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A GROWING FRONT OF ENEMIES
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 30 2011
Until recently, Turkey captured a style of foreign policy that exceeded
Ankara's dreams. As Turkey developed relations with both the East
and the West, it also turned into a country applauded by both sides.
Turkey was one of the few countries in the world able to form dialogues
simultaneously with nations which were not only each other's opposites,
but also often engaged in direct conflict with one another.
It was capable of talking not only to Shiites in Iraq, but also
having warm relations with the Sunnis there. And just as it was able
to talk to a Saudi Arabia nervous about Tehran's nuclear machinations,
it was also able to maintain a dialogue with Iran. Its good relations
with Hezbollah did not prevent the establishment of a relationship
of trust with the Lebanese Sunnis. And as normal relations with
Israel continued, liaisons with Syria rose to a level of strategic
partnership; in fact, Turkey did everything it could to see peace
flourish between these two countries.
2004, the year that Turkish relations with the European Union were at
its peak, was also the year that for the first time ever, a Turkish
citizen was elected as the General Secretary, through democratic
selection, of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The same year that Ankara began efforts to see relations with Armenia
normalize (in order to transcend the genocide allegations constantly
placed in front of Turkey by the West), was also the year that the
Turkish Cooperation Council was formed at a summit held in Nakhchivan,
hosted by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
And during a time when Turkish-US relations developed positively
under the definition of â~@~\model partnershipâ~@~] (despite the
many crises occurring between Ankara and Washington during the Bush
administration), Russia was on its way to becoming Turkey's biggest
foreign trade partner.
Those with the greatest parts in this stunning tableau of
accomplishments were President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip ErdoÄ~_an and the foreign ministers during those periods,
Ali Babacan and Ahmet DavutoÄ~_lu -- in other words, the Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) leaders. In order to realize a foreign
policy which appeared impossible, they worked day and night.
After all, in order to carry out these initiatives in an atmosphere
dominated by the mentalities like â~@~\Turks have no friends outside
of other Turks,â~@~] and â~@~\We are surrounded by enemiesâ~@~] took
enormous theoretical and physical efforts. Some of the concepts which
came into play in the literature of diplomacy at this time were ideas
such as â~@~\multi-dimensional foreign policy,â~@~] â~@~\zero problems
with neighborsâ~@~] and â~@~\central country.â~@~] And Turkey turned
from an inactive country, where government planes would be rusting
on the ground in Ankara, to a country whose foreign ministers are
spending most of the month abroad.
in the political sense where names associated with foreign policy
were spending the majority of the month outside of the country.
Concepts that had once dominated Turkey's security-focused stance on
foreign policy, such as â~@~\casus belliâ~@~] and â~@~\red lines,â~@~]
were replaced concepts based more on cooperation and alliance, such
as â~@~\reciprocal dependence,â~@~] â~@~\winning friends,â~@~]
â~@~\standing straight and strong without glowering,â~@~] and
â~@~\win-win.â~@~] The goal at hand became solving seemingly
intractable problems and maximizing relationships by getting rid
of hostilities as much as possible, as well as becoming a leader in
solving not just the problems in which we held a side, but all the
problems plaguing the region.
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 30 2011
Until recently, Turkey captured a style of foreign policy that exceeded
Ankara's dreams. As Turkey developed relations with both the East
and the West, it also turned into a country applauded by both sides.
Turkey was one of the few countries in the world able to form dialogues
simultaneously with nations which were not only each other's opposites,
but also often engaged in direct conflict with one another.
It was capable of talking not only to Shiites in Iraq, but also
having warm relations with the Sunnis there. And just as it was able
to talk to a Saudi Arabia nervous about Tehran's nuclear machinations,
it was also able to maintain a dialogue with Iran. Its good relations
with Hezbollah did not prevent the establishment of a relationship
of trust with the Lebanese Sunnis. And as normal relations with
Israel continued, liaisons with Syria rose to a level of strategic
partnership; in fact, Turkey did everything it could to see peace
flourish between these two countries.
2004, the year that Turkish relations with the European Union were at
its peak, was also the year that for the first time ever, a Turkish
citizen was elected as the General Secretary, through democratic
selection, of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The same year that Ankara began efforts to see relations with Armenia
normalize (in order to transcend the genocide allegations constantly
placed in front of Turkey by the West), was also the year that the
Turkish Cooperation Council was formed at a summit held in Nakhchivan,
hosted by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
And during a time when Turkish-US relations developed positively
under the definition of â~@~\model partnershipâ~@~] (despite the
many crises occurring between Ankara and Washington during the Bush
administration), Russia was on its way to becoming Turkey's biggest
foreign trade partner.
Those with the greatest parts in this stunning tableau of
accomplishments were President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip ErdoÄ~_an and the foreign ministers during those periods,
Ali Babacan and Ahmet DavutoÄ~_lu -- in other words, the Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) leaders. In order to realize a foreign
policy which appeared impossible, they worked day and night.
After all, in order to carry out these initiatives in an atmosphere
dominated by the mentalities like â~@~\Turks have no friends outside
of other Turks,â~@~] and â~@~\We are surrounded by enemiesâ~@~] took
enormous theoretical and physical efforts. Some of the concepts which
came into play in the literature of diplomacy at this time were ideas
such as â~@~\multi-dimensional foreign policy,â~@~] â~@~\zero problems
with neighborsâ~@~] and â~@~\central country.â~@~] And Turkey turned
from an inactive country, where government planes would be rusting
on the ground in Ankara, to a country whose foreign ministers are
spending most of the month abroad.
in the political sense where names associated with foreign policy
were spending the majority of the month outside of the country.
Concepts that had once dominated Turkey's security-focused stance on
foreign policy, such as â~@~\casus belliâ~@~] and â~@~\red lines,â~@~]
were replaced concepts based more on cooperation and alliance, such
as â~@~\reciprocal dependence,â~@~] â~@~\winning friends,â~@~]
â~@~\standing straight and strong without glowering,â~@~] and
â~@~\win-win.â~@~] The goal at hand became solving seemingly
intractable problems and maximizing relationships by getting rid
of hostilities as much as possible, as well as becoming a leader in
solving not just the problems in which we held a side, but all the
problems plaguing the region.