Relations impacts and cp’s
AT: TUrkey is turning away from US/toward Mid east
Download 1.27 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- US-Turkey relations good: Mid-East stability
AT: TUrkey is turning away from US/toward Mid eastTurkey won’t be able to effectively turn towards the middle east LA Times 6/20 [2010, Turkey looks east and makes waves, http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/20/world/la-fg-turkey-east-20100620] The U.S. worries that the eastward tilt of Turkey's Islamic-oriented government runs counter to Washington's ambitions. Ankara has increasingly insinuated itself into Palestinian affairs and has appeared to embrace Hamas, which controls Gaza and is considered a terrorist group by the U.S. and Israel. But this tack has turned Erdogan, who once sold sesame buns in Istanbul's poor neighborhoods, into a hero in the Muslim world. A father in Gaza named his newborn son after him. Arab writers asked why their own leaders, regarded as corrupt and cowed by the West, weren't as scrappily eloquent in supporting Palestinian rights. Turkey has usurped the limelight from Iran, which funds and supports Hamas, and from Egypt, which for years has been trying to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace. This has fueled jealousies in some Middle East capitals that view Ankara as interfering in the balance of power, even as its overall regional trade has jumped to more than $31 billion from about $5 billion over the last eight years. But others in the region see Turkey's Islamic brand of democracy and free markets as a pragmatic approach not only to Israel, the U.S. and Europe but also to political cooperation and business deals with the emerging powers of China and India. "Turkey has been a role model for Islamic countries," said Reza Kaviani, an Iranian analyst. "Turkey has proved that Iranian policy of exporting Islamic revolution has only led to extremism, in contrast with Turkish democratic policy, which has led to true sympathy toward Palestinians and further international pressure on Israel." For Egypt, the problem with Turkey is its resonance with the "common people," said Sameh Sorour, a Cairo-based political analyst. "Egyptians have always endorsed any regime that opposed Israel, let alone publicly condemned an Israeli act or policy.... But Turkey is also a secular country with great financial developments and close ties to the West. It represents everything the Egyptian regime is trying to stand for, and that's why Cairo won't be able to discredit Turkey," Sorour said. Ankara's venturesome diplomacy has limits. A recent effort by Turkey and Brazil to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran was viewed as naive and angrily discarded by Washington. Turkey faces other challenges in engaging the Middle East: ensuring that it doesn't let its improving human rights record slip and understanding that courting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, who is wanted on war crimes charges, may harm its image in the European Union. Straddling East and West is the historic Turkish riddle. Founded by Kemal Ataturk in 1923 upon the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, where the military held sway for decades, hammered itself into a secular state. It was an uncomfortable, often raucous, fit. In 2002, Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, or AKP, swept to power and religion played a more prominent role. The country positioned itself as an Islamic democracy that would fit into the EU. Despite making political and human rights reforms, however, Turkey felt ostracized by Berlin and other capitals that believed a country with thousands of minarets was not truly European. Its pride damaged, Turkey kept its Western alliances and its bid for EU membership open but shifted its focus in the opposite direction. "The AKP party's blend of Islam and nationalism very much looks toward the East," said Mustafa Karahan, director of an energy investment company. "The party figured, 'Instead of being a small brother in the West, let's be a big brother in the East.' The only problem with this is that a lot of Arabs, especially Egyptians, don't like Turks. But Egypt's time is done. It's over." It is not likely that Turkey will become the unifying voice in the Middle East, especially in the disparate Arab world, where these days leaders are more consumed with preserving their power. Cultural differences and historical animosities further complicate Ankara's role. Turkey was once the seat of the Ottoman Empire, which for centuries harshly ruled much of the Middle East. But the country's ascent is a reminder that Arab states have lacked a shared vision since the 1960s, when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser held up the hope of pan-Arabism. "Turkey is rising. Iran is rising. Where are the Arabs?" said Mesut Ozcan, assistant professor of international relations at Istanbul Commerce University. "Erdogan is filling this gap, but Turkey doesn't really want to be the leader of the Middle East. This is about markets and security, of creating an atmosphere to benefit Turkish businessmen. Turkey is trying to create a new language." US-Turkey relations good: Mid-East stabilityUS-Turkey relations are key to Middle East stabilityKalin 2010 (Ibrahim, Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister of Turkey, PhD from George Washington University, "US-Turkish relations under Obama: promise, challenge and opportunity in the 21st century," Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, p. 93-108, Volume 12 Issue 1 March 2010) Besides bilateral relations, US-Turkish relations include several key areas of foreign policy for both countries in the Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia. The future of post-American Iraq, the Iranian nuclear issue, the ongoing NATO mission in Afghanistan, the Palestine question and the Middle East peace process, the fragile situation in Pakistan, the new power dynamics in the southern Caucasus and the challenge of a resurgent Russia are among the issues in which Turkey, the USA and their key allies have strategic interest.27 On most of these issues, there is a convergence in perspective, style and substance between the USA and Turkey, each country having its own reasons for it. In order to deal effectively with the enormous challenges which the geo-politics of the 21st century presents, President Obama needs to regain America's credibility and repair its image in the world. A multilateralist and pluralistic foreign policy based on engagement and inclusion means a deeper relationship with all the countries involved in the process of security building around the world. Turkey's unique geo-political location ties US interests to Turkey's participation in key decisions in the region. All the major US operations in the Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia are related to Turkey. Furthermore, the overall outlines of the new Turkish foreign policy under the successive AK Party governments are in large part parallel to the new approach the Obama administration has formulated. A quick look at some of the key foreign policy areas will demonstrate that the US and Turkish governments are likely to find more areas of cooperation than disagreement. Directory: file -> view view -> Western Europe after wwii view -> Author study: paul fleischman view -> Qpa1 7ela study Guide view -> Arctic Oil/Gas Neg view -> November 1970 Approximately 150,000-500,000 deaths Bhola Cyclone Bangladesh view -> Grade Level: 6 Unit of Study: Caribbean glce view -> Citation: Duffield, Katy view -> Table of Contents Lesson # view -> Chinese Wind Energy Disad Download 1.27 Mb. Share with your friends:
|