THE IMPORTANCE OF TURKISH-US RELATIONS
by Yasin Dogan
Yeni Safak
Feb 5 2009
Turkey
We often see superficial approaches that disregard the importance and
the multiple dimensions of Turkish-US relations. Groups that raise
objections to the effect that "we may lose the United States" whenever
Turkey levels some criticism; those who think that the United States
would write off Turkey as soon as the Armenian and Jewish lobbies go
into action; and those who are looking for opportunities to bash the
United States fail to see the dimensions of the alliance between the
two countries. Those who raised a storm after the [ 1 March 2003]
authorization bill affair also made the same mistake. Any arguments
that the United States might favour the Kurds over Turkey in the
region or that it might be pressured by Israel to take a different
posture with regard to Turkey are largely dissociated from reality.
The alliance with the United States has always been very important
for Turkey. The role the United States has played in Turkey’s
Westernization process is no less than that played by Europe. Nor
was Turkey’s importance and value [for the United States] associated
with the Cold War period only. Those who thought that Turkey’s
importance would decline after the end of the Cold War and that the
[Turkish-US] alliance relationship would lose its significance were
proven wrong. Today, Turkey occupies a more important place than it
did in the past.
President Obama needs to analyse Turkey’s importance well and echo
this in his policies.
Think about it:
If President Obama went to any European, Balkan, or Middle Eastern
country today, how many issues would he have on his agenda? Which
of these issues would he discuss and how long would such a meeting
last? Most probably, the agenda items could be counted on the fingers
of one hand and most of them would be related to the expectations of
that country from the United States.
Now, if President Obama came to Turkey how many files would have in
his briefcase? How many items would he have on his agenda? How many of
these would be Turkish expectations and how many would be US requests?
Let us enumerate only those that come to our mind:
Turkey’s position and contributions to the expansion of NATO and its
new missions. Security of energy supplies. The role of Turkey and its
soldiers in Afghanistan. The role Turkey may assume with regard to
developments in Pakistan, the linkage between Afghanistan and Pakistan,
and Iran’s nuclear activities. Political balances in Iraq and the
participation of different sides in the process. What Turkey can do
as the United States withdraws its troops from Iraq. The roles Turkey
may assume after the US withdrawal is completed. Northern Iraq and
the PKK. Developments in the Balkans, Kosovo, and Bosnia. The Cyprus
problem. Relations with Armenia. Russia’s efforts to increase its
influence in the region. Developments in Georgia. Israel’s relations
with Syria, Palestine, and Pakistan. Turkish-Israeli relations. The
Lebanon problem. The roles the Organization of Islamic Conference
may assume in the coming period. The messages Turkey may send to the
Islamic world. Relations with the Turkic world (Central Asia and the
Caucasus). The EU and the European Security and Defence Policy. The
Darfur problem in Sudan. Turkey’s membership in the UN Security
Council. The improvement of the US image in Turkey and the region. The
G-20 and the global crisis. Work on the Alliance of Civilizations. The
spread of democracy, market economics, and Western institutions to
the Middle East and surrounding regions. Bilateral military, trade,
and economic relations. Investments by US companies.
Depending on circumstances one can add other items to these, but each
of these headings may be the primary item on the agenda.
Think about it: How many states in the world are linked to so many
issues and can play a role in such a large area? In my estimate,
no more than three to five countries can boast of such a broad area
of interest and influence.
The United States has an interest in every region of the world and
therefore would like to have Turkey’s contribution and support in
one way or another.
Naturally, Turkey also has scores of agenda items for which it needs
the contributions of the United States.
A relationship with so many dimensions requires strategic cooperation
and it would be impossible to write off such a relationship in one
fell swoop. There may be many issues on which Turkey may be adversely
affected, but there are just as many issues on which it can have a
positive influence.
Turkey is a key country for the activation of the vision Obama
articulated in his first speech.
This is why Turkish-US ties must not be viewed as an ordinary
relationship.