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TURKISH-AMERICAN RELATIONS IN OBAMA'S FIRST YEAR
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Jan 21 2010
U.S. President Barack Obama has been in office for a year now. The
interim precipitates ambiguous. Not much is left in reality of the
great hopes and announcements of the Presidential candidate Obama.
Domestically, Obama did accept major hurdles for his prestige project
of health reform, but it seems to be more complicated after the
election of the new (Republican) Senator of Massachusetts. Externally,
Obama stood for a change in the political climate after the sobering
years of the Bush Administration. But the list of debts after 365 days
in office is longer than the list of demands. The prison at Guantanamo
is still open, the threat of terrorism increases, the climate change
summit in Copenhagen failed and the fight against corruption and the
Taliban in Afghanistan has no foreseeable end. However, Obama was
able to demonstrate some success. With his speech in Cairo, he set a
positive precedent in the dialogue with Islam. The speech was quite
remarkable in comparison to his predecessor. In addition, the global
economy is no longer in a free fall after the dramatic beginning of the
financial crisis in 2008. The stock markets finished the previous year
with a profit and even the U.S. unemployment rate dropped slightly.
Preventing the collapse of the global economy, in which Obama's
Administration had an important share, is probably the most positive
impact on Turkey.
Otherwise, Turkey also feels disillusionment. Although the Turkish
public sympathizes with the Obama administration, the Anti-Americanism
is spreading - as the USAK Survey has shown in their Perceptions of
Foreign Policy in August 2009. "Turkish society expected much from
Obama. The people like him and probably also his Administration but
they don't like his country," summarized Mehmet Yegin, Researcher at
USAK Center for Transatlantic Studies, of the survey.
Obama needs to deal substantially with the PKK terrorists to win back
the hearts of the Turkish people, added Yegin. Aside from his rhetoric
support for the Kurdish initiative, the US-President didn't give the
necessary attention to Turkey's problems. "It is really hard to see
Ankara from Washington with every single issue," although substantial
cooperation against PKK terrorism seems possible according to Yegin.
"He has to take substantial steps to change the US imagine in Turkey.
Catching Abdullah Ocalan was a significant step and it is not too hard
to do the same in Northern Iraq. It will not destabilize the region."
The latter is in reference to taking action against the militant PKK
terrorists while not putting the Iraqi Administration in danger.
Arresting and sending the top militants to Turkey would be another
step to increase the Turkish-American relations.
Turkish-Armenian issues do not seem as important as the PKK problem. A
clear division between issues is important for Yegin: "The Armenian
Diaspora and their so-called genocide is one issue", said the USAK
Researcher. The Diaspora - especially in the US - identifies itself
with the incidents. "It is the glue between the Armenian Diaspora all
over the world. If they lose the topic, they will automatically lose
their identity. But it is not helping the people in Armenia." The
Turkish-Armenian talks to open the border were an important step,
but Obama will not be a substantial help in this issue. "Obama is too
much committed to the Armenian Lobby in the United States." Even the
developing relations between Turkey and Armenia gives Obama some space,
but as long as he mixes both issues, there won't be a solution.
Yegin declined to make general summaries about Obama's first year
as President. "Of course the first year is important, but it does
not offer too much time to change the most important country in the
world with its limits in system and economy." However, Obama made
one important mistake; he didn't say that he cannot fulfill all the
expectations in time. "His time is passing and he has to solve several
issues in the next two years," said Yegin.
By Marcus Schadlich (JTW) Thursday, 21 January 2010 Journal of
Turkish Weekly
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Jan 21 2010
U.S. President Barack Obama has been in office for a year now. The
interim precipitates ambiguous. Not much is left in reality of the
great hopes and announcements of the Presidential candidate Obama.
Domestically, Obama did accept major hurdles for his prestige project
of health reform, but it seems to be more complicated after the
election of the new (Republican) Senator of Massachusetts. Externally,
Obama stood for a change in the political climate after the sobering
years of the Bush Administration. But the list of debts after 365 days
in office is longer than the list of demands. The prison at Guantanamo
is still open, the threat of terrorism increases, the climate change
summit in Copenhagen failed and the fight against corruption and the
Taliban in Afghanistan has no foreseeable end. However, Obama was
able to demonstrate some success. With his speech in Cairo, he set a
positive precedent in the dialogue with Islam. The speech was quite
remarkable in comparison to his predecessor. In addition, the global
economy is no longer in a free fall after the dramatic beginning of the
financial crisis in 2008. The stock markets finished the previous year
with a profit and even the U.S. unemployment rate dropped slightly.
Preventing the collapse of the global economy, in which Obama's
Administration had an important share, is probably the most positive
impact on Turkey.
Otherwise, Turkey also feels disillusionment. Although the Turkish
public sympathizes with the Obama administration, the Anti-Americanism
is spreading - as the USAK Survey has shown in their Perceptions of
Foreign Policy in August 2009. "Turkish society expected much from
Obama. The people like him and probably also his Administration but
they don't like his country," summarized Mehmet Yegin, Researcher at
USAK Center for Transatlantic Studies, of the survey.
Obama needs to deal substantially with the PKK terrorists to win back
the hearts of the Turkish people, added Yegin. Aside from his rhetoric
support for the Kurdish initiative, the US-President didn't give the
necessary attention to Turkey's problems. "It is really hard to see
Ankara from Washington with every single issue," although substantial
cooperation against PKK terrorism seems possible according to Yegin.
"He has to take substantial steps to change the US imagine in Turkey.
Catching Abdullah Ocalan was a significant step and it is not too hard
to do the same in Northern Iraq. It will not destabilize the region."
The latter is in reference to taking action against the militant PKK
terrorists while not putting the Iraqi Administration in danger.
Arresting and sending the top militants to Turkey would be another
step to increase the Turkish-American relations.
Turkish-Armenian issues do not seem as important as the PKK problem. A
clear division between issues is important for Yegin: "The Armenian
Diaspora and their so-called genocide is one issue", said the USAK
Researcher. The Diaspora - especially in the US - identifies itself
with the incidents. "It is the glue between the Armenian Diaspora all
over the world. If they lose the topic, they will automatically lose
their identity. But it is not helping the people in Armenia." The
Turkish-Armenian talks to open the border were an important step,
but Obama will not be a substantial help in this issue. "Obama is too
much committed to the Armenian Lobby in the United States." Even the
developing relations between Turkey and Armenia gives Obama some space,
but as long as he mixes both issues, there won't be a solution.
Yegin declined to make general summaries about Obama's first year
as President. "Of course the first year is important, but it does
not offer too much time to change the most important country in the
world with its limits in system and economy." However, Obama made
one important mistake; he didn't say that he cannot fulfill all the
expectations in time. "His time is passing and he has to solve several
issues in the next two years," said Yegin.
By Marcus Schadlich (JTW) Thursday, 21 January 2010 Journal of
Turkish Weekly