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LET TURKEY BE TURKEY
By Suat Kiniklioglu
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 14 2007
Ever since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) took over the
government in 2002 its foreign policy has become the target of
criticism. After all, what the leadership of the AKP had undertaken
was no easy task. The foreign policy elite of the AKP transformed
Turkey's foreign policy outlook despite an extremely cautious and
conservative foreign policy bureaucracy.
Following foreign minister Abdullah Gul's visit in Washington and
the questions he was exposed to only confirms what sort of structural
changes have been accomplished in the last four years. In his speech
at the German Marshall Fund, Gul underlined Turkish sensitivities
vis-a-vis the Armenian resolution looming on the horizon. He also
offered a broad expose about the issues he himself and his ministry was
dealing with. They ranged from energy security to the European Union,
from Kirkuk to the stability of the Middle East to the Caucasus and
the Black Sea region. Multidimensional it is indeed.
The visit also reminded all of us about the current difficulties on
the American side to appreciate the new Turkey at hand. Our American
counterparts have a difficulty in digesting the changes in Turkey's
new foreign policy. Turkey is becoming a regional powerhouse that
has a strong interest in normalizing with its neighborhood. Contrary
to conventional thinking this is not an AKP phenomenon only. It
is a structural change that is likely to have a durable impact for
decades to come. The current tensions between the U.S. and Turkey very
much resemble the incompatibility of a great power - regional power
rivalry. Gone is the so-called golden age of the Ozal years. All of
us need to adjust to this new situation and 'let Turkey be Turkey'.
The earlier Washington recognizes this situation, the easier it will be
to deal with Ankara and identify common interests - and there are many.
Gul's foreign policy advisor Ahmet Davutoðlu also spoke at the
German Marshall Fund. He laid out eloquently the intellectual basis
of Turkey's new foreign policy thinking. Particularly illuminating
was his emphasis on how - with the exception of Armenia - Turkey was
normalizing with its neighbors. He demonstrated with concrete examples
how deeply Turkey is involved in the Middle East. He also stressed
that Turkey was not going to shape its foreign policy along sectarian
lines, a clear sign that Turkey does not want to be part of a Shi'a -
Sunni divide, something commonly entertained in the West.
The primary mistake in the Washington policy community is the fixation
with the Hamas visit or Turkey's developing relations with Iran and
Syria. What is actually occurring is that Turkey is integrating back
to a neighborhood it has traditionally been part of.
There is no reason to be concerned about this. Indeed, one could see
the republican era as an anomaly in Turkish history and interpret
Turkey's current re-integration with the Middle East as a reversal
of this anomaly.
Turkey is actually an extremely benevolent and constructive agent
in its immediate neighborhood, including the Middle East. The new
Turkey and the U.S. actually have a lot more common interests than is
often recognized. What is required though is a mental paradigm shift
among decision-makers in Washington and many European capitals that
would acknowledge the new Turkey. This would necessitate them to deal
with Turkey as a genuine partner rather than an afterthought. Turkish
foreign policy is in the midst of a structural change that has had a
great impact on how we conceptualize our regional identity. There is
no doubt that it is in the interest of our western partners to adjust
to this new situation and let Turkey be Turkey.
--Boundary_(ID_j9VWQBxJ2VCxHO3stMkZcg)--
By Suat Kiniklioglu
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 14 2007
Ever since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) took over the
government in 2002 its foreign policy has become the target of
criticism. After all, what the leadership of the AKP had undertaken
was no easy task. The foreign policy elite of the AKP transformed
Turkey's foreign policy outlook despite an extremely cautious and
conservative foreign policy bureaucracy.
Following foreign minister Abdullah Gul's visit in Washington and
the questions he was exposed to only confirms what sort of structural
changes have been accomplished in the last four years. In his speech
at the German Marshall Fund, Gul underlined Turkish sensitivities
vis-a-vis the Armenian resolution looming on the horizon. He also
offered a broad expose about the issues he himself and his ministry was
dealing with. They ranged from energy security to the European Union,
from Kirkuk to the stability of the Middle East to the Caucasus and
the Black Sea region. Multidimensional it is indeed.
The visit also reminded all of us about the current difficulties on
the American side to appreciate the new Turkey at hand. Our American
counterparts have a difficulty in digesting the changes in Turkey's
new foreign policy. Turkey is becoming a regional powerhouse that
has a strong interest in normalizing with its neighborhood. Contrary
to conventional thinking this is not an AKP phenomenon only. It
is a structural change that is likely to have a durable impact for
decades to come. The current tensions between the U.S. and Turkey very
much resemble the incompatibility of a great power - regional power
rivalry. Gone is the so-called golden age of the Ozal years. All of
us need to adjust to this new situation and 'let Turkey be Turkey'.
The earlier Washington recognizes this situation, the easier it will be
to deal with Ankara and identify common interests - and there are many.
Gul's foreign policy advisor Ahmet Davutoðlu also spoke at the
German Marshall Fund. He laid out eloquently the intellectual basis
of Turkey's new foreign policy thinking. Particularly illuminating
was his emphasis on how - with the exception of Armenia - Turkey was
normalizing with its neighbors. He demonstrated with concrete examples
how deeply Turkey is involved in the Middle East. He also stressed
that Turkey was not going to shape its foreign policy along sectarian
lines, a clear sign that Turkey does not want to be part of a Shi'a -
Sunni divide, something commonly entertained in the West.
The primary mistake in the Washington policy community is the fixation
with the Hamas visit or Turkey's developing relations with Iran and
Syria. What is actually occurring is that Turkey is integrating back
to a neighborhood it has traditionally been part of.
There is no reason to be concerned about this. Indeed, one could see
the republican era as an anomaly in Turkish history and interpret
Turkey's current re-integration with the Middle East as a reversal
of this anomaly.
Turkey is actually an extremely benevolent and constructive agent
in its immediate neighborhood, including the Middle East. The new
Turkey and the U.S. actually have a lot more common interests than is
often recognized. What is required though is a mental paradigm shift
among decision-makers in Washington and many European capitals that
would acknowledge the new Turkey. This would necessitate them to deal
with Turkey as a genuine partner rather than an afterthought. Turkish
foreign policy is in the midst of a structural change that has had a
great impact on how we conceptualize our regional identity. There is
no doubt that it is in the interest of our western partners to adjust
to this new situation and let Turkey be Turkey.
--Boundary_(ID_j9VWQBxJ2VCxHO3stMkZcg)--