Why Turkey Matters

by Kakofonous

Turkey's foreign policy has been a subject of interest to me for some time. The country is in the epicenter of a number of interesting diplomatic problems, in no small part due to its position in between Europe and the Middle East. Obama recently traveled to Turkey and delivered a speech to its parliament declaring that "[the US] seek[s] broad engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, bridge misunderstanding, and seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree." This position is critical, and the fact that the President of the United States traveled to this nation, not an Islamic republic such as Iran, but to a secular democracy with a Muslim majority, is all the more appropriate. Turkey represents in many ways the United States' greatest hope for Middle Eastern countries: a democracy cooperative with our foreign policy goals without too much unpleasant radicalism or terrorism. To be fair, however, the Turkish government has problems of its own: an ongoing controversy involving the country's Kurdish population, a difficult geography, and moderate Islamist politics.

The United States needs Turkey on its side if it is to pursue any type of "grand strategy" for the Middle East. The country, especially under its present government, has attempted to forge valuable alliances with neighbors in the region, often based on energy. If Turkey succeeds in maintaining friendly and mutually beneficial relations with Central Asian and Middle Eastern nations, the West, using Turkey as an intermediary, will be able to bring about useful change. We have already seen that Obama is attempting to reach out to Iranian leadership; unfreezing relations with Iran will come much more easily if Turkey provides added weight on the side of the United States. Even the signal that the US accepts the legitimacy of a Muslim nation, conspicuously absent during the Bush administration, will be a step in the right direction. A strong and productive relationship with Turkey is essential if we hope to see a new start in the Middle East.