{"id":69124,"date":"2013-04-04T12:53:23","date_gmt":"2013-04-04T09:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/?p=69124"},"modified":"2023-07-25T15:03:47","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T12:03:47","slug":"turkeys-unsustainable-politics-in-middle-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/2013\/04\/04\/turkeys-unsustainable-politics-in-middle-east\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey\u2019s unsustainable politics in Middle East"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Ramzy Baroud<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Confused may be an appropriate term to describe Turkey\u2019s current foreign policy in the Middle East and Israel in particular. The source of that confusion \u2014 aside from the appalling violence in Syria and earlier in Libya \u2014 is Turkey\u2019s own range of mistakes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Turkish government\u2019s inconsistency regarding Israel highlights earlier discrepancy in other political contexts. There was a time when Turkey\u2019s top foreign policy priority included reaching out diplomatically to Arab and Muslim countries. Then, we spoke of a paradigm shift, whereby Istanbul was repositioning its political center, reflecting perhaps economic necessity, but also cultural shifts within its own society. It seemed that the East versus West debate was skillfully being resolved by politicians of the Justice and Development Party (AKP).<\/p>\n

The \u2018Zero Problems\u2019 policy<\/h4>\n

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, appeared to have obtained a magical non-confrontational approach to Turkey\u2019s historic political alignment. \u201cThe Zero Problems\u201d policy allowed Turkey to brand itself as a bridge between two worlds. The country\u2019s economic growth and strategic import to various geopolitical spheres allowed it to escape whatever price was meted out by Washington and its European allies as a reprimand for its bold political moves \u2014 including Erdogan\u2019s unprecedented challenge of Israel.
\nIndeed, there was a link between the growing influence of Turkey among Arab and Islamic countries and Turkey\u2019s challenge to Israel\u2019s violent behavior in Palestine and Lebanon, and its rants against Syria and Iran. Turkey\u2019s return to its political roots was unmistakable, yet interestingly, it was not met by too strong an American response. Washington couldn\u2019t simply isolate Istanbul and the latter shrewdly advanced its own power and influence with that knowledge in mind. Even the bizarre anti-Turkish statements by Israeli officials sounded more like incoherent rants than actual foreign policy.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s clout in the region<\/h4>\n

Political arrogance and U.S.-financed military strength are two pillars by which Israel maintains its clout in the region. The first was childishly applied when the then Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, publicly snubbed Turkey\u2019s Ambassador, Ahmet Oguz Celikkol, in January 2010 by placing him on a lower sofa. He then asked Israeli journalists to take note of the insult. The second came in May 2010 when Israeli commandos descended on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, and killed nine Turkish citizens in cold blood.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdiocracy\u201d is how Israeli columnist Uri Avnery described Israel\u2019s behavior toward Turkey, which was once one of Israel\u2019s most vital allies. But idiocy has little to do with it and Turkey knew that well. Israel wished to send strong messages to the Turks, that its strategic and political maneuvering was of no use here and that Israel would continue to reign supreme in the face of Erdogan\u2019s ambitious policies. The real idiocy was Israel\u2019s miscalculations, which failed to take into account that such behavior could only speed up Turkey\u2019s political transformation. The fact that the U.S. was losing its once unchallenged grip over the fate of the Middle East had also contributed to Turkey\u2019s sudden rise as a country with far-reaching ties and long-term political vision.<\/p>\n

Turkey\u2019s new political priorities<\/h4>\n

Erdogan quickly rose to prominence. His responses to Israel\u2019s provocations, and to what was essentially a declaration of war, came in the form of strong words and measured actions. He conditioned any rapprochement with Israel on a clear apology over its transgressions, compensations to the victims and the families of the dead, and ending the siege on Gaza. The last condition further highlighted Turkey\u2019s new political priorities.<\/p>\n

As far as Turkey\u2019s regional ascendency was concerned, it mattered little whether Israel apologized. Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was losing favor, even with his own allies in Washington. And unlike Washington, under the thumb of the pro-Israeli lobby, Istanbul was a country with independent foreign policy.<\/p>\n

The Turkish government\u2019s inconsistency regarding Israel highlights earlier discrepancy in other political contexts. There was a time when Turkey\u2019s top foreign policy priority included reaching out diplomatically to Arab and Muslim countries<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ramzy Baroud<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When AKP triumphed in Turkey\u2019s elections in June 2011, the so-called Arab Spring was still in its early stages. Then, much hope was placed on the rise of popular movements in countries that have been disfigured by Arab dictators and their Western benefactors. Not only did the ruling party disregard the fact that Turkey had taken part in the old political structure in the Middle East, it also escaped them that Turkey was an important member of NATO which unleashed a terrible war on Libya on March 19, deliberately misinterpreting U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973. Yes, Turkey had resisted the war option at first, but it was quick to forgive and forget and eventually recognized and supported its political outcome. Thanks to the war, Libya is now in a permanent state of bedlam.<\/p>\n

