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Turkey Takes Sides

(Foreign Policy) Tulin Daloglu - For the past several years, Ankara has proudly touted its position as a valuable mediator in the Middle East. However, it surrendered its role as a voice of reason when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan became obsessed with criticizing Israel at every turn. As Erdogan's populist rhetoric wins over the Arab street, Turkey's relationships with moderate Arab leaders and Israel have faltered. Kadri Gursel, one of Turkey's leading foreign policy columnists, has warned that the country's efforts to integrate with the West would suffer if Erdogan's ambition "is to be the Hugo Chavez of the Middle East." I don't think anyone felt comfortable watching the Palestinians suffer during Israel's Gaza operation. But Hamas shares significant responsibility for what happened. If the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a separatist Kurdish terrorist organization, were to attack Turkey with the rockets used by Hamas, human rights concerns would not be the first priority of the Turks or the Turkish military. Erdogan's constant rhetorical assaults on Israel have a profound effect on Turkish public opinion, slowly convincing Turks that it is Israel, not a nuclear Iran, that is the primary threat to peace. Yet Turkey's leadership cannot help advance peace and stability if it chooses to see Israel as an enemy. The writer is a Washington-based correspondent for the Turkish newspaper Haberturk.
2010-04-23 08:45:33
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