Serpentine
INT'L MOD
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Turkeys fall in the foreign policy arena that started with the Arab Spring is gradually increasing. Today, there is no trace of Turkey which had on the one hand developed new targets with the European Union, Israel and Iran and on the other produced long-term projects with Syria, Russia and the US.
As is the case with domestic policy, the government is exhibiting signs of exhaustion in its foreign policy.
The developments in Syria have certainly played a major role in the countrys current state of foreign policy. Turkey, and in particular Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, continually makes strongly worded statements about the Syrian crisis, hurling threats at the Bashar al-Assad regime.
However, we are currently left alone with regard to the Syrian crisis. While Western countries lend low-profile support to Turkey in the Syrian crisis, Turkey is well aware that this support is a typical Western policy and it will be left completely alone if Western countries deem it necessary.
Four Arab countries which overthrew their dictators through revolution -- namely Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen -- do not see Turkey as a good example for themselves and do not place Turkey in the category of countries which they attach primary importance to, despite all efforts and diplomatic moves from the Turkish side.
In particularly, it seems very unlikely for Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood sits in the presidential palace, to establish closer ties with Turkey despite the Erdoğan administrations intensive efforts. So establishing a cooperative relationship with Egypt in the Middle East that would be similar to the one between Germany and France in Europe is wishful thinking in the short term. Egypts new priority has clearly been revealed with new President Mohamed Mursis visit to Saudi Arabia.
Not only has Turkish foreign policy failed to adapt to changing conditions but its civilian diplomacy bodies -- represented by the Office of Public Diplomacy, the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) and the Yunus Emre Culture Centers -- have also been ineffectual.
We still dont know what benefits these institutions are bringing to Turkey in return for consuming hundreds of millions of dollars of public resources.
In addition, the governments project to boost the Arabic sections of the Anatolian news agency and the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) seems unlikely to boost Turkeys image. Given the fact that the TRTs Arabic channel, TRT Turkiyya, has been unable to achieve the expected ratings, it is feared that the Anatolia news agencys project may face a similar fate as well.
The winds which Turkeys Israel policy had created seem to have subsided. Neither Israel nor Palestinian groups make mention of Turkey anymore. In particular, today we see closely how Turkeys efforts concerning the Palestinian issue have been unproductive.
As for Turkeys policy on Iraq, it is an enigma. Today we dont know what advantages Turkey received by offering refuge to the former vice president of Iraq, Tariq al-Hashimi. And the Arab world does not appreciate in the least Turkeys hosting of Hashimi. On the contrary, the anti-Turkey campaign led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is depicted as the second Saddam Hussein of Iraq, is getting stronger. It is known that Iraqi Shiites no longer feel close to Turkey.
Due to Turkeys Syria policy, Turkish-Iranian relations are experiencing their tensest era yet in recent years. The two countries are in implicit competition, trying to weaken each other.
Alarm bells are also ringing over Turkeys relations with many international organizations and global powers, including the EU, the African Union, Russia and the US.
For some, the main reason for these problems is that Turkey has abandoned its soft power strategy and replaced it with a smart power strategy.
Whatever the reason, Turkey needs a new dynamism and enthusiasm in foreign policy. The zero problems strategy, once successfully pursued by Turkey, has been completely shelved. Turkey has returned to the foreign policy it had been pursuing before the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power. Today there is virtually no neighboring country with which Turkey has no problems.
Turkey: tired of high-pitched foreign policy
As is the case with domestic policy, the government is exhibiting signs of exhaustion in its foreign policy.
The developments in Syria have certainly played a major role in the countrys current state of foreign policy. Turkey, and in particular Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, continually makes strongly worded statements about the Syrian crisis, hurling threats at the Bashar al-Assad regime.
However, we are currently left alone with regard to the Syrian crisis. While Western countries lend low-profile support to Turkey in the Syrian crisis, Turkey is well aware that this support is a typical Western policy and it will be left completely alone if Western countries deem it necessary.
Four Arab countries which overthrew their dictators through revolution -- namely Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen -- do not see Turkey as a good example for themselves and do not place Turkey in the category of countries which they attach primary importance to, despite all efforts and diplomatic moves from the Turkish side.
In particularly, it seems very unlikely for Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood sits in the presidential palace, to establish closer ties with Turkey despite the Erdoğan administrations intensive efforts. So establishing a cooperative relationship with Egypt in the Middle East that would be similar to the one between Germany and France in Europe is wishful thinking in the short term. Egypts new priority has clearly been revealed with new President Mohamed Mursis visit to Saudi Arabia.
Not only has Turkish foreign policy failed to adapt to changing conditions but its civilian diplomacy bodies -- represented by the Office of Public Diplomacy, the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) and the Yunus Emre Culture Centers -- have also been ineffectual.
We still dont know what benefits these institutions are bringing to Turkey in return for consuming hundreds of millions of dollars of public resources.
In addition, the governments project to boost the Arabic sections of the Anatolian news agency and the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) seems unlikely to boost Turkeys image. Given the fact that the TRTs Arabic channel, TRT Turkiyya, has been unable to achieve the expected ratings, it is feared that the Anatolia news agencys project may face a similar fate as well.
The winds which Turkeys Israel policy had created seem to have subsided. Neither Israel nor Palestinian groups make mention of Turkey anymore. In particular, today we see closely how Turkeys efforts concerning the Palestinian issue have been unproductive.
As for Turkeys policy on Iraq, it is an enigma. Today we dont know what advantages Turkey received by offering refuge to the former vice president of Iraq, Tariq al-Hashimi. And the Arab world does not appreciate in the least Turkeys hosting of Hashimi. On the contrary, the anti-Turkey campaign led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is depicted as the second Saddam Hussein of Iraq, is getting stronger. It is known that Iraqi Shiites no longer feel close to Turkey.
Due to Turkeys Syria policy, Turkish-Iranian relations are experiencing their tensest era yet in recent years. The two countries are in implicit competition, trying to weaken each other.
Alarm bells are also ringing over Turkeys relations with many international organizations and global powers, including the EU, the African Union, Russia and the US.
For some, the main reason for these problems is that Turkey has abandoned its soft power strategy and replaced it with a smart power strategy.
Whatever the reason, Turkey needs a new dynamism and enthusiasm in foreign policy. The zero problems strategy, once successfully pursued by Turkey, has been completely shelved. Turkey has returned to the foreign policy it had been pursuing before the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power. Today there is virtually no neighboring country with which Turkey has no problems.
Turkey: tired of high-pitched foreign policy
