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AFTER ISRAEL'S GAZA FLOTILLA RAID, IS TURKEY REJECTING EUROPE?
The Christian Science Monitor
June 15, 2010 Tuesday
Israel's Gaza flotilla raid prompted a response in Turkey that rattled
some Europeans. Turkey has been rebuffed in its efforts to join
the European Union for years, and is now forging a more independent
international course.
Europe has watched with some dismay Turkey's strident reaction to
the fatal Israeli flotilla raid - part of what many see as a larger
Turkish "repositioning" of itself on the world stage.
While Europe also condemned the flotilla attack, in which Israeli
commandos killed nine Turkish citizens seeking to break the economic
blockade of the Gaza Strip, there's wariness here over Turkey's
emerging persona under an Islamic-rooted party and murmurs about
whether it wants to reassert an old Ottoman Empire sphere of
influence.
In the past few years, Ankara has mended ties with its neighbors,
including Iran. On June 9, Turkey was one of only two countries
(Brazil was the other) on the United Nations Security Council to vote
against fresh Iran nuclear sanctions.
Yet part of Turkey's shift is due to the European Union's steady rebuff
of the mainly Muslim state. Turkey first applied to join the EU in
1987 and waited 18 years for the process to start, which could drag
past 2020. "A majority of Turks say they want to join Europe, but ...
also feel it will never happen," says a senior US diplomat.
Membership has been essentially nixed by Germany's Angela Merkel and
France's Nicolas Sarkozy, who says Turkey is not part of Europe.
"Sarkozy has few deeply rooted beliefs, but this is one of them,"
says Francois Heisbourg of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic
Research. "He would only cave under unanimous European pressure,
which won't happen."
Organic link
After the flotilla fallout, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates
criticized Europe for "refusing to give Turkey the ... organic link
to the West that Turkey sought."
Advocates of Turkish-EU integration - and there are many here - say
it would help mitigate religious extremism, strengthen Turkish civil
reform, and give greater strategic depth to Europe. "By showing Turkey
our defiance, we reject it into a universe where it could ... become
dangerous," argued former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard in the
Paris journal ENA recently. "We need on our southeastern flank the
hope for a social democracy mixed with rapid growth ... but for that
we need Turkey to be admitted to the Union."
Yet Europeans have become more fearful of welcoming Turkey. After the
flotilla raid, shouts of "Death to Israel" on Turkish streets looked
un-European. The Continent, unsettled by Muslim immigration, is in
a populist mood - as seen by politician Geert Wilders's anti-Islam
party nearly tripling its seats in recent Dutch elections.
"The primary responsibility for pushing Turkey away lies in attacks
on the process by populist politicians in France, Germany, Austria,
and the Greek Cypriot government," says Hugh Pope of the International
Crisis Group in Istanbul. "They use it for domestic political purposes
to play on people's fears, and this has done a great deal to make
Turks angry towards Europe."
Since 1994, the EU has enlarged from nine to 27 members, bringing
in former Warsaw Pact nations. Yet like a bouncer at an exclusive
club, the EU stiff-armed Turkey - a NATO member that modernized and
democratized in hopes of joining the European party.
Noses out of joint
"The last [Ottoman] sultans sought German and French counseling on
the renovation of armed forces and laws," says Mr. Rocard. "Turkey has
gone through the process of modernization in an obvious reference to
Europe, and we are presently slamming the door on their nose because
they don't sufficiently look like us."
After French and German rebuffs in 2006, Turkey calculated it would
not be admitted to the EU and pursued a more independent path. Under
skillful new Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey has smoothed
relations with Syria, Iran, Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, and even Armenia.
"What Turkey has achieved in the past six months is spectacular - on
a par with Deng Xiaoping's decision to make China a status quo power ..
and to mend ties with Vietnam, India, and South Korea," says Mr.
Heisbourg, who disagrees that Turkey harbors Ottoman-style ambitions.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently blasted critics
who say Turkey has turned its back on Europe as "intermediaries of
an ill-intentioned propaganda."
More than 50 percent of Turkish exports go to European states, and
90 percent of investment in Turkey is European.
"Turkey has no interest in turning its back to Europe," said former
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine in a Monitor interview. "Would
we lose Turkey if the [membership] negotiations failed? I don't think
so.... I can't see Turkey forging an alliance with China against Europe
just for spite. Turkey's strategic interest is to maintain relations
with everyone: the US, Europe,... Central Asia, the Arab world."
