AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA (I)
Hurriyet
Nov 20 2008
Turkey
When you take your oath of office next Jan. 20, not just the American
people, but also the whole world will be greeting you with hope and
expectation. Your views, choices and decisions will affect the globe
well beyond America’s borders and have consequences in the lives and
well-being of people everywhere.
The international community today longs deeply for justice, security,
peace and some semblance of well-being and prosperity. As the leader
of the most influential country, you have an unprecedented opportunity
to work for a better world. There will be appeals to you from all
corners of the world. Our times require an American President who is
aware of the strengths of America, but also cognizant of the limits
of its power, a leader who is humble and respectful of the assets of
other nations. Your success will depend on how well you choose between
those issues, where you take the lead and apply America’s full weight
and those issues that you leave to others to resolve. To succeed in
this historic enterprise, Turkey, an ally for more than fifty years,
can be one of your strategic partners in the very critical regions
of Eurasia and the Middle East.
With these thoughts, I call on you from Turkey to share my reflections
on Turkish-American relations:
Turkey and the United States sustain a key relationship invaluable
to both, resting on a foundation of common values and converging
national interests. Democracy, the rule of law, human rights,
fundamental freedoms and market economy are among the elements that
bond the two nations. In spite of the occasional important differences
that occur, the two allies and partners generally have similar and
often harmonious approaches to and understanding of the resolution of
various regional and global issues and conflicts. Our relationship has
withstood the vicissitudes of time and has amply proven its strength
and durability. Our cooperation has worked mostly to the benefit of
our nations. Today humanity faces dire risks and formidable challenges
in various fields including terrorism, climate change, food, energy
supply and security, weapons of mass destruction, ethnic-sectarian-
tribal conflicts, pandemics, natural disasters, poverty, gender
related issues and other inequalities. These are matters of common
concern to all of us. Turkey is also a pivotal player in the leading
major regional conflicts whether in the Caucasus, the Middle East or
the Balkans. NATO’s evolution, the future of Iraq and Afghanistan,
the resurgence of Russia, the Black Sea, the state of Euro-Atlantic
affairs are other priority items on our mutual agenda. In short, our
agendas, our priorities and our needs overlap. We can help each other
and conversely, we can hurt each other if we fail to utilize the assets
of our unique relationship. This is why I urge you, Mr. President, to
pay attention to the following issues to ensure that our partnership
remains strong, constructive and mutually beneficial. I realize
that on all these points the Turkish side must take the appropriate
reciprocating steps.
1. Our relationship is a special one. It is the only formal alliance of
the U.S. with a Muslim country in NATO. Common values, shared ideals
and compatible national interests form its solid foundation. They
are both democracies.
2. Today our relations are stable and relatively warm. Recovery in
the aftermath of the March 1, 2003, vote in the Turkish Parliament
was not easy. The halting of the Armenian resolutions in Congress
last year and the belated cooperation against PKK terrorists in Iraq
provided breathing space. You now have the opportunity to put our
ties on a progressive track.
3. Please keep in mind that the unique and greatest asset of Turkey
is its democracy and its secularism. The separation of religion from
the affairs of the state and the public domain has been the lifeline
of Turkish democracy. The perception that Turkey is of interest
because it exemplifies "moderate Islam" is therefore misplaced. Any
constructive role that Turkey can play in the context of the "clash
of civilizations" has nothing to do with its being a moderate Islamic
state Ä~^ which it is not Ä~^ or that it typically represents the
Islamic world. Turkey’s significance lies in its success in having
combined democracy and secularism in a predominantly Muslim populated
society. If the development and spread of democracy, especially
in the Muslim world, is going to be one of your Administration’s
goals, it is indispensable that you understand the workings of
Turkish democracy and adjust your attitudes accordingly. The spread
of democracy takes time and patience. A low-key approach generally
works better, especially if you calibrate it to the unique features
of the country in question. The golden rule regarding Turkey in this
respect is to not interfere in Turkey’s domestic politics and refrain
from any action that could create the impression of such interference.
4. Our partnership is asymmetrical. Turkey is a regional power;
the U.S. is a global power. Turkish perceptions and assessments of
issues and events derive from local references and are much more
textured with historical and cultural elements and sensitive to local
balances and interests. The U.S. operates on a global scale and at
a macro level, making it less attentive to local details. Turkey’s
foreign policy objectives change little over time whereas American
priorities shift rapidly. When seeking Turkish cooperation, this
asymmetry must be kept in mind. Do not forget that because of this
asymmetry, the priorities, the immediacy and timing of demands and
expectations of the two sides can differ significantly. The realistic
setting and matching of priorities are therefore critical in order
to reciprocally reap maximum benefits.
5. The Turkish-American relationship is fragile and sensitive in
its public psychology dimension. Like Americans, national honor is
inviolable for Turks. Inadvertent statements or incidents implying
disrespect for national values and symbols should be avoided if our
relationship is not to be sidetracked. Take ownership of your ties
with Turkey. Take the initiative and make a statement affirming
the importance of our ties. This would do much good and provide an
auspicious start.
6. Surveys consistently indicate a very unfavorable opinion of the
U.S. in Turkey. This underlines the need to implement a broad public
diplomacy strategy to win the hearts of the Turkish public. That
should be one of the tasks of your Administration.
7. The efforts of the Armenian and other anti-Turkish lobbies to take
our relationship hostage should be rendered harmless. You need to
convince the Turkish public that you are being fair and not giving
in to the demands of special interest groups, especially when those
demands are at least questionable.
8. Two concrete issues regarding Turkey that will be brought to your
attention in the early days of your Presidency will be the Armenian
resolutions in the Congress and American help in the fight against the
PKK that is based in Iraq. They literally constitute the red buttons
in the control deck of our relations. Any resolution in Congress
supporting Armenian claims would do substantial, if not irreparable,
damage to your standing in Turkey and upset the entire chemistry of
our relationship. Moreover, it would not help resolve the problem
and reverse the positive trends now in the making between Turkey and
Armenia. Instead, you should encourage the recent positive trends
between the two neighboring states in the direction of dialogue and
conciliation.
9. Similarly, the decision of the Bush administration to work with
Turkey against the PKK terrorists operating from their safe havens in
Iraq is of critical significance for the Turkish people. You should
ensure that the Turkish-American cooperation in that sphere continues
without interruption.
10. Proper maintenance of our relationship might also require a
refurbishing of the various bilateral consultation mechanisms and joint
commissions that are in place. These different bodies have generally
fallen short of expectations. The only exception is the mechanisms
between the two militaries that have met regularly and performed
efficiently. You might ask for a review of the current situation in
order to ascertain what steps are necessary to put Turkish-American
relations on a sounder footing. A step that should surely be taken
would be to widen the spectrum of bilateral official contacts. At
present, our contacts are limited to heads of state or government,
foreign ministers and to ministers in charge of the treasury and
trade. We need to expand the network of our contacts to cover other
government departments to help diversify our relationship.
O. Faruk Logoglu is former Ambassador of Turkey to the U.S. Logoglu’s
piece appeared in the TUSIAD’s publication of Private View’s Autumn
edition.
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