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ANKARA: Turkish Foreign Policy in the New Era

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  • ANKARA: Turkish Foreign Policy in the New Era

    Daily Sabah, Turkey
    Sept 3 2014


    TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN THE NEW ERA

    Kılıç BuÄ?ra Kanat 04 September 2014, Thursday


    In this new era of Turkish politics, unsurprisingly there will be
    significant continuities in many public policy realms. The new
    government formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Ahmet
    DavutoÄ?lu will continue most of the policies and projects that were
    started earlier. However, due to the changes in the system of
    government and with an elected, active and powerful president, there
    will be some new features in strategizing, decision-making and the
    implementation of policies. Especially after the general elections
    next year, there will be a significant degree of changes in the cadres
    in Ankara due to the three consecutive term limit for the members of
    Parliament of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party government.

    One of these public policy realms that will face some changes in the
    new era is Turkey's foreign policy. Although the principles and major
    policy initiatives that were launched earlier will continue, the new
    era will bring some changes to the foreign policy decision-making and
    implementation. In fact, Turkey will continue its principled stand on
    Syria, its criticism of the elements of the established order such as
    the veto powers of the U.N. Security Council, and its increasing
    emphasis on previously neglected regions such as the African
    continent. But this time, the pro-activeness in two members of the
    executive branch in terms of foreign policy will create a new dynamism
    in foreign policy decision-making and implementation. The increasing
    number of foreign policy bureaucracy and a potential geographical
    division of labor may help the emergence of a better coverage for
    different regions and policy areas.

    In this new era of Turkish foreign policy there will be several
    challenges that it will continue to encounter. First of these problems
    is the failed and semi-failed states to its south. The grey zones in
    Syria and Iraq have started to export insecurity and threats to the
    countries in the region as a whole. The situation in Syria is becoming
    more dire as the focus of the international public shifted from the
    real cause of the conflict, atrocities of the Assad regime, to its
    outcomes, such as the dangers posed by ISIS. As Western countries
    began to develop anti-terrorism strategies in their approach to the
    crisis in Syria, Turkey will continue to face the danger of a
    spillover of the conflict to its territories and the flow of an
    increasing number of Syrian refugees. Despite the recent airstrikes
    and operations against ISIS in Iraq, the militant organization is
    nowhere near its end and despite Nouri al-Maliki's era being over in
    Iraq for now, it is not clear how influential the new government can
    be to stop the eruption of another civil war in Iraq. In both of these
    crises, failed states are causing the emergence of non-state actors
    like ISIS and the region as a whole is becoming a cradle, or safe
    haven, that produces different sorts of illegal and dangerous
    activities. These developments will create a new period that
    challenges the vision of an economically integrated, politically free
    and democratic and socially stable Middle East. In the case of the
    extension of these crises, Turkey may have to bear more of a burden
    and face new responsibilities.

    Secondly, in this new era Turkish foreign policy may be challenged by
    two issues that were considered its traditional problems. First of
    these problems is the Cyprus dispute, the resolution of which has
    stalled after the rejection of the referendum on the Annan Plan by the
    Greek part of the island. After years of status quo the recent
    developments in the eastern Mediterranean may open a window of
    opportunity for the revival of this process. Secondly, the controversy
    and disputes over the events that took place in 1915 will probably
    continue to haunt the relations between Turkey and Armenia in 2015.
    The recent letter of condolences by President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an was
    a historic step toward the resolution of the problems with Armenia.
    However, the response of the Armenian government signaled its
    determination to reject any calls to resolve the problem. In both of
    these cases, regardless of the attitude of the two governments, Turkey
    needs to continue to act pro-actively to find a mutually acceptable
    solution to problems and communicate its intention to do so to the
    citizens of Armenia and Cyprus through well-designed public diplomacy.

    http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/kilic-bugra-kanat/2014/09/04/turkish-foreign-policy-in-the-new-era



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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