Related:
Turkey gets a new leader of the political opposition, and a chance
to modernize its democracy
Opinion: Islam and democracy can - and do - coexist
Israeli raid on Freedom Flotilla shatters key Turkey-Israel ties
US response to Israel's flotilla raid will shape the Middle East
From: A. Papazian
The Christian Science Monitor
June 15, 2010 Tuesday
Israel's Gaza flotilla raid prompted a response in Turkey that rattled
some Europeans. Turkey has been rebuffed in its efforts to join
the European Union for years, and is now forging a more independent
international course.
Europe has watched with some dismay Turkey's strident reaction to
the fatal Israeli flotilla raid - part of what many see as a larger
Turkish "repositioning" of itself on the world stage.
While Europe also condemned the flotilla attack, in which Israeli
commandos killed nine Turkish citizens seeking to break the economic
blockade of the Gaza Strip, there's wariness here over Turkey's
emerging persona under an Islamic-rooted party and murmurs about
whether it wants to reassert an old Ottoman Empire sphere of
influence.
In the past few years, Ankara has mended ties with its neighbors,
including Iran. On June 9, Turkey was one of only two countries
(Brazil was the other) on the United Nations Security Council to vote
against fresh Iran nuclear sanctions.
Yet part of Turkey's shift is due to the European Union's steady rebuff
of the mainly Muslim state. Turkey first applied to join the EU in
1987 and waited 18 years for the process to start, which could drag
past 2020. "A majority of Turks say they want to join Europe, but ...
also feel it will never happen," says a senior US diplomat.
Membership has been essentially nixed by Germany's Angela Merkel and
France's Nicolas Sarkozy, who says Turkey is not part of Europe.
"Sarkozy has few deeply rooted beliefs, but this is one of them,"
says Francois Heisbourg of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic
Research. "He would only cave under unanimous European pressure,
which won't happen."
Organic link
After the flotilla fallout, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates
criticized Europe for "refusing to give Turkey the ... organic link
to the West that Turkey sought."
Advocates of Turkish-EU integration - and there are many here - say
it would help mitigate religious extremism, strengthen Turkish civil
reform, and give greater strategic depth to Europe. "By showing Turkey
our defiance, we reject it into a universe where it could ... become
dangerous," argued former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard in the
Paris journal ENA recently. "We need on our southeastern flank the
hope for a social democracy mixed with rapid growth ... but for that
we need Turkey to be admitted to the Union."
Yet Europeans have become more fearful of welcoming Turkey. After the
flotilla raid, shouts of "Death to Israel" on Turkish streets looked
un-European. The Continent, unsettled by Muslim immigration, is in
a populist mood - as seen by politician Geert Wilders's anti-Islam
party nearly tripling its seats in recent Dutch elections.
"The primary responsibility for pushing Turkey away lies in attacks
on the process by populist politicians in France, Germany, Austria,
and the Greek Cypriot government," says Hugh Pope of the International
Crisis Group in Istanbul. "They use it for domestic political purposes
to play on people's fears, and this has done a great deal to make
Turks angry towards Europe."
Since 1994, the EU has enlarged from nine to 27 members, bringing
in former Warsaw Pact nations. Yet like a bouncer at an exclusive
club, the EU stiff-armed Turkey - a NATO member that modernized and
democratized in hopes of joining the European party.
Noses out of joint
"The last [Ottoman] sultans sought German and French counseling on
the renovation of armed forces and laws," says Mr. Rocard. "Turkey has
gone through the process of modernization in an obvious reference to
Europe, and we are presently slamming the door on their nose because
they don't sufficiently look like us."
After French and German rebuffs in 2006, Turkey calculated it would
not be admitted to the EU and pursued a more independent path. Under
skillful new Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey has smoothed
relations with Syria, Iran, Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, and even Armenia.
"What Turkey has achieved in the past six months is spectacular - on
a par with Deng Xiaoping's decision to make China a status quo power ..
and to mend ties with Vietnam, India, and South Korea," says Mr.
Heisbourg, who disagrees that Turkey harbors Ottoman-style ambitions.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently blasted critics
who say Turkey has turned its back on Europe as "intermediaries of
an ill-intentioned propaganda."
More than 50 percent of Turkish exports go to European states, and
90 percent of investment in Turkey is European.
"Turkey has no interest in turning its back to Europe," said former
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine in a Monitor interview. "Would
we lose Turkey if the [membership] negotiations failed? I don't think
so.... I can't see Turkey forging an alliance with China against Europe
just for spite. Turkey's strategic interest is to maintain relations
with everyone: the US, Europe,... Central Asia, the Arab world."
Related:
Turkey gets a new leader of the political opposition, and a chance
to modernize its democracy
Opinion: Islam and democracy can - and do - coexist
Israeli raid on Freedom Flotilla shatters key Turkey-Israel ties
US response to Israel's flotilla raid will shape the Middle East
From: A. Papazian