Monday, 6 April 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Turkey has significant meanings beyond the face value during his presidency, he made his first transoceanic visit to London for the G-20 summit. He then attended the NATO summit on the France-Germany border. Immediately afterwards, he visited the Czech Republic, the term president of the European Union. It seems that the official visit to Turkey is the most special and significant one among Barack Obama’s transatlantic visits. Obama’s visit to Ankara is not a part of an international meeting or a visit to the chairman of an international union like visits to London, Strasbourg, Baden Baden, and Prague, but a first visit to the capital of a country. The reasons for Obama’s visit to Turkey should be sought behind Obama’s official meetings in Ankara. The American President’s participation in the “Alliance of Civilizations II Forum,” held in Istanbul, is meaningful and important. However, Obama’s participation in the cocktail of the Alliance of Civilizations remains symbolic alongside the talks in Ankara. A turning point in the relationship between Turkey and the U.S. becomes more obvious when the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s wide-ranging visit to Turkey is taken into consideration.
Why Turkey?
Turkey’s geo-strategic and geopolitical importance is undoubtedly among the important reasons for this visit. The U.S. considers Turkey as a main base to resolve the region’s problems, such as transportation problems to the energy basin, the chronic Israel-Palestinian conflict, and the problematic intervention process of the U.S. in Iraq since 2003. Turkey’s ability to contribute to the solution of the region’s problems has quickly increased within the last ten years. Maybe it will be very familiar but it is worth repeating: Turkey can talk to the Arabs and Palestinians and be close to them; they are also able to talk to, and be close to, the Israelis. Turkey also has a considerable relationship with Iran, which was declared a troubled state by Western countries due to its desire for access to nuclear power. The Caucasus can be added to the problems of region. Looking from this perspective, Turkey has a close relationship with Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine. It is absolutely possible to add Central Asia and the Balkans to this relationship and countries category.
The reasons for the United States’ choice of Turkey as a stable country in the region, where it tries to produce solutions in the 21st century, are the positive effects of Turkey’s geo-strategic location, democratic experience, economic creativity, and culture of dialogue. Surely, Turkey cannot claim to resolve all the problems in the region by itself. However, Turkey is in the decision-making mechanism of the world’s largest 2o economies; it is among the 157 countries of the UN Security Council with a “Yes” vote; Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu holds the position of secretary-general of the Islamic Conference Organization; and it is helping to accurately define NATO’s new strategy. Therefore it is the most important country that can work with the U.S. as partners and can positively and realistically contribute to the solution of the region’s problems.
Turkey Can Say “No!”
One of the most important reasons that brought Turkey to an important point in the international arena and drew Obama to Ankara is that Turkey can say “No!” A Turkey with this power contributes to the region by providing more realistic solutions to the problems in the area. If Turkey did not say “no” to the 1 March 2003 bill, today it would not be a country that holds the sympathy of all parties (Shiite and Sunni) in Iraq. If Turkey did not say “no” to Palestinian rockets, Israel would not be as close to Turkey. If Turkey did not say “no” to Israel’s intervention in Lebanon in 2006, intervention in Gaza at the end of 2008 and at the beginning of 2009, and Israel’s use of excessive force in military operations and killing of many civilians, it would not have the support and sympathy of the Arab peoples, especially in the Middle East. If Turkey did not say “no” to Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen’s candidacy for NATO Secretary General (after the negotiations and the warranties that Obama promised, Turkey said “yes”), it would not be able to improve the Alliance’s image during the Rasmussen period, especially in the Islamic world. Rasmussen, facing Turkey’s hard-line stance during his candidacy, made a speech on 6 April 2009 in Istanbul during the Alliance of Civilizations meeting that confirmed his and NATO’s loyalty to the Islamic world and its values.
It is now accepted by many observers that Turkey, by saying no depending on the real values and real policies when it is required, will provide important contributions to the region. Turkey was not limiting itself by saying no, but made clarifications that allowed it to say yes on the issues to which it had previously objected. The limited number of examples given above shows that Turkey says “Yes” to dialogue, justice, reconciliation, notice, and respect to the others, and to put justice forward in international relations. Turkey grasped that the way to exit the chaos was to listen to both parties closely and understand them. Turkey is against the double standard and says yes to an open and honest foreign policy with a non-hidden agenda.
One of the other reasons for Obama’s particular visit to Ankara is that Turkey is directly stating the truth regarding the mistakes using very clear and direct language. From this perspective, there is a growing number of people who expect Turkey, by standing up for the truth, to find solutions to their problems.
