Turkey , an Emerging New Power
By Dr. Syed Amir
Bethesda , MD
The vision of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was for the new country to evolve as a modern, secular, democratic state, a leader of the Muslim world, which would make no distinction between its Muslim and non-Muslim citizens. Unfortunately, Pakistan never could attain any of these transcendent ideals. However, if Jinnah were to return today, he would be gratified to find that at least one Muslim country has largely, if not completely, realized his dream: modern Turkey.
Under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, with its crucial strategic location between Europe and Asia, has attained an unprecedented level of growth and prosperity and has evolved into an important regional power. Its economy is close behind China and India and surging at a rate of above 6 percent ( Pakistan 2%), and its per capita income is $13,400 ( Pakistan, $2,600). It is a member of G20 Club, an association of the twenty wealthiest industrialized countries of the world. After some setbacks, democracy is now firmly established, and the Turkish army that ominously lurked in the shadows and intervened on several occasions in the past to oust democratically elected Governments, is now decisively under civilian control.
Like the impoverished Muslim countries, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey has no oil; however, unlike them, it is not dependent on American aid for sustenance. While Pakistan has been plagued with the problems of religious extremism, sectarian divisions and rampant terrorism, Turkey has been peaceful and has been moving in a positive direction. It has been shifting away from a policy of aggressive secularism that had been in place since the founding of the republic, and had infringed upon personal freedom and human rights. Its newfound economic and political strength and a vibrant democratic system have given Turkey unprecedented clout in the world affairs.
The demonstration of that new assertiveness was showcased recently. In May, Turkey and Brazil, both non-permanent members of the Security Council, negotiated an agreement with Iran related to its uranium-enrichment program in the face of strong opposition from the US. When the agreement was rejected by the West, Turkey and Brazil, resisting strong pressure, voted against the Security Council resolution to impose new sanctions on Iran.
However, the event that spontaneously catapulted Turkey into a highly visible and prominent role on the world stage was its indirect support of a peace flotilla sent to defy the three-year old blockade of the Gaza strip which has caused severe hardships to the people without loosening the grip of hard-line Hamas rulers. The Israeli commandos raided the flotilla over the high seas, boarded Mavi Marmara, the Turkish-flagged ship, and killed nine unarmed Turkish peace activists. In response, an infuriated Prime Minister Erdogan recalled the Turkish ambassador to Israel and strongly denounced the Israeli action, characterizing it as state terrorism.
Turkey 's strong condemnation of Israel's action made the prime minister a hero in the Arab/Muslim world. Israel, a regional superpower, has been accustomed to dismissing all criticisms from conservative, autocratic Arab regimes, knowing that it could not progress beyond empty rhetoric. However, Turkey is a different story. It is a vastly more powerful, technologically advanced, modern country, and its anger could not be easily brushed aside. Furthermore, it cannot be accused of anti-Semitism, being the only Muslim country that has maintained good relations with Israel since its inception.
Turkey has a history of friendship with Jews, dating back to the time when Jews, along with Muslims, were expelled from Spain, following the Catholic take over in 1492. Ottoman Sultan Beyazit II personally welcomed them to settle in his realms. During its six-hundred-year history, the Ottoman Empire set a luminous example of tolerance towards various religious and ethnic minorities. In modern times, Turkey once again offered safe haven to the Jews escaping the Nazi persecution in Europe.
Today, there are some 30,000 Jews in Turkey who are well assimilated and consider themselves Turks. Prime Minister Erdogan, while condemning Israeli raid on Turkish ship, was emphatic in his statements that Turkish Jews were citizens of Turkey and no mistreatment of them would ever be tolerated.
The friendly relations between Turkey and Israel has benefitted both nations. Turkey at times was able to soften the harsh Israeli policies towards Palestinians, and nearly succeeded in forging an agreement between Israel and Syria that would have restored the Golan Heights to the latter. The agreement, however, was abandoned when Israel invaded Gaza. Israel's friendly relations with Turkey have lessened its sense of isolation, while providing thousands of Israelis tourists a safe location for travel.
Israel has been helpful in several ways. It has helped refurbish Turkish military equipment, fighter planes and tanks, and provided crucial intelligence about the movement of Kurdish insurgents in the North that have been ambushing the Turkish army with deadly results. On a diplomatic level, Israel's formidable lobbying machine in the US has helped shield Turkey from hostile actions in the Congress, and various resolutions accusing Ottoman Turkey of Armenian genocide before and during the First World War have been blocked.
There has been an ironic twist to Turkey's attempts to join the European Union (EU). For two decades, its overtures have been spurned. Although it has fulfilled many of the preconditions, the union of 27 Christian countries is evidently not ready to admit a Muslim country as large and populous as Turkey. Now the EU membership may have lost much of its allure, as several EU countries are currently undergoing severe economic problems. By contrast, Turkey enjoys a robust economy, having escaped the recent recession and economic downturn.
Turkey 's growing ties with the Arab/Muslims world are attributed to its disenchantment with the EU. However, it is unlikely to be the whole story. Erdogan is a shrewd and pragmatic politician and will always pursue a policy that is in the best interest of his country. Ultimately, he knows well that a drift towards conservative, religious extremism or a complete break from the West or Israel is neither in the interest of Turkey nor the wider Islamic world.
