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ANKARA: An Open Letter To President-Elect Obama (I)

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  • ANKARA: An Open Letter To President-Elect Obama (I)

    AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA (I)

    Hurriyet
    Nov 20 2008
    Turkey

    When you take your oath of office next Jan. 20, not just the American
    people, but also the whole world will be greeting you with hope and
    expectation. Your views, choices and decisions will affect the globe
    well beyond America's borders and have consequences in the lives and
    well-being of people everywhere.

    The international community today longs deeply for justice, security,
    peace and some semblance of well-being and prosperity. As the leader
    of the most influential country, you have an unprecedented opportunity
    to work for a better world. There will be appeals to you from all
    corners of the world. Our times require an American President who is
    aware of the strengths of America, but also cognizant of the limits
    of its power, a leader who is humble and respectful of the assets of
    other nations. Your success will depend on how well you choose between
    those issues, where you take the lead and apply America's full weight
    and those issues that you leave to others to resolve. To succeed in
    this historic enterprise, Turkey, an ally for more than fifty years,
    can be one of your strategic partners in the very critical regions
    of Eurasia and the Middle East.

    With these thoughts, I call on you from Turkey to share my reflections
    on Turkish-American relations:

    Turkey and the United States sustain a key relationship invaluable
    to both, resting on a foundation of common values and converging
    national interests. Democracy, the rule of law, human rights,
    fundamental freedoms and market economy are among the elements that
    bond the two nations. In spite of the occasional important differences
    that occur, the two allies and partners generally have similar and
    often harmonious approaches to and understanding of the resolution of
    various regional and global issues and conflicts. Our relationship has
    withstood the vicissitudes of time and has amply proven its strength
    and durability. Our cooperation has worked mostly to the benefit of
    our nations. Today humanity faces dire risks and formidable challenges
    in various fields including terrorism, climate change, food, energy
    supply and security, weapons of mass destruction, ethnic-sectarian-
    tribal conflicts, pandemics, natural disasters, poverty, gender
    related issues and other inequalities. These are matters of common
    concern to all of us. Turkey is also a pivotal player in the leading
    major regional conflicts whether in the Caucasus, the Middle East or
    the Balkans. NATO's evolution, the future of Iraq and Afghanistan,
    the resurgence of Russia, the Black Sea, the state of Euro-Atlantic
    affairs are other priority items on our mutual agenda. In short, our
    agendas, our priorities and our needs overlap. We can help each other
    and conversely, we can hurt each other if we fail to utilize the assets
    of our unique relationship. This is why I urge you, Mr. President, to
    pay attention to the following issues to ensure that our partnership
    remains strong, constructive and mutually beneficial. I realize
    that on all these points the Turkish side must take the appropriate
    reciprocating steps.

    1. Our relationship is a special one. It is the only formal alliance of
    the U.S. with a Muslim country in NATO. Common values, shared ideals
    and compatible national interests form its solid foundation. They
    are both democracies.

    2. Today our relations are stable and relatively warm. Recovery in
    the aftermath of the March 1, 2003, vote in the Turkish Parliament
    was not easy. The halting of the Armenian resolutions in Congress
    last year and the belated cooperation against PKK terrorists in Iraq
    provided breathing space. You now have the opportunity to put our
    ties on a progressive track.

    3. Please keep in mind that the unique and greatest asset of Turkey
    is its democracy and its secularism. The separation of religion from
    the affairs of the state and the public domain has been the lifeline
    of Turkish democracy. The perception that Turkey is of interest
    because it exemplifies "moderate Islam" is therefore misplaced. Any
    constructive role that Turkey can play in the context of the "clash
    of civilizations" has nothing to do with its being a moderate Islamic
    state Ä~^ which it is not Ä~^ or that it typically represents the
    Islamic world. Turkey's significance lies in its success in having
    combined democracy and secularism in a predominantly Muslim populated
    society. If the development and spread of democracy, especially
    in the Muslim world, is going to be one of your Administration's
    goals, it is indispensable that you understand the workings of
    Turkish democracy and adjust your attitudes accordingly. The spread
    of democracy takes time and patience. A low-key approach generally
    works better, especially if you calibrate it to the unique features
    of the country in question. The golden rule regarding Turkey in this
    respect is to not interfere in Turkey's domestic politics and refrain
    from any action that could create the impression of such interference.

