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Daily Sabah, Turkey
Sept 3 2014
TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN THE NEW ERA
Kılıç BuÄ?ra Kanat 04 September 2014, Thursday
In this new era of Turkish politics, unsurprisingly there will be
significant continuities in many public policy realms. The new
government formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Ahmet
DavutoÄ?lu will continue most of the policies and projects that were
started earlier. However, due to the changes in the system of
government and with an elected, active and powerful president, there
will be some new features in strategizing, decision-making and the
implementation of policies. Especially after the general elections
next year, there will be a significant degree of changes in the cadres
in Ankara due to the three consecutive term limit for the members of
Parliament of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party government.
One of these public policy realms that will face some changes in the
new era is Turkey's foreign policy. Although the principles and major
policy initiatives that were launched earlier will continue, the new
era will bring some changes to the foreign policy decision-making and
implementation. In fact, Turkey will continue its principled stand on
Syria, its criticism of the elements of the established order such as
the veto powers of the U.N. Security Council, and its increasing
emphasis on previously neglected regions such as the African
continent. But this time, the pro-activeness in two members of the
executive branch in terms of foreign policy will create a new dynamism
in foreign policy decision-making and implementation. The increasing
number of foreign policy bureaucracy and a potential geographical
division of labor may help the emergence of a better coverage for
different regions and policy areas.
In this new era of Turkish foreign policy there will be several
challenges that it will continue to encounter. First of these problems
is the failed and semi-failed states to its south. The grey zones in
Syria and Iraq have started to export insecurity and threats to the
countries in the region as a whole. The situation in Syria is becoming
more dire as the focus of the international public shifted from the
real cause of the conflict, atrocities of the Assad regime, to its
outcomes, such as the dangers posed by ISIS. As Western countries
began to develop anti-terrorism strategies in their approach to the
crisis in Syria, Turkey will continue to face the danger of a
spillover of the conflict to its territories and the flow of an
increasing number of Syrian refugees. Despite the recent airstrikes
and operations against ISIS in Iraq, the militant organization is
nowhere near its end and despite Nouri al-Maliki's era being over in
Iraq for now, it is not clear how influential the new government can
be to stop the eruption of another civil war in Iraq. In both of these
crises, failed states are causing the emergence of non-state actors
like ISIS and the region as a whole is becoming a cradle, or safe
haven, that produces different sorts of illegal and dangerous
activities. These developments will create a new period that
challenges the vision of an economically integrated, politically free
and democratic and socially stable Middle East. In the case of the
extension of these crises, Turkey may have to bear more of a burden
and face new responsibilities.
Secondly, in this new era Turkish foreign policy may be challenged by
two issues that were considered its traditional problems. First of
these problems is the Cyprus dispute, the resolution of which has
stalled after the rejection of the referendum on the Annan Plan by the
Greek part of the island. After years of status quo the recent
developments in the eastern Mediterranean may open a window of
opportunity for the revival of this process. Secondly, the controversy
and disputes over the events that took place in 1915 will probably
continue to haunt the relations between Turkey and Armenia in 2015.
The recent letter of condolences by President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an was
a historic step toward the resolution of the problems with Armenia.
However, the response of the Armenian government signaled its
determination to reject any calls to resolve the problem. In both of
these cases, regardless of the attitude of the two governments, Turkey
needs to continue to act pro-actively to find a mutually acceptable
solution to problems and communicate its intention to do so to the
citizens of Armenia and Cyprus through well-designed public diplomacy.
http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/kilic-bugra-kanat/2014/09/04/turkish-foreign-policy-in-the-new-era
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Sept 3 2014
TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN THE NEW ERA
Kılıç BuÄ?ra Kanat 04 September 2014, Thursday
In this new era of Turkish politics, unsurprisingly there will be
significant continuities in many public policy realms. The new
government formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Ahmet
DavutoÄ?lu will continue most of the policies and projects that were
started earlier. However, due to the changes in the system of
government and with an elected, active and powerful president, there
will be some new features in strategizing, decision-making and the
implementation of policies. Especially after the general elections
next year, there will be a significant degree of changes in the cadres
in Ankara due to the three consecutive term limit for the members of
Parliament of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party government.
One of these public policy realms that will face some changes in the
new era is Turkey's foreign policy. Although the principles and major
policy initiatives that were launched earlier will continue, the new
era will bring some changes to the foreign policy decision-making and
implementation. In fact, Turkey will continue its principled stand on
Syria, its criticism of the elements of the established order such as
the veto powers of the U.N. Security Council, and its increasing
emphasis on previously neglected regions such as the African
continent. But this time, the pro-activeness in two members of the
executive branch in terms of foreign policy will create a new dynamism
in foreign policy decision-making and implementation. The increasing
number of foreign policy bureaucracy and a potential geographical
division of labor may help the emergence of a better coverage for
different regions and policy areas.
In this new era of Turkish foreign policy there will be several
challenges that it will continue to encounter. First of these problems
is the failed and semi-failed states to its south. The grey zones in
Syria and Iraq have started to export insecurity and threats to the
countries in the region as a whole. The situation in Syria is becoming
more dire as the focus of the international public shifted from the
real cause of the conflict, atrocities of the Assad regime, to its
outcomes, such as the dangers posed by ISIS. As Western countries
began to develop anti-terrorism strategies in their approach to the
crisis in Syria, Turkey will continue to face the danger of a
spillover of the conflict to its territories and the flow of an
increasing number of Syrian refugees. Despite the recent airstrikes
and operations against ISIS in Iraq, the militant organization is
nowhere near its end and despite Nouri al-Maliki's era being over in
Iraq for now, it is not clear how influential the new government can
be to stop the eruption of another civil war in Iraq. In both of these
crises, failed states are causing the emergence of non-state actors
like ISIS and the region as a whole is becoming a cradle, or safe
haven, that produces different sorts of illegal and dangerous
activities. These developments will create a new period that
challenges the vision of an economically integrated, politically free
and democratic and socially stable Middle East. In the case of the
extension of these crises, Turkey may have to bear more of a burden
and face new responsibilities.
Secondly, in this new era Turkish foreign policy may be challenged by
two issues that were considered its traditional problems. First of
these problems is the Cyprus dispute, the resolution of which has
stalled after the rejection of the referendum on the Annan Plan by the
Greek part of the island. After years of status quo the recent
developments in the eastern Mediterranean may open a window of
opportunity for the revival of this process. Secondly, the controversy
and disputes over the events that took place in 1915 will probably
continue to haunt the relations between Turkey and Armenia in 2015.
The recent letter of condolences by President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an was
a historic step toward the resolution of the problems with Armenia.
However, the response of the Armenian government signaled its
determination to reject any calls to resolve the problem. In both of
these cases, regardless of the attitude of the two governments, Turkey
needs to continue to act pro-actively to find a mutually acceptable
solution to problems and communicate its intention to do so to the
citizens of Armenia and Cyprus through well-designed public diplomacy.
http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/kilic-bugra-kanat/2014/09/04/turkish-foreign-policy-in-the-new-era
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress