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OBAMA WOOS TURKEY BUT WILL IT WOO BACK?
Christian Science Monitor
April 6, 2009, Monday
President Obama may have put Turkey last on his first overseas trip,
but in this case, last does not mean least. He's actually moving this
democratic Muslim country into a position of greater primacy among
America's foreign partners - as it should be.
This would not have been possible under the previous
administration. Not that President George W. Bush didn't also recognize
the central role that this strategic country of more than 70 million
people plays in one of the world's most troubled regions.
But the Iraq war turned Turks off to the US. Very off. Turkish public
opinion of America was among the lowest in the world last year,
mustering just 12 percent approval. The government, a longtime NATO
ally, has been more supportive, taking part in the NATO campaign in
Afghanistan. Still, relations have been at a low.
One senses that Turkey is ready to work more closely with this
president. The "Hussein" part of his name helps. But so does the
fact that the US is preparing to pull out of Iraq. Helpful, too,
is Mr. Obama's "listening" attitude, though his speech before the
Turkish parliament in Ankara Monday at times sounded like a professor
in a lecture hall.
The potential benefits of a closer US relationship with Turkey are
significant - for both countries.
Turkey sits at a geographic crossroads where religions, petroleum,
and political interests have often collided like tectonic plates. With
a toe on the European continent and its heel abutting the Caucasus,
Iran, Iraq, and Syria - and with its democratic credentials, economic
clout, and Islamic sensibilities - it is in an ideal position to help
the US work constructively in a region that springs conflict.
In recent years, Ankara has been trying to implement a policy of
"zero problems" on its borders. This spade work could prove useful
at a time when Washington is looking to revive the Middle East peace
process and explore dialogue with Iran and Syria.
Turkey has brokered peace talks between Syria and Israel (unsuccessful
so far). It's brought the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan
together. It has attempted to calm relations between Russia and
Georgia. And now it's involved in a historic effort to open its
border with Armenia - even as the two countries still bitterly
disagree whether the 1915 massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman
Empire constitutes "genocide" or not.
At the same time, the US is uniquely positioned to assist
Turkey. Lawmakers applauded when Obama pledged to strengthen American
support in fighting Kurdish terrorists who launch attacks on Turkey
from northern Iraq. Ankara criticized the Bush administration for
not doing enough.
Obama, too, can speak with special authority in encouraging the
traditionally Christian European Union to move ahead with membership
for largely Muslim Turkey. As America knows, "diversity of ethnicity,
tradition and faith" is a "gain," as he said today, not a minus.
But Turkey itself must "sustain" (i.e., don't stall) its commitment to
democratic reforms in rule of law and minority and religious rights,
Obama rightly pointed out.
Of course, even best of intentions on both sides will not guarantee
positive outcomes. But through his bridge-building trip to Turkey,
the president brings the US much closer to the possibility of them.
Christian Science Monitor
April 6, 2009, Monday
President Obama may have put Turkey last on his first overseas trip,
but in this case, last does not mean least. He's actually moving this
democratic Muslim country into a position of greater primacy among
America's foreign partners - as it should be.
This would not have been possible under the previous
administration. Not that President George W. Bush didn't also recognize
the central role that this strategic country of more than 70 million
people plays in one of the world's most troubled regions.
But the Iraq war turned Turks off to the US. Very off. Turkish public
opinion of America was among the lowest in the world last year,
mustering just 12 percent approval. The government, a longtime NATO
ally, has been more supportive, taking part in the NATO campaign in
Afghanistan. Still, relations have been at a low.
One senses that Turkey is ready to work more closely with this
president. The "Hussein" part of his name helps. But so does the
fact that the US is preparing to pull out of Iraq. Helpful, too,
is Mr. Obama's "listening" attitude, though his speech before the
Turkish parliament in Ankara Monday at times sounded like a professor
in a lecture hall.
The potential benefits of a closer US relationship with Turkey are
significant - for both countries.
Turkey sits at a geographic crossroads where religions, petroleum,
and political interests have often collided like tectonic plates. With
a toe on the European continent and its heel abutting the Caucasus,
Iran, Iraq, and Syria - and with its democratic credentials, economic
clout, and Islamic sensibilities - it is in an ideal position to help
the US work constructively in a region that springs conflict.
In recent years, Ankara has been trying to implement a policy of
"zero problems" on its borders. This spade work could prove useful
at a time when Washington is looking to revive the Middle East peace
process and explore dialogue with Iran and Syria.
Turkey has brokered peace talks between Syria and Israel (unsuccessful
so far). It's brought the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan
together. It has attempted to calm relations between Russia and
Georgia. And now it's involved in a historic effort to open its
border with Armenia - even as the two countries still bitterly
disagree whether the 1915 massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman
Empire constitutes "genocide" or not.
At the same time, the US is uniquely positioned to assist
Turkey. Lawmakers applauded when Obama pledged to strengthen American
support in fighting Kurdish terrorists who launch attacks on Turkey
from northern Iraq. Ankara criticized the Bush administration for
not doing enough.
Obama, too, can speak with special authority in encouraging the
traditionally Christian European Union to move ahead with membership
for largely Muslim Turkey. As America knows, "diversity of ethnicity,
tradition and faith" is a "gain," as he said today, not a minus.
But Turkey itself must "sustain" (i.e., don't stall) its commitment to
democratic reforms in rule of law and minority and religious rights,
Obama rightly pointed out.
Of course, even best of intentions on both sides will not guarantee
positive outcomes. But through his bridge-building trip to Turkey,
the president brings the US much closer to the possibility of them.