    4. Our partnership is asymmetrical. Turkey is a regional power;
    the U.S. is a global power. Turkish perceptions and assessments of
    issues and events derive from local references and are much more
    textured with historical and cultural elements and sensitive to local
    balances and interests. The U.S. operates on a global scale and at
    a macro level, making it less attentive to local details. Turkey's
    foreign policy objectives change little over time whereas American
    priorities shift rapidly. When seeking Turkish cooperation, this
    asymmetry must be kept in mind. Do not forget that because of this
    asymmetry, the priorities, the immediacy and timing of demands and
    expectations of the two sides can differ significantly. The realistic
    setting and matching of priorities are therefore critical in order
    to reciprocally reap maximum benefits.

    5. The Turkish-American relationship is fragile and sensitive in
    its public psychology dimension. Like Americans, national honor is
    inviolable for Turks. Inadvertent statements or incidents implying
    disrespect for national values and symbols should be avoided if our
    relationship is not to be sidetracked. Take ownership of your ties
    with Turkey. Take the initiative and make a statement affirming
    the importance of our ties. This would do much good and provide an
    auspicious start.

    6. Surveys consistently indicate a very unfavorable opinion of the
    U.S. in Turkey. This underlines the need to implement a broad public
    diplomacy strategy to win the hearts of the Turkish public. That
    should be one of the tasks of your Administration.

    7. The efforts of the Armenian and other anti-Turkish lobbies to take
    our relationship hostage should be rendered harmless. You need to
    convince the Turkish public that you are being fair and not giving
    in to the demands of special interest groups, especially when those
    demands are at least questionable.

    8. Two concrete issues regarding Turkey that will be brought to your
    attention in the early days of your Presidency will be the Armenian
    resolutions in the Congress and American help in the fight against the
    PKK that is based in Iraq. They literally constitute the red buttons
    in the control deck of our relations. Any resolution in Congress
    supporting Armenian claims would do substantial, if not irreparable,
    damage to your standing in Turkey and upset the entire chemistry of
    our relationship. Moreover, it would not help resolve the problem
    and reverse the positive trends now in the making between Turkey and
    Armenia. Instead, you should encourage the recent positive trends
    between the two neighboring states in the direction of dialogue and
    conciliation.

    9. Similarly, the decision of the Bush administration to work with
    Turkey against the PKK terrorists operating from their safe havens in
    Iraq is of critical significance for the Turkish people. You should
    ensure that the Turkish-American cooperation in that sphere continues
    without interruption.

    10. Proper maintenance of our relationship might also require a
    refurbishing of the various bilateral consultation mechanisms and joint
    commissions that are in place. These different bodies have generally
    fallen short of expectations. The only exception is the mechanisms
    between the two militaries that have met regularly and performed
    efficiently. You might ask for a review of the current situation in
    order to ascertain what steps are necessary to put Turkish-American
    relations on a sounder footing. A step that should surely be taken
    would be to widen the spectrum of bilateral official contacts. At
    present, our contacts are limited to heads of state or government,
    foreign ministers and to ministers in charge of the treasury and
    trade. We need to expand the network of our contacts to cover other
    government departments to help diversify our relationship.

    O. Faruk Logoglu is former Ambassador of Turkey to the U.S. Logoglu's
    piece appeared in the TUSIAD's publication of Private View's Autumn
    edition.

    --Boundary_(ID_I8La3HabGBc+1eKSxy 8crA)--
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