Turkey and America: Allies Or Enemies?

It is hard to accept, but after 60 years of a strategic alliance between Turkey and the United States, they are now becoming enemies. The situation shows the shift of Turkey’s foreign and domestic policies and the change of balance in the international system.

Not long ago, a colleague and close friend named Charles Kupchan published a book called “How Enemies Become Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace.” In this book, Kupchan states that in order to fix relations with the enemy, diplomatic dialogue is key. In this case, the relationship between Turkey and the United States would be a perfect example.

Turkey’s response to Israel’s attack on Monday of the flotilla ships that were bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza clearly showed the shift of its foreign politics. The events that took place on Monday should be a wake-up call for America’s foreign policy cabinet. The conservative party still has members that revel in nostalgia for the days when Turkey was dependent on the United States in fear of the Soviet Union. However, it is impossible to maintain that former relationship.

What Happened To The “Ideal Alliance”?

When Obama first came into office, he stated that America was going to form an ideal alliance with Turkey. It’s been over a year and a half since this statement was made and Washington is stuck between reality and its ideal alliance with Ankara. America wants to have a peaceful relationship with Turkey like in the old days, even if that relationship was not 100 percent perfect. Now, Turkey has the world’s 16th largest economy has shown its maturity with its recent steps in diplomacy.

Ankara’s diplomatic stance is best shown with regards to the Middle East. Eight years ago, Turkey was a neutral country that simply observed diplomacy in the Middle East. Now, it is an important diplomatic player in the region. On paper, Ankara and Washington’s goals are the same: peace between Israel and Palestine, a stable government in Iraq, an Iran without nuclear weapons, a stable Afghanistan and Syria having closer relations with the West.

Polar Opposites

When you look at these goals in detail, Ankara’s and Washington’s positions are polar opposites. For the first time in history, Turkey is showing what side it is on in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by asking Tel Aviv to get rid of the blockade in Gaza. Also, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AK party and Hamas are having a warm dialogue. It’s at a point where not only Israel but also other American allies such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Palestine are getting mad.

Even regarding Afghanistan, Turkey’s stance is unpredictable. Turkey has been supporting America since 2001 — recently, Turkey deployed more soldiers to Afghanistan to aide the U.S. — but Turkey strictly refuses to go into combat. Ankara has good relations with its neighbor Syria. Washington later realized that this relationship was advantageous for them as well and began to favor it.

In the long run, Turkey and America may take differing views on Syria. Turkey remained silent when America and Israel blamed Syria for selling Scud rockets to Hezbollah and trained their militants. If Israel attacks Hezbollah again for rockets, Turkey’s stance is unpredictable, as of now. It seems as if Israel is going to attack Hezbollah again soon. In a situation like this, Washington is going to support Israel for defending itself and Ankara is going to do the opposite.

The biggest division between America and Turkey is on the topic of Iran. Before Erdoğan and President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva went to Iran in May, the Obama administration’s message to these two leaders was still being discussed. To this day, Washington still hasn’t given a good explanation.

It’s Not Erdogan, It’s Davutoğlu

It is easy to say that Turkey’s foreign policy is changing due to the religious stance of the government. Erdoğan’s opinion of Israel especially reflects an ideological policy, but it is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Davutoğlu, who is Turkey’s foreign policy architect. He is well educated, calm, very bright and he is not all about Islam. Davutoğlu does not get his ideas from the Quran, but instead sees the events that take place in the south, north, and east of Turkey and uses these opportunities to the country’s benefits.

The Obama administration hasn’t figured out how to deal with the diplomatic changes between Turkey and America. Strategic alliances, ideal alliances, and the importance of strategic alliance talks are not covering the differences. Turkey and the United States are not enemies, but they are quickly becoming rivals. America wants to maintain its power in the area, and Turkey wants to change the rules for its own benefits.

If you look at the past between the two countries, it is hard to believe that Washington and Ankara are going their separate ways. It is not possible to call them “enemy-allies,” but the term “ideal alliance” is an extreme one as well. It is time to figure out the differences.