Zaman, Turkey
Sept 12 2008
We Need Armenia
Column by Etyen Mahcupyan
We are passing through an era when the nation-states are losing the
capability to solve their problems with traditional policies. Use of
force, provocation for conflict and unilateral gain models are no
longer valid.
The biggest reason for this is that the universal norms embodied in
human rights have created a new concept of legitimacy. In other words,
the foreign policy moves that do not comply with today’s concept of
legitimacy will backfire even if they are made by powerful states.
This inevitably forces nation-states to assume a fair approach based
on common interests in order to expand their influence.
Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenia represents Turkey’s attempt to adapt
to this new atmosphere. It is not surprising for the Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) to assert itself in foreign policy after
being trapped in domestic politics. Indeed, the foreign policy moves
concerning the issues that involve Syria and Iran were peaceful
attempts to ensure common peace and stability.
Yet, we should not forget that behind these moves are the dreams of
Turkey’s conservatives for recreating the Ottoman experience. For this
group, the Ottoman world’s most brilliant manifestation today is the
Pax Ottomana. Today, the AK Party management’s desire to become a
world player once again, or at least a major political player in our
region, is obvious.
Coupled with the new concept of legitimacy, this longing for becoming
a "big country" has redefined Turkey, at least in its own eyes, as a
"problem solver." It was a golden opportunity for the reproduction of
the Ottoman legacy as Turkey realized that it does have a good chance
in a power-based crisis among nation-states to take a leading
role. Now, Turkey not only has the chance to wave the flag of peace,
but is also surrounded by a number of small countries refraining from
conciliation.
This approach also works well with two important strategies. One is a
foreign policy rule that Turkey has recently learned. According to
this rule, the more you deviate from the requests of your powerful
allies without disrupting their strategies, the more profitable this
will prove. In doing so, your relative importance increases, and at
the same time, you widen the political sphere in which you operate. If
your allies make moves showing that they have failed to adapt to the
new global concept, it will be easier and more productive for you to
talk about peace, flexibility and dialogue.
The second strategy was simply the result of a perception of
threat. Turkey is NATO’s terminal point against Russia, and one of the
main targets of our foreign policy is not to cause deterioration in
our relations with this country on which we are vitally dependent with
regards to energy.
When we bring the pieces of the puzzle together, we see that it is
possible for Turkey to become a powerful player in its own region, and
it can do this by following the models that stress cooperation, though
this may be against the wishes and interests of the West. Indeed, this
is the very strategy Turkey is currently implementing: to seek
multidimensional partnership that includes Turkey in the Caucasus and
the Middle East and to make Turkey an indispensable regional player
again.
Yet, the sine qua non for this dream is that Turkey should be able to
have and maintain individual relations with every country in the
region based on trust. At this point, there is only one weakness for
Turkey, as everyone knows: Armenia. Keeping its border gates closed
and refusing to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia not only
makes Turkey weak in its region, but also adds to the Western
perception of Turkey as a country that is incapable of having good
relations with its neighbours. For this reason, we could say the AK
Party government has long been seeking to launch a new dialogue
initiative with Armenia, and, as a blessing from fate, the football
match has been seized by the government as a golden opportunity.
Indeed, from the first day, it was obvious that Gul was eager to
accept Sargsyan’s invitation, and his close circles did not hide his
intention. The South Ossetia and Abkhazia crisis in Georgia has proved
once again that Turkey’s strategy was quite correct. This is because
this crisis, in addition to creating a confrontation between Turkey
and Russia, might force us to act as a "small country" for a long time
if the crisis grows bigger. The Caucasus Cooperation and Stability
Platform is a move made to remove this negative possibility, but will
also be meaningful in the long term. Its success depends on a quick
improvement of relations with Armenia.
The current conjuncture has brought new opportunities for Turkey in a
spectrum ranging from changing mentalities to threat perceptions. Yet
Armenia should not serve as a black hole in this spectrum. It is for
this reason the president eagerly accepted the invitation and the
possibility of normalization finally emerged.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
