CLINTON TO APPEAR IN A WOMEN’S TALK SHOW ON TURKISH TV AS A WAY OF COMBATING ANTI-AMERICANISM
Jamestown Foundation
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March 5 2009
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Ankara on March
7, the last day of her diplomatic tour of the Middle East. Ankara
has prepared a number of issues to discuss during the visit–most
importantly, Afghanistan, the American withdrawal from Iraq and
the role that Turkey will play in the pullout, Iraqi security and
terrorism, the Armenian issue, Iran’s nuclear program, and Turkey’s
possible contribution to the Middle East peace process.
Ankara supports the U.S. withdrawal plan, and parliament is ready
to pass a law to allow foreign troops to use Turkish territory while
withdrawing from Iraq. At the same time, however, Ankara does not want
to see a security vacuum in Iraq that may end up in a civil war among
the Iraqi ethnic and sectarian groups. Ankara’s first priority in a
withdrawal plan is to know how and when it will be implemented. Ankara
expects that the United States may want to redeploy its troops
to Afghanistan through Turkish territory. The ports of Mersin and
Iskenderun and Incirlik air base will be used for the withdrawal,
and it is likely that Washington will ask for the use of Diyarbakir
and Malatya air bases as well (Radikal, February 24). "For Ankara, the
most critical issue is how to maintain the security of U.S. weapons
and prevent them from ending up in the hands of the wrong people,
especially the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants and the Kurdish
Peshmerga (Aksam, March 5).
The second topic that Ankara wants to discuss with Clinton is
Afghanistan itself. There are two main topics on this subject. First,
Ankara would like to see the United States develop a better strategy
to address the problems there. Second, it is likely that Turkey
may be asked to contribute additional troops to fight terrorism
in Afghanistan. Ankara is very well aware of the growing Taliban
influence. Ankara will probably press Clinton to revise U.S. policies
to include the Taliban in the political process. Foreign Minster Ali
Babacan stated that "In order to solve the problems in Afghanistan,
we need to find a way to let all groups [including the Taliban]
participate" (Hurriyet, March 5). The Karzai government in Kabul
also supports this view, but it remains to be seen how the Obama
administration will approach the problem. Babacan has not closed the
door to the possibility of sending additional troops to Afghanistan
but would consider it, if the United States made the request (Hurriyet,
March 5).
In addition to these major issues, the Turkish side may remind Clinton
that any attempt to recognize the 1915 events as "genocide" would harm
both U.S. and Turkish interests. Ankara does not want Obama to use
the term "genocide" in his speech on Armenian Memorial Day, April 24.
The United States has its own list of priorities to discuss: the
withdrawal from Iraq and Turkey’s role in the U.S. plan, how to
stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions, how to obtain increased support for
Afghanistan, and what can be done to curb anti-American sentiment
among the Turks.
Hillary Clinton will appear on a women’s TV show, titled "Haydi Gel,
Bizimle Ol" (Come and Join Us), the Turkish version of the U.S. TV
show "The View," in which four women–a former anchorwoman, a movie
actress, a model, and a novelist–discuss various issues (IHA, March
4). It was reported that "the request for Clinton’s appearance on
the show came from U.S. Embassy officials in Ankara" (Today’s Zaman,
March 5). It seems that Clinton’s TV appearance on a women’s program
is designed to reduce anti-Americanism in Turkey. The educated, upper
class part of Turkish society especially has been critical of the
U.S., circulating anti-American views particularly on these types
of television programs. Clinton’s popularity and the new American
policies in the region could help improve the United States’ image
among the mostly educated women who watch the program.
Overall, Clinton’s visit to Turkey should help create a fresh start
in Turkish-U.S. relations, which could produce fruitful results in
the region, if the United States abandons the unpopular policies of
the Bush administration. This seems likely to happen, given Clinton’s
appearance on the TV show. Bill Clinton earned the sympathy of most
Turks when he took a baby in his arms and played with it during his
visit to earthquake sites. Hillary Clinton could have a similar affect
on the Turkish public and help reduce anti-American sentiment if she
performs well on Turkish television.