The ugly, unseemly dispute between Turkey and Netherlands shows no sign of abating.<\/p>\n
Riding the current wave of pre-election populism, leaders on both sides are resorting to excessive statements and actions.<\/p>\n
Undiplomatic moves and \u00a0tit-for-tat attitudes, further exacerbating the crisis, have already \u00a0given plenty to worry about; but it is the vitriol directed, not at governments, but peoples of the two countries, that I find particularly alarming.<\/p>\n
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a track record of using a fierce language directed at his opponents.<\/p>\n
He also has a penchant for undiplomatic outbursts.<\/p>\n
After the dramatic collapse of relations with Russia in November 2015, the Turkish President blasted Mr. Putin and his government.<\/p>\n
The damage caused by his harsh words, directed at Israel\u2019s leaders, took years to mend.<\/p>\n
However, none of these well- publicised spats with governments, were uttered as insults against the peoples of those countries.\u00a0 On the contrary, even at the midst of the deepest crisis, warm and friendly sentiments towards the nations in question were expressed time and time again.<\/p>\n
Yet, this time, having already insulted Netherlands by labelling the country \u201cfascist and a Nazi remnant\u201d, Mr Erdogan has turned his ire towards the Dutch nation.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Ankara and criticising the Dutch government for not allowing the Turkish Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya to campaign in Rotterdam, he said that he already knew \u201cthe corrupt morality of the Dutch\u201d, invoking the Srebrenica massacre<\/a> of July 1995.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know the Netherlands and the Dutch from Srebrenica. We know how rotten their character is from their massacre of 8,000 Bosnians there,\u201d Mr. Erdogan added<\/a>.<\/p>\n