This year, Turkey has experienced great changes in its domestic and foreign policies. It could be evaluated that, after the Obama’s election as a president in the US, Turkey’s importance in the Middle East increased. Obama’s visit to Turkey resulted with changes in Turkey’s policymaking. The agenda of the US and Turkey might be implicated through the developments in the Middle East. When we look at from the Turkish foreign policy context, there could be seen lots of changes like; the renewed bilateral relations with Iran and Syria, its role in Iraq, making harsh critics against Israel and defending the rights of Palestinian people against Israel etc. Standing against Israel and the intensed relations with Iran and Syria, which are the countries declared as ‘Axis of Evil’ by the former United States President George W. Bush, could be the signs of Turkey’s changing strategy in the region.  (Click - 1) With the encouragement of the American government, Turkey’s mediating role between Syria and Israel could not be negligible either. And when we handle the Turkish domestic policy case, there are certainly accelerated reform processes towards different ethnicities like Kurds. So these developments might show us what exactly the US President Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked about during their meetings. 

 

While implementing these visits, negotiations and reform packages Erdogan has faced with many opposite views from inside the country and from foreign countries. For example his decisions towards PKK (Kurdish Workers’ Party) terrorists, has affected the great majority of Turkish citizens. It might be emphasized that; after giving start to relations with Norhern Iraq province and reformization processes concerning about different ethnicities – in the name of democratization – would cause Erdogan to lose support from Turkish citizens. Also, on the 10th of October in Zurich, signing a protocol with Armenia and giving start to bilateral relations created another crisis between Azerbaijan and Turkey. (Click - 2) In addition, Turkey faced reaction from the EU, because of having tight and close relations with the Middle Eastern countries rather than European countries. It could be denoted that, Turkey always had better relations with European countries and it has never given such an importance to its relations with Muslim world for a long time. Furthermore this year the bilateral relations with Israel worsened too. Erdogan’s sudden anger in Davos Economic Summit, the exclusion of Israel from a military exercise in Turkey and a television series broadcast in TRT, an official Turkish channel, increased the tensions between Israel and Turkey. However, since the establishment of Israel, in general Turkey had good relations with Israel in the region. After Obama’s presidency and his visits to Turkey, unexpected and surprising events started to shape Turkey’s policy. From these explanations it could be said that; the equilibrium has started to change in the whole world. 

 

In this context, Obama’s following a different policy in the Middle East, seems to be a logical assessment. During Bush’s presidency, ‘anti – Americanism’ increased in the Middle East and also in Turkey. American policy defends that, it is against terrorism and the regimes that do not follow democracy. In the name of bringing democracy it occupied Iraq. In the name of stopping terrorism, through increasing the quantity of its troops, instead it increased its acts of terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan. However it could be stated that, the failure of not stopping terrorism and bringing democracy since 2001, its incapability of combating the terrorist groups in the region and its existence as an outsider in the region increased the hatred against the US among the Muslim people. It could be stated that; Obama needs Turkey’s support in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. “NATO also needs more troops and needs access to Turkish military bases to facilitate the transport of American soldiers and equipment into Afghanistan and out of Iraq.” (Click - 3) As a result of these developments it could be mentioned that, Turkey has shown unexpected and totally different policies, when it is compared to her former policies. The question of why Turkey and the US have changed their policies sharply and unexpectedly? What could be the interest of the US through encouraging Turkey to change its role in the region? Those questions should be answered to clarify what is exactly happening in the Middle East? 

The US interests could be explained as; redefinition of strategic priorities, normalization of its image and acquisition of its legitimacy back. The US aims to achieve this through carrying out the support of Islamic countries. Turkey’s geographical importance and its ruling party, which has Islamist roots, might cause the US to have close relations with Turkey. The US might use the opportunity of addressing the Islamic world through Turkey. It might also need the support of Muslim countries against the Iran threat too. It tries to provide this aim through addressing the Islamic world. Because especially the war in Iraq, the events in Guantanamo prison, the policies of the US in the Middle East have detoriorated the image of the US and worsened the relations between West and Islam deeply. In conclusion, American government’s approachment could be explained in briefly as; to normalize its image in the world, especially among the Muslim states and to make a new beginning. Those are the basic needs, which has vital importance for the US presence in the region.  So, with Obama’s presidency, change hasn’t come only into the US, but also it has come in to the Middle East. 

 

Handan Hilal Köse