Contemplations about the Turkish transformations

By: Samir Al Arky

The last Turkish stance, concerning Freedom flotilla headed to Gaza, was not surprising. It was not an instant emotional reaction either. And it was not a play for political gains.

It was an interpretation of a long series of real transformations made by the Justice and Development Party since the very first moment it came in power. The party's policies aim to regain the Islamic identity of Turkey and its lost role since the secular era of Ataturk.

It was not an easy mission. The JDP knew that leading the government of Turkey didn't mean it would be of full control of the country. "decision makers" can topple it at any tie as was done with Arbakan.

The party also knew Turkey is now isolated from both Islamic and Arab worlds, which form its strategic depth, while it was making great efforts to –uselessly- join the European Union.

For all this, the JDP had to tackle many critical issues wisely and patiently as follows:

First: facing secularism:

The JDP ought to find unfamiliar methods to tame the ferocious secularism in Turkey, which detached the Turkish society from its Islamic identity for long decades.

The party's address didn't satisfy many of the Arab Islamic movements but the latter were wrong to value this experiment according to their conditions not the Turkish.

However, the JDP didn't adopt radical solutions for they knew this may lead to loss. Instead, they applied well chosen policies. Some of which are:

The party didn't clash with the army, the traditional guards of secularism, since it comprehended the real weight of the generals, whose influence reach many important positions in the country. What the party did was to issue a number of constitutional amendments that decreased the role of the army in public life to an extent.

Ardogan restructured the National Security Council reducing its executive powers and limiting the army's control on it. This of course gave room for greater civilian role in political life.

Three high-ranking army officers were put to trial, which is unprecedented in Turkey, in the famous Ergenekon case.

The government has also permitted wearing hijab in universities, schools and in the street. It is worth mentioning that the veil was prohibited for decades. Moreover, the constitution was amended to allow the freedom to wear hijab.

The governing party has also proposed a number of constitutional amendments among which were putting military commanders before civilian courts and making it harder to ban political parties.

Second: Turkish-Arab relations:

It is obvious that, under the rule of the Justice and Development Party, Turkey is serious to correct the mistakes of the secular era, which isolated the country from its Arab neighbors, previously ruled by it.

The Turkish-Arabic relations took a new direction with the coming of Ragab Tayeb Erdogan, head of the Justice and Development Party and prime minister. He said, after being elected, “if the Arabs move a step forward towards Turkey, we’ll move ten”.

“In fact, such a progress in the Turkish-Arab relations wouldn’t happen without the change of the Turkish internal policy toward Arab and Muslim countries”, said the Syrian writer, Khurshid Delli.

 This change made the Arab street pay greater attention to the Turkish experiment, which answered questions like the of Islam in political life and its relation to the state, the society and the other.”

Syrian-Turkish relations may be a good example of abandoning old policies and building a bridge of trust between Turkey and the Arab states.

Since the independence of Syria in 1946, the Turkish-Syrian relations have deteriorated because of ceding Iskandaron to Turkey in 1938.

 The two countries had different choices and coalitions. Turkey adopted Atlantic policies whereas Syria followed leftist and socialist views.

Tensions could have led, any times, to armed confrontations over mutual accusations about water and the Turkish-Israeli military cooperation, which was a security problem for Syria.

“On the other side, Turkey accused Syria for Harboring and training members of the PKK”, according to Umar Kush.

“Syria uses ‘the Kurdish problem’ to threaten Turkish security… in addition to Turkish doubts about the Syrian-Greek relations especially with the Greek part of Cyprus.” He added.

Add to this the Turkish anger with the Syrian serials that present Ottoman persecution of Syrians during the Ottoman Empire rule.

The conflict reached its peak in 1988 when the Turkish leadership threatened to invade Syria to stop the attacks of the PKK.

However, the JDP is trying to forget the past and make a new beginning to establish bilateral relationship that keeps the rights of neighborhood and the historical facts between the two countries.

The party rejected the “isolation policy” imposed on Syria by former US president George W Bush and played the role of the mediator between Syria and European countries.

In 2004, Free Trade Agreement was singed and was put into force in 2007.

Within the same context, opening border crossing came to crown the economic cooperation between the two neighbors.

The most important thing, according to observers, is that all singed economic agreements were carried out on time unlike other Arab-Arab agreements.

On the other hand, the Turkish government refused to let its airports be used in the war on Iraq in 2003.

Third: Turkish-Israeli relations:

This may be one of the most complicated files. It was an obstacle before Turkey to regain its Islamic belonging. This was a result of a number of events among which were that:

1- Turkey was the first Muslim country to recognize the state of Israel in 1949. This was a step on the way of forgetting its history as a Muslim country.

2- Since the late fifties, both of the Turkish and the Israeli armies singed a protocol for intelligence exchange about what they called “Arab terrorism and Subversive movements. Moreover, Turkey has secretly allowed the Israeli intelligence agencies to work on its land.

3- During the seventies, the two sides agreed to enhance security cooperation to watch the situation in Lebanon.

4- The eighties of the last century witnessed intensive visits by Israeli security and military leaders to Turkey. In addition, Ankara sent messages to Tel Aviv telling that the former is willing to announce a more “special relationship” with Israel.

5- During this period, a part of the media was controlled by some Jewish business men who propagated their ideas against the Arab. They kept telling the Turkish people that the Arabs are Turkey’s enemy who betrayed the Ottoman Empire until it fell.

6- In early 1995, Turkish and Israeli officials exchanged visits including one by Suleyman Demirel, the Turkish president, which was the first to be done by a Turkish leader to Israel. Major economic agreements were singed up, including a free trade agreement. In 1996, a security accord was singed by Turkish and Israeli military officials.

The JDP knows this heritage will not e forgotten over night. Add to this the Turkish army is still attracted to Israel; however, the government should proceed freezing the relations with the Zionist entity and resist it whenever possible.

Erdogan withdrawal from the World Economic Forum in Davos was an example of that.

The prime minister is always stressing also that “Hamas” is the Palestinian people’s choice which must be respected. And he insisted that Hamas should be present at the European conference about the war on Gaza saying that “if Hamas doesn’t come, we’ll be its representative”.

The government has lowered down the military cooperation with Israel, refusing the latter to join many maneuvers, as a protest on its cruel actions against Palestinians especially in Gaza.

Finally, attacking the Freedom Flotilla and killing ten Turks took the relationship between the two countries to an end, particularly that Israel refused to apologize for the accident after being sure that "It seems that the deterioration is continuing and a complete cut in diplomatic ties is only a matter of time." An official said to Haaretz.

Finally:

The Justice and Development Party managed, in only few years, to correct many files that cut off Turkey from the Islamic and Arab worlds.

However, it is unfair to ask Erdogan alone to solve all Arab problems especially that of Palestine as if saying:

“So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.”

Translated by: Mrs.: Fatima Suleiman

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