Combating Terrorism in Turkey
Turkey is an important country that has extensive experience in combating terrorism. Having combat experience for many years with several terrorist organizations within the country, Turkey extracted the successful experiences and was able to move them to the international arena. NATO troops have been trained by the Center of Anti-Terror Excellence under the Turkish Armed Forces, and the Turkish Police Organization has a close relationship with police of 62 countries, which whom it shares counter-terrorism intelligence and operational capabilities —these are two important examples that show Turkey’s international contribution to counter-terrorism efforts. While Turkey contributes to the effective fight against terrorism within the framework of its membership in the UN Security Council, Turkey spent intense efforts to remove the double standard in terms of combating terrorism in several international organizations. Turkey’s efforts attracted the attention and support of a broader audience after 11 September 2001.
Turkey has a remarkable history, especially in the fight against global terrorism. The number of global terrorists captured in Turkey alone has exceeded 260. Besides, Turkey is also one of the most important actors against the arguments that global terrorists use in propaganda.
Turkey, contrary to the claims of global terrorists, is a model country that proves that East and West, Christians and Muslims, and democracy and religion can live together. Turkey co-presides over the Alliance of Civilizations project with Spain. The Alliance of Civilizations meeting, which took place in Istanbul on 5-6 April 2009, revealed the opposition of claims of global terrorists and the radical rhetoric that feeds them. It is possible to extend this list.
Obama's visit to Ankara obviously shows that Turkey has a very important place in terms of fighting against terrorists and fighting against terrorism.
The Reconstruction of Iraq
The year 2003 is a big turning point in Iraq’s history due to the defeat of Saddam’s dictatorship. The Iraqis, who broke down Saddam’s statue in Firdevs square in May 2003, did not foresee the size of the impending disaster. The Iraqis did rid themselves of their dictator; however, they now struggle with instability and an anarchic environment. Iraqi people face many problems, such as health, education, housing, unemployment, terrorism, and internal and external migration. Iraq was very close being partitioned. Even there have been certain developments in the field of security; serious problems still remain in the region.
The end of the United States’ military presence in the region at the end of 2011 may especially contribute to the higher risk of instability in Iraq. By the way, Turkey makes significant efforts to aid in the reconstruction of Iraq and to resolve the structural problems in the region. Obama's visit to Ankara, in light of the plans to end the US presence in Iraq, is considered an indication that Turkey will be the constructive regional power supporting Iraq when it is needed. Yet, Turkey has earned the appreciation and trust of all sides in Iraq in terms of the dialogue between the governments and people since 2003 (Although the problems of the elimination of the PKK presence and some roughness with the regional Kurdish administration remain to be overcome.).
The Influence of Turkey in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has been consumed by wars and conflicts in world politics since the 1979 Soviet occupation. Occupying a strategic location between Central Asia and Front Asia, Afghanistan hasn’t had a stable government or state administration in the last thirty years. Afghanistan is referred to as a failed-state (the catch phrase of the Bush era) and one of the most important goals of Obama’s foreign policy is to have a stable structure in Afghanistan. It is very obvious that after 30 years of chaotic life, it is very difficult for Afghans to come together under the authority of a state. However, one of the most important points is bringing together the parties and providing a regional alliance to contribute to the stability of Afghanistan.
From this perspective, the gathering of the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zerdari with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Ankara on 1 April 2009 as a part of an ongoing process is very promising. On the other hand, Turkey's active contribution to NATO and important support of the training of Afghan military and police is extremely important in terms of state building in Afghanistan. The Afghans have doubts about trusting Western countries, so Turkey has an important role of bringing both parties together. U.S. President Obama's transatlantic visit to Ankara should also be addressed in this regard.
Conclusion
It is possible to answer the “Why Ankara?” question in many respects. In this article, Iran, Syria, Kosovo, Bosnia, and some other issues have not been added to the list. To summarize, Turkey is one of the key countries in the solution of many problems from local to global in the 21st century. Turkey has a great strength for resolving the disputes which are the starting point of many global problems. Turkey, unlike many actors, has strong trust ties and intense relationships with many countries in the region. Turkey’s increasing voice in the international arena has contributed to the transfer of regional problems to the world. Turkey, who intimately knows the regional problems and people and has become more involved in world problems, is becoming a country whose positive contributions are growing day-by-day.
Translated by Salih Dogan (JTW)
Edited by Kaitlin MacKenzie (JTW)
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