Turkey-U.S. Relations

In the American capital, Turkey is not one of the issues at the top of the agenda. The most important question in people’s minds about politics is the result of the mid-term elections. It is expected that the Democrats will lose the majority in the House of Representatives. This will make the administration’s job much more difficult from now on.

It is apparent that, behind the scenes, the administration is seriously considering the Turkish issue, and it is important to underline that, whether it is justifiable or not, Turkey has become an issue. However, this reconsideration and the attempt to understand Turkey’s internal dynamics are all being carried out in quite a negative atmosphere.

Turkey, which has been overlooked over the years, and especially the negative comments about the government have increasingly started to be accepted. Two breaking points led to this result: the deteriorating relations with Israel after the attack on the Mavi Marmara ship and voting against sanctions on Iraq.

There is a conflict of views on which of the topics is more important. According to some, the deteriorating relations with Israel, the exchanging of remarks and the effect of the powerful Israeli lobby lead to Turkey’s policies being interpreted in the worst possible perspective. Turkey’s vote against sanctions despite the president’s request over the phone is the most important reason for the negative perspective.

As Ali Aslan, the Zaman newspaper representative who is the most realistic commentator on developments in Washington regarding Turkey, points out, “the alliance that the U.S., Europe and Israel have formed against Iran resembles the Cold War era in some respects. There is a “You’re either with us or against us” air in Washington. This is important for Turkey.”

On top of this, where Turkey will stand is becoming an increasingly bigger concern for the Western world. These are the issues being discussed in the conference organized by the German Marshall Fund, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and TÜSIAD as part of a three-year program. As stated by a European who attended the conference, there is the lowest level of confidence in Turkey’s relations with the U.S. and the E.U. The sides are interpreting each other’s actions through very narrow perspectives. The American side especially shows very limited tolerance of any policies based on logic outside its own perspective.

The result of this can be found in the harshness toward Turkey coming from think tanks and Congress. Like a Turkish official said, it is necessary to “start over” in E.U.-Turkey and U.S.-Turkey relations, just like it was done with U.S.-Russia relations. The first condition to be able to do this is for both sides to understand each other’s positions better.

Without a doubt, there is uneasiness on the American side about not being able to find automatic support for its policies. Especially on the Palestine-Israel issue, they are not open to alternative points of view. On the other hand, Turkey is not always able to balance following policies that match its own political interests with its responsibilities to its alliance.

Despite everything, the American administration is doing work in all areas regarding what kind of a framework it should adapt in its long-term relationship with Turkey. As an official stated, Turkey is seen as a “pivot” country in all three scenarios regarding relations between the Western alliance and Asia, especially China.

This effort is important, of course, but all three sides have a responsibility both to make their positions clearer and to amend their comments on each other. For Turkey, this also means considering what kind of a place and responsibility it wants to assume in the Western alliance.