Victory Speech<\/h4>\n

Erdogan\u2019s victory speech in June 2011 attempted to paint a new picture of reality regarding future prospects and Turkey\u2019s proposed role in all of this. \u201cI greet with affection the peoples of Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, Amman, Cairo, Tunis, Sarajevo, Skopje, Baku, Nicosia and all other friends and brother peoples who are following the news out of Turkey with great excitement,\u201d Erdogan said. \u201cToday, the Middle East, the Caucasus and the Balkans have won as much as Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that \u201cwin\u201d was short-lived. The euphoria of change created many blind spots, one of which is that conflicts of sectarian and ethnic nature \u2014 as in Syria \u2014 don\u2019t get resolved overnight; that foreign military intervention, direct or by proxy, can only espouse protracted conflict. Indeed, it was in Syria that Turkey\u2019s vision truly fumbled. It was obvious that many were salivating over the outcome of a Syrian war between a brutal regime and a self-serving, divided opposition, each faction espousing one foreign agenda or another. Suddenly, Turkey\u2019s regional and global ambitions of justice and morality grew ever more provisional because of fear of chaos spilling over into its border areas, the tragic rise of the number of Syrian refugees at Turkey\u2019s borders and the fear of a strong Kurdish presence innorthern Syria.<\/p>\n

Erdogan: \u2018Israel a terrorist state\u2019<\/h4>\n

Not even capable Turkish politicians could hide the confusion in which they found themselves. Responding to Israel\u2019s bombing of Gaza last November, which killed and wounded hundreds of Palestinians, Erdogan described Israel as a \u201cterrorist state.\u201d \u201cThose who turn a blind eye to discrimination toward Muslims in their own countries, are also closing their eyes to the savage massacre of innocent children in Gaza. \u2026 Therefore, I say Israel is a terrorist state.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even then, discussions were under way regarding the text of an Israeli apology to Turkey over the Mavi Marmara attack. That apology had finally arrived as an undeserved gift to U.S. President Barack Obama, who visited Israel in March with a message of total support for Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn light of Israel\u2019s investigation into the incident which pointed to a number of operational mistakes, the prime minister expressed Israel\u2019s apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury and agreed to conclude an agreement on compensation\/non-liability,\u201d Netanyahu\u2019s apology read. No commitment regarding Gaza was made. Erdogan\u2019s office responded: \u201cErdogan told Benjamin Netanyahu that he valued the centuries-long strong friendship and cooperation between the Turkish and Jewish nations.\u201d According to Netanyahu, the apology over the \u201coperational mistakes\u201d had everything to do with the need to share intelligence over Syria between both of the countries\u2019 militaries. To balance out Turkey\u2019s hurried retreat to its old political foreign policy, Erdogan is reportedly planning to visit Gaza in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will take on a more effective role. We will call, as we have, for rights in our region, for justice, for the rule of law, for freedom and democracy,\u201d were the resounding words of Erdogan following his party\u2019s elections victory last year.
\nIt is likely that Istanbul will try to maintain a balanced position, but, as Erdogan himself knows, in issues of morality and justice, middle stances are simply untenable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

_____________<\/p>\n

Palestinian-American journalist, author, editor, Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) taught Mass Communication at Australia’s Curtin University of Technology, and is Editor-in-Chief of the Palestine Chronicle. Baroud’s work has been published in hundreds of newspapers and journals worldwide and his books \u201cHis books \u201cSearching Jenin: Eyewitness Accounts of the Israeli Invasion\u201d and \u201cThe Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People\u2019s Struggle\u201d have received international recognition. Baroud\u2019s third book, \u201cMy Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story\u201d narrates the story of the life of his family, used as a representation of millions of Palestinians in Diaspora, starting in the early 1940\u2019s until the present time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ramzy Baroud Confused may be an appropriate term to describe Turkey\u2019s current foreign policy in the Middle East and Israel in particular. The source of that confusion \u2014 aside from the appalling violence in Syria and earlier in Libya \u2014 is Turkey\u2019s own range of mistakes.   The Turkish government\u2019s inconsistency regarding Israel highlights earlier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":76533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[145,3007],"class_list":["post-69124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","tag-barack-obama","tag-zero-problems-foreign-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}