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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Oct 1 2011
A growing front of enemies
by ABDÃ`LHAMÄ°T BÄ°LÄ°CÄ°
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 `model partnership' (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 `Turks have no friends outside of
other Turks,' and `We are surrounded by enemies' 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
`multi-dimensional foreign policy,' `zero problems with neighbors' and
`central country.' 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 `casus belli' and `red lines,' were replaced
concepts based more on cooperation and alliance, such as `reciprocal
dependence,' `winning friends,' `standing straight and strong without
glowering,' and `win-win.' 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.
Oct 1 2011
A growing front of enemies
by ABDÃ`LHAMÄ°T BÄ°LÄ°CÄ°
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 `model partnership' (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 `Turks have no friends outside of
other Turks,' and `We are surrounded by enemies' 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
`multi-dimensional foreign policy,' `zero problems with neighbors' and
`central country.' 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 `casus belli' and `red lines,' were replaced
concepts based more on cooperation and alliance, such as `reciprocal
dependence,' `winning friends,' `standing straight and strong without
glowering,' and `win-win.' 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.