ who followed your route and see how the cross-bearers Christianized and ‘enlightened’ ‘Indians’. Get lost in the dark corridors of British castles the walls of which are beaten by rain. Take your seat around the dining tables of the queens and kings whose hearts beat for an empire the sun never sets on. Have afternoon tea with British sailors, soldiers and statesmen while following the expansion of British Empire from the rocky mountains of North America to the desolate shores of Australia…
Enter into Admiral Nelson’s service and blast the French with artillery fire! Serve as Napoleons’ orderly and wave your sword in Egyptian deserts, the salty waters of Mediterranean and the Russian steps dreaming of frenchifiying the world French!
Listen to the provocative and fervent speeches of Adolf Hitler in the suburb pubs of Munich, feel the Nazi Terror in your bones. Travel to the concentration camps in the railway cars stinking urine, blood and sweat. Share the last moments of Führer in his bunker and try to find your way in the dust storm caused by the collapsing dreams of Nazis…
Write speeches for Lenin in Petrograd, support the working class masses marching towards the palace of Czar Nikolai. Oust the monarchy and found the Soviet Union! Meet the brains of the ‘Evil Empire’ that terrified the world with its nukes, secret services and ruthless ideology. Shudder at Stalin’s presence, get excited at that of Khrushchev and applaud Gorbachev’s reforms. Hold your breath at the hot fronts of Cold War.
Fight ‘redcoats’ with Americans shoulder by shoulder; lay the foundation for the United States of America! Help black Americans out in their struggle for freedom, lift off for space, feel the ground shaking by atomic blast. Follow the foot prints of ‘American Imperialism’, tear the Soviet Empire down! Try to figure out the philosophy of the last standing empire of today’s world.
Come! Do not read history, be a part of it!
click here to see the link of the publisher about the book
click here to return to the previous page
1 Temmuz 2009 Çarşamba
Who is pulling the strings? / Conspiracy theories
Who is holding ropes? / Conspiracy theories (İpler Kimin Elinde / Komplo Teorileri) is my first book about the world wide known conspiracy theories such as the assassination of JFK, Moon Hoax, Pearl Harbor and many more...
Echelon / the Backstage of the Espionage World
Echelon / The Backstage of the Espionage World (Echelon-İstihbarat Dünyasının Perde Arkası) is about the development of espionage and the well-known secret services. The book also casts light on the lives of famous spy-masters.
click here to see the link of the publisher about the book
click here to return to the previous page
click here to see the link of the publisher about the book
click here to return to the previous page
The space adventure of Mankind
İnsanoğlunun Uzay Macerası (the space adventure of mankind) is about space exploration, the prologue of which was written by Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, the second man on the moon.
30 Haziran 2009 Salı
Gladio historian Dr. Daniele Ganser: "Europe still does not know the full story behind Gladio"
Dr. Daniele Ganser, a Swiss historian and researcher at the University of Basel’s history department, spoke to Today’s Zaman about the history of the Gladio in Europe. Turkey is going through turbulent days with the ongoing investigation into Ergenekon, a shadowy criminal network suspected of plotting to topple the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government. Ergenekon is believed by some to be the last living extension of Gladio, a code name denoting the clandestine NATO stay-behind operation in Italy after World War II, intended to counter a possible communist invasion of Western Europe. Many in Turkey liken the legal process against Ergenekon to the “Clean Hands” anti-corruption operation against Gladio in Italy during the 1990s. Dr. Daniele Ganser, a Swiss historian and researcher at the history department of Basel University in Switzerland, says Europe has had similar experiments with state-born armies doing “inside jobs.” The author of “Nato’s Secret Armies,” he also says there was considerable resistance to investigating these secret armies in many countries, not unlike in Turkey. In an interview with Today’s Zaman, he cautions that there may still be secret armies might have remained in the West, particularly in the US.
How did Gladio operate and what instruments did it use?
