Turkey’s Confrontational Relationship with the European Union

Bir Cevap Yazın

March 20, 2017

Years ago, the political director of the ministry asked me to draft a “Turkish foreign policy” speech for the minister. I prepared a draft, he went over it and we took it to the minister who read it and was pleased. Some months later, we received a similar request from the private office. Again, I prepared a draft which was an updated version of the previous one and we took it to the minister. He read it and said “it’s fine but no different than the last one”. The political director, a good friend of the minister, laughed and said “because in foreign policy we don’t sing a different tune every day”. Okumaya devam et →

Turkey’s Foreign and Security Policy in Disarray

Bir Cevap Yazın

March 14, 2017

First, it was “zero problems with neighbors”. Then, it was regime change in Syria. Ankara was so determined that it shot down a Russian fighter-jet provoking a major crisis with Moscow. In May 2016, following an unavoidable government reshuffle, the motto became “more friends and fewer enemies” and that appeared to make sense. Reconciliation with Russia thus started to move forward, at a cost of course. The future of relations with the Trump administration remain uncertain because of the question of Fethullah Gülen’s extradition as well as America’s collaboration with the YPG. And now, Ankara is burning bridges with its traditional European allies who are also Turkey’s major economic partners and home to millions of Turks. The first was Germany (*) only to be followed by the Netherlands not to mention the others. Okumaya devam et →

Turkey’s Latest Spat with Germany

Bir Cevap Yazın

March 6, 2017

With three million Turks, Germany is home to more Turks than any other country. There are also fifteen thousand Germans who have settled in Turkey’s coastal regions. In 2015, before the fallout of the Syrian conflict dealt a crippling blow to Turkey’s tourism sector, over 5.5 million Germans visited Turkey. To put it briefly, the human bridge joining the two countries is huge. Moreover, Germany is Turkey’s leading trade partner and also the largest export market for Turkish products. Last but not least, Turkey and Germany are NATO allies and Germany remains the strongman of the European Union with a key role to play in Turkey’s accession process. This is not to say that Ankara and Berlin should agree on every problem that confronts them. However, in view of their converging broad interests, they should be able to show a capacity to contain and resolve their differences and avoid inflammatory language. Okumaya devam et →

The Frustration of Waiting

Bir Cevap Yazın

February 27, 2017

Turkey’ ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) saw the Arab Spring as a historic opportunity to play a central role in reshaping the Middle East. Through this role, Turkey was to become region’s leading nation, hence a global player. The theorists of this approach banked heavily on Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power in countries where regimes were likely to fall. The theory had multiple deficiencies, primarily among them the indisputable reality that Arab countries would never, ever subscribe to a neo-Ottoman regional order. A democratic Turkey inspiring peoples and leading by example was another story. Okumaya devam et →

Clouds of Uncertainty Not Dissipating

Bir Cevap Yazın

February 20, 2017

No matter where, transitions have their understandable ups and downs. Yet, it is clear that what Washington is currently experiencing is more than that. Some call it “chaos”, “turmoil” while others reject such labels reflecting America’s polarization. All things considered, the resignation/firing of President’s national security adviser Michael Flynn and labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder’s withdrawal from consideration cannot be categorized as routine ups and downs. The Russia dimension of the controversy regarding General Flynn aside, these are America’s domestic issues. Nonetheless, the world including the Middle East will draw conclusions. Okumaya devam et →

Storm Over, Climate Change Likely to Continue

Bir Cevap Yazın

February 13, 2017

President Trump’s first few weeks at the White House were like a tropical storm. Some of America’s core values were challenged. Washington’s relations even with its long-standing friends and allies were thrown into uncertainty. Okumaya devam et →

Unpredictability, Confusion and Rule by Tweets

Bir Cevap Yazın

 

February 5, 2017

President Trump’s election campaign remarks on American foreign and security policy led to serious concern even among Washington’s closest allies. Nonetheless, they refrained from reacting in ways which could be perceived as meddling in the elections and preferred to wait and see. They were surprised by the election result. Again, they waited for Mr. Trump’s inauguration and his foreign and security policy team to assume office. Secretaries of Defense and State have now been sworn in but anxiety regarding the future does not seem to dissipate. Because, President Trump, without waiting for his team to take charge of their responsibilities and before giving them an opportunity to offer advice, has continued to challenge America’s long-standing positions in substance and in form. Okumaya devam et →

Time to Face the Middle East Realities

Bir Cevap Yazın

January 30, 2017

Last Friday President Trump signed his most controversial executive order so far. Its title was “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States”. Soon, it was simply being referred to either as the “refugee ban” or the “Muslim ban”. Mr. Trump said the goal is to keep “radical Islamic terrorists” out of the US. Okumaya devam et →

A Wrong Move at the Worst Time

Bir Cevap Yazın

January 26, 2017

It has been almost twenty-five years since Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn. President Clinton said at the time that the peace of the brave was within reach. Yet, a final settlement remains as elusive as ever. Okumaya devam et →

A Few Notes on the Inauguration

Bir Cevap Yazın

January 22, 2016

American exceptionalism is an American concept. President Obama has referred to it on more than one occasion. During a news conference in Strasbourg on April 4, 2009, on his first trip abroad as President, in responding to a question as to whether he subscribed to the school of American exceptionalism that sees America as uniquely qualified to lead the world, he said: Okumaya devam et →