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ANKARA: Democracy, Coup And Washington

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  • ANKARA: Democracy, Coup And Washington

    DEMOCRACY, COUP AND WASHINGTON
    By Ali H. Aslan

    Zaman, Turkey
    Sept 29 2005

    An anti-war rally held in Washington over the weekend manifested the
    extent to which the freedom to speak out against official views and
    discourses can reach in a democracy.

    During the rally, attended by hundreds of thousands of people, which
    took place on the same day the Armenian conference was held in Turkey,
    the Bush administration was vilified. US citizens accused their own
    government of imperialism and bloodthirstiness. I am sure the White
    House, Pentagon and most other government officials did not like what
    was said very much. Nonetheless, thanks to their democratic grasp,
    they were able to restrain themselves.

    Looking from the US, it is encouraging to see that Turkey is
    progressing towards a similar political maturity. The pro-freedom
    stance adopted by the Erdogan administration especially during the
    recent controversy over the Armenian conference, has been welcome in
    Washington. Yet this appreciation is combined with a suppressed feeling
    of disappointment. Certainly, some people cannot hide their emotions
    or do not feel obliged to do so. For instance, the outburst by Tom
    Lantos, an influential leader of the Jewish lobby, which has always
    stood by Turkey, during the vote on the Armenian bill in the House of
    Representatives, shows that the fire of Iraq in bilateral relations
    has not completely turned into ashes yet. Furthermore, Washington has
    not been able to draw Turkey to its hard-line stance on Syria and Iran.

    However, the executive wing does not have the luxury of behaving as
    emotionally as Lantos. They have to be calmer and more pragmatic.

    That dealing with Turkey is no longer a cakewalk is well understood.

    Americans are aware that more dialogue is needed to draw Turkey to
    their line. The level and intensity of the recent diplomatic traffic
    between the two nations confirm this. Prime Minister Erdogan and
    Foreign Minister Gul are as if they have become residents of the
    United States. Ankara was one of the stops in Condi Rice's first
    trip abroad as US Secretary of State. White House National Security
    Adviser Stephen Hadley continued with this tradition. Hadley, one of
    Bush's right-hand men on foreign policy, visited municipal facilities
    in Ankara, mingled with the people, posed with young folk dancers and
    played table tennis, in a clear effort to show that US is determined
    to mend its shattered public image in Turkey as well. Washington is
    aware that to obtain Ankara's support without winning over the public
    is getting ever more difficult, whereas in the past convincing a few
    big-shot elites have been enough.

    Americans are definitely exerting more efforts than before to
    have relations back on track and to understand Turkey better. As
    a matter fact, a close-to-public conference on Turkey was held
    last Tuesday at the US State Department. The subject was Turkey's
    relations with countries other than the US, particularly with Middle
    Eastern countries. Turkish, American and Arab speakers were among
    those attended the brainstorming. Since US foreign policy focuses
    on shaping the Middle East and combating terrorism that originates
    from the region, the United States overlooking an important regional
    player like Turkey, would be unimaginable.

    At this point, the following question comes to minds of the some:
    "Would the US encourage anti-democratic formations in Turkey in
    order to be able to move the policy into the direction that she
    likes?" My answer to this question is a categorical no. To tell you
    the truth, from Washington's perspective, relations with Turkey can
    be pursued neither with nor without the Justice and Development Party
    (AK Party). An American I talked to told me that Erdogan's 'learning
    curve' has been a bit long. He could not comfortably say "yes" when
    asked whether he has learned enough. However, no one here envisages a
    military coup as an alternative to the AK Party government. Because,
    first and foremost, such a move would mean the failure of Washington's
    strategy to integrate Turkey into the West through the EU membership
    process and collapse of the Bush administration's whole democracy
    discourse in the region.

    All right then, where do these coup rumors emanate from? Here is what
    I heard: The discontentment of some circles in the Turkish military
    with AK Party administration, has reached to the ears of high-ranking
    officials in Washington in the form of most extreme possibility,
    due to a series of misunderstandings and misevaluations. Until the
    fact of matter was realized, there has been some anxiety. In addition
    to that, there are attempts by some civilians who cannot read the
    conjuncture very well. They think they could get over their problems
    with the AK Party administration by inciting Washington. Some even
    want to undermine the administration by contracting lobbyists in
    Washington. These also bring the military card to the fore. However,
    reliable sources I have spoken to said those people were given a
    chance for preliminary talks in Washington, partially because their
    objectives were not known, however, they would have no second chance
    now that their real intentions are clear.

    It is true that a consolidated Turkish democracy has in the short run
    reduced Washington's ability to convince Turkey to her relatively
    unpopular policies on Iraq, Iran and Syria. But in the long run,
    this is perfectly consistent with the ideal of having a Turkey fully
    integrated to the Western system. Therefore, no one either in the US or
    in Turkey should expect Washington become a tool for anti-democratic
    plots. Even you might sometimes hear things that you do not want to
    hear, or from time to time get obstructed by it, democracy is always
    a good thing...
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