Gladio was operating in total secrecy, in the dark. Most people had no idea that these networks existed. It was a network of secret armies, called “stay-behind”, which were set up by the US secret service, the CIA, and the British secret service, MI6, and coordinated by NATO. Gladio was the code name for the Italian stay-behind. It was operating as a branch of the Italian military secret service SISMI. The secret armies were designed to fight behind enemy lines in case of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe or to manipulate the political framework of a country in the absence of a Soviet invasion. The secret stay-behind armies possessed secret arms caches with guns, munitions and explosives. The members of the secret armies, drawn from the military and the secret services, were trained in secret warfare. In some countries, including Germany, right-wing extremists and former Nazis were members of the secret armies. In other countries, including Italy, the secret armies linked up with terrorists who carried out bombings against civilians in order to create an atmosphere of fear and to discredit political opponents, who were wrongly blamed for the terror.
What was the turning point in the struggle with Gladio? What special event or person helped most to cleanse Europe of Gladio?
The critical moment came in the year 1990, when Italian judge Felice Casson researched the archives of the Italian military secret service and found documents that proved the existence of secret armies across Western Europe and their links to the CIA, MI6 and NATO. Casson then informed the Italian Senate, which investigated the secret armies and found links to terrorism. Then Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti was forced to confirm the existence of the secret army in Italy. When he was attacked and people screamed that all this was illegal and criminal, he defended himself and said that these secret armies existed in all the countries of Western Europe. Thereafter, politicians in Greece, Turkey, France, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg and other countries searched and found their secret armies. Most were unwilling to look very closely at the conspiracy, despite the fact that the EU Parliament called all member states to investigate the secret Gladio armies and their links to terror in Europe. But only Italy, Belgium and Switzerland carried out detailed parliamentary investigations and presented public reports. In July 2008 members of parliament in Luxemburg presented a short report on their secret stay-behind. So, you see, it takes a lot of time to clarify Gladio’s history. We still don’t know the full story.
What kind of roles did media, politicians and security organizations play during the process of eliminating Gladio?
The investigation and dissolution of the Gladio secret armies is a very complicated process because it is possible to say “The secret Gladio army has been closed down” and then start a new one with the same people and the same strategy the next day under a new name. The problem really is that the media, the politicians, the military and the secret service have all been very reluctant and hesitant to look at the Gladio armies. As a consequence, we don’t have the names of all the Gladio commanders, we don’t have the names and dates of all the operations. We don’t have the data of their financial strength. Information is still fragmentary, despite the fact that it is illegal to have a secret army in a democratic state. It’s against the constitution. So, all in all, politicians and the media have failed to clarify the Gladio story.
In Turkey, there is some opposition (from media and political circles especially) to the operations being done to eliminate Ergenekon. Did Europe go through the same process? I mean, was the same resistance seen in these cases?
Oh yes, very much so. In every country there was very strong opposition to investigating the secret army. Most countries have said that they closed down their secret army. That it no longer exists, that it’s not needed anymore. If indeed Ergenekon is the stay-behind for Turkey, the secret army of Turkey, then Turkey is a special case. Because it would mean that in Turkey the secret armies continued to exist also in the 1990s and even today. But we must be careful. If other countries say they have closed down their networks and do not present a detailed investigation with names and examples of operations, then it’s always possible that secret armies exist in these countries, as well. The US journalist Seymour Hersh claims the US is still using secret armies controlled by the CIA and the Pentagon; today they operate inside Iran to create chaos and a pretext for an invasion, Hersh claims. So, you see, the issue of secret armies is still very delicate and complicated even today. The US never commented on the secret Gladio armies they set up, trained, equipped, funded and directed in Europe. They say they never existed. But we know they existed. We have the proof. But many people in Europe are scared of the US because they are the leading superpower, so they don’t want to look at these questions.
How did Gladio operate and what instruments did it use?
Gladio was operating in total secrecy, in the dark. Most people had no idea that these networks existed. It was a network of secret armies, called “stay-behind”, which were set up by the US secret service, the CIA, and the British secret service, MI6, and coordinated by NATO. Gladio was the code name for the Italian stay-behind. It was operating as a branch of the Italian military secret service SISMI. The secret armies were designed to fight behind enemy lines in case of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe or to manipulate the political framework of a country in the absence of a Soviet invasion. The secret stay-behind armies possessed secret arms caches with guns, munitions and explosives. The members of the secret armies, drawn from the military and the secret services, were trained in secret warfare. In some countries, including Germany, right-wing extremists and former Nazis were members of the secret armies. In other countries, including Italy, the secret armies linked up with terrorists who carried out bombings against civilians in order to create an atmosphere of fear and to discredit political opponents, who were wrongly blamed for the terror.
