Turkeys new role examined
Turkey is basking in the glory of its resurrection as a major regional power while Ankara seeks to fulfill the needs and goals of its growing geo-strategic importance. Its a major turn-around in the foreign policy agenda of the 86-year-old western oriented, secular republic which had risen from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.
Last week one of the primary architects of this new approach, both at home and in the region, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, met in Amman with a small group of Jordanian politicians, intellectuals and journalists during a short visit to the Hashemite Kingdom. Around a sahoor meal, the lean, soft-spoken, head of Turkish diplomacy exchanged views and answered questions on his countrys role and objectives in regional politics.
A renowned academic, political scientist, former ambassador and a history buff, Davutoglu took time to explain Turkeys political mission philosophy adopted by the ruling government of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) since it took office seven years ago. It is a philosophy that is embodied in six main principles.
First is the recognition that no foreign policy can be active unless peace and harmony have been achieved at home. To do this the Islamist-led government is trying to strike a delicate balance between security and freedom while building a strong economy. For Davutoglu Turkey cannot give the impression that it is a strong nation while its citizens go hungry, and by the same token it cannot claim domestic security if personal freedoms are denied.
Recently the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan took steps to meet some of the major concerns of Turkeys Kurdish minority as part of an effort to launch national reconciliation and end decades of friction and civil strife.
The second principle that Ankara is eagerly implementing is to have zero problems with its neighbors. Bordered by eight countries and evolving regions; Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, Asia and the Mediterranean, Turkey has managed to normalize relations with most of its neighbors; the most recent attempt to be launched is with Armenia. In most cases these relations have progressed from bad to very good as is the case with Syria and Iraq in particular. It can be said that Ankara had closed the chapter on its role in Cold War politics, which had polarized the world for decades.
Maintaining good relations with neighbors serves the goal of speeding up regional economic integration and interdependence in the view of Davutoglu, thus fulfilling the grand objective of achieving peace and prosperity for all.
The third principle has to do with Turkeys unique geopolitical assets, being a Eurasian country with access to the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and vital sea routes, and with its rich Ottoman history and linkage to former subjects in the Balkans, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Turkey, a country of over 70 million, is multiethnic and multicultural, and it has taken it upon itself to use pluralistic background to reach out to its neighbors and play a key role in conflict resolution and prevention and in regional security.
As a result the fourth principle necessitates that Turkey maintains a proactive role in all the alliances, associations and groups that it belongs to. It does not sacrifice one at the expense of the other, nor does it value one over the other. As such Turkeys strategic objective to become a full member of the European Union does not mean that it forgoes its relations with Asia and the Middle East. Its alliance with the United States, through NATO, has not damaged its relations with Iran, and by the same token Turkeys sympathy and support of Palestinian rights has not turned Israel into an enemy.
The fifth principle that Davutoglu outlined is Turkeys pursuance of an active role in all regional and international forums with the aim of reflecting the countrys growing political and economic roles.
And the sixth principle is to change negative perceptions of Turkey around the world and to remove stereotypical associations. It is a mission that Davutoglu enjoys defending as he explains Turkeys rise as an economic power and its recognition as a developed country. Most importantly he makes the point that modern Turks have now reconciled themselves with the Ottoman legacy; that the Turkish republic that was set up by Mustafa Kamal Ataturk is an extension of the rich and great Ottoman past.
He tells his Jordanian hosts that Turkeys relations with the Arab world are vital and that the acrimonies of the past belong in the past and should never spoil the work needed to build a common future. He allays fears that Turkeys growing regional role will be at the expense of Arabs and their national aspirations. He rejects accusations that Turkeys dominance in regional politics is a manifestation of a neo-Ottoman desire to rule former subjects. Turkey looks at its Arab neighbors as equals and as neighbors and in Ankaras view stability and peace in the Arab world can only serve his countrys own national security.
It is this belief which he uses to justify Turkeys genuine interest to mediate in the Arab-Israeli conflict, or to intervene in the recent tension between Syria and Iraq, or to attend the meetings of the foreign minister at the Arab League in Cairo, or to invite the foreign ministers of the GCC countries to hold a meeting in Ankara. For Arabs Turkeys active role counterbalances that of Iran, which is viewed with suspicion by many.
Ankara is following a diplomacy that seeks positive and proactive results, especially in a region that has been exhausted by futile politics and conspiracies. Turkeys role in the region has set itself apart and even the skeptics cannot find a reason to discredit it so far. It can be said that Turkey, which for decades estranged itself from its eastern and southern neighbors, has rediscovered its identity and reconciled itself with its past. The Arabs can learn a great deal from such an experiment.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=126445&d=16&m=9&y=2009