What was the turning point in the struggle with Gladio? What special event or person helped most to cleanse Europe of Gladio?
The critical moment came in the year 1990, when Italian judge Felice Casson researched the archives of the Italian military secret service and found documents that proved the existence of secret armies across Western Europe and their links to the CIA, MI6 and NATO. Casson then informed the Italian Senate, which investigated the secret armies and found links to terrorism. Then Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti was forced to confirm the existence of the secret army in Italy. When he was attacked and people screamed that all this was illegal and criminal, he defended himself and said that these secret armies existed in all the countries of Western Europe. Thereafter, politicians in Greece, Turkey, France, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg and other countries searched and found their secret armies. Most were unwilling to look very closely at the conspiracy, despite the fact that the EU Parliament called all member states to investigate the secret Gladio armies and their links to terror in Europe. But only Italy, Belgium and Switzerland carried out detailed parliamentary investigations and presented public reports. In July 2008 members of parliament in Luxemburg presented a short report on their secret stay-behind. So, you see, it takes a lot of time to clarify Gladio’s history. We still don’t know the full story.
What kind of roles did media, politicians and security organizations play during the process of eliminating Gladio?
The investigation and dissolution of the Gladio secret armies is a very complicated process because it is possible to say “The secret Gladio army has been closed down” and then start a new one with the same people and the same strategy the next day under a new name. The problem really is that the media, the politicians, the military and the secret service have all been very reluctant and hesitant to look at the Gladio armies. As a consequence, we don’t have the names of all the Gladio commanders, we don’t have the names and dates of all the operations. We don’t have the data of their financial strength. Information is still fragmentary, despite the fact that it is illegal to have a secret army in a democratic state. It’s against the constitution. So, all in all, politicians and the media have failed to clarify the Gladio story.
In Turkey, there is some opposition (from media and political circles especially) to the operations being done to eliminate Ergenekon. Did Europe go through the same process? I mean, was the same resistance seen in these cases?
Oh yes, very much so. In every country there was very strong opposition to investigating the secret army. Most countries have said that they closed down their secret army. That it no longer exists, that it’s not needed anymore. If indeed Ergenekon is the stay-behind for Turkey, the secret army of Turkey, then Turkey is a special case. Because it would mean that in Turkey the secret armies continued to exist also in the 1990s and even today. But we must be careful. If other countries say they have closed down their networks and do not present a detailed investigation with names and examples of operations, then it’s always possible that secret armies exist in these countries, as well. The US journalist Seymour Hersh claims the US is still using secret armies controlled by the CIA and the Pentagon; today they operate inside Iran to create chaos and a pretext for an invasion, Hersh claims. So, you see, the issue of secret armies is still very delicate and complicated even today. The US never commented on the secret Gladio armies they set up, trained, equipped, funded and directed in Europe. They say they never existed. But we know they existed. We have the proof. But many people in Europe are scared of the US because they are the leading superpower, so they don’t want to look at these questions.
What changes were seen in the daily, social and political lives of the people in these countries after the elimination of Gladio? How did Gladio’s removal contribute to these countries?
Well, at first, people were shocked to hear that secret armies had existed in their countries. Here in Switzerland, one parliamentarian said he had lost eight kilograms during the investigation because he was so shocked. He never thought it was possible that a secret army could have existed in Switzerland. In Germany people were shocked, too, to hear that former Nazis were active in these networks, that the CIA trained Nazis was unbelievable for them. So in the beginning it was a shock. But then, when the secret armies were closed down, if indeed that was the case, then people were relieved. You know, most people want peace and security; they hate violence, lies and manipulation. So I guess it’s necessary that one talks about this difficult subject of secret armies and finds a solution.
Ali Çimen, London
24 July 2008, Thursday, Todayszaman
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