Turkey is isolating itself under Erdogan: Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Syria share a common theme
Turkey is isolating itself under Erdogan: Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Syria share a common theme
Murad Makhmudov, Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The current government of Turkey under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is viewed negatively, irrespective of economic trade, by most regional nations. It matters not if regional nations put on “a brave face” and pretend to have favorable relations with this nation, because beneath the surface is a lack of trust. This isn’t surprising given the antics of the current leader of Turkey because he appears to not only lack diplomacy, but he vents all too easily and embraces rhetoric like a friend.
Turkey today is still viewed with suspicion in the Russian Federation, Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Iraq, Iran, Israel, and Syria. Indeed, if you look at the plethora of nations which still don’t trust Turkey then clearly something is wrong. After all, even Israel, Iran, and Syria, will agree on this point, despite their reasons being different.
It also would appear that many European nations are still worried about Turkey entering the European Union, just like many regional nations in the Middle East fear the power games of the current leader of Turkey. In this sense, it is clear that Turkey “isn’t a bridge” but is a nation which is increasingly isolating itself because of Erdogan and his regional policies.
Not all the blame can be pinned on Erdogan because many issues predate his leadership and this applies to internal and external issues. For example, the Kurdish issue, Cyprus, anti-Alevi Muslim policies in Turkey, the Chechen factor, relations with Armenia, and other areas, all predate the current leader. However, in virtually every area the situation is either static or they have deteriorated because of Erdogan. More alarming in areas where giant strides had been made by past Turkish governments, relations have now just crumbled because of the rhetoric of the current leader of Turkey.
Soli Ozel, a respected academic, comments in relation with current tensions between Turkey and Iraq that“Inexorably, perhaps unwillingly, Turkey began to find itself a part of the sectarian games as opposed to the position that it very delicately tried to preserve which was being above sectarianism.”
This comment however is not the whole reason because much is based on the mentality of Erdogan. After all, you have no sectarian factors in Armenia and Israel, but under the current leader he appears to enjoy lauding it over other nations. Also, he often says negative things before thinking deeply. Similarly, the Cyprus issue and new energy findings in the region have shown the rampant chauvinism of Erdogan and that he will use the military threat at the drop of a hat.
Relations with Syria have also plummeted because of Turkey’s support for the opposition which is bent on destabilizing this nation. Therefore, while more terrorist attacks hit Syria, Erdogan just rebukes the leadership based in Damascus. This means that Turkey is in tune with America, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and others, which are spreading mayhem and causing the deaths of thousands of Syrians. The upshot of this is that Turkey is now “an enemy state of Syria” because Erdogan is enabling many ratlines to spread their carnage throughout this secular nation.
Also, since December 2011 relations with Iraq have continued to deteriorate because just like in Syria, the current leader of Turkey is interfering in the internal affairs of Baghdad and Damascus. This dispute erupted when Nouri Al-Maliki, the leader of Iraq, ordered the arrest of Tareq al-Hashemi who was the Vice President of Iraq. The warrant was issued because it is alleged that Tareq al-Hashemi was involved with death squads. However, Erdogan refuses to agree with the wishes of the government of Iraq and instead many verbal comments have been made in Turkey against Iraq over this issue.
The Russian Federation while seeking to develop economic ties with Turkey is still distrustful of this nation. After all, Erdogan is opposed to Moscow’s initiatives related to Syria and the Russian Federation keeps an eye on Turkey because of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Armenian and Azerbaijan. Also, Turkey and the United States have similar negative policies towards Moscow. This applies to being against the current government of Syria; enabling Chechen terrorists to find breathing space in Turkey and Georgia;, desiring to weaken Russia’s geopolitical energy strategy by developing pipelines which bypass the Russian Federation; and both nations support Georgia based on anti-Moscow policies.
Turning back to Iraq, Nouri Al-Maliki stated that Turkey is a “hostile nation” which is bent on spreading sectarianism. The leader of Syria would also agree and so would all minorities including the Alawites and Christians. Therefore, tit-for-tat recriminations have been on the increase between Iraq and Turkey but this fallout began because of Erdogan. Once more, you see the complete hypocrisy of the current leader of Turkey. After all, on the one hand he supports the military of Turkey entering northern Iraq from time to time to crush Kurdish PKK bases. However, when Iraq demands that Tareq al-Hashemi should be sent back to Iraq from his hideout in Istanbul, then clearly he ignores the leader of this country and then levels accusations against Nouri Al-Maliki.
Indeed, Erdogan is unique because to alienate Israel, Iraq, and Syria, at the same time, along with other nations, shows his complete lack of diplomacy. Erdogan in the past stated that Israel is“…perpetrating inhuman actions which would bring it to self-destruction.” He also hinted at grounds for war with Israel by stating that “The killing of nine people is in fact a cause for war. But we did not see it that way and, as a grand nation, acted with patience.”
The Kurdish issue and anti-Alevi Muslim policies which predate Erdogan are also alienating people within Turkey and this applies to a sizeable amount of the population. It appears that the Turkish nationalist angle alongside the conservative Sunni Muslim angle (not all Sunni Muslims are conservative), is alienating vast numbers of ordinary citizens in Turkey. Of course these issues predate Erdogan but just like relations with other nations have plummeted under him, the same applies to secular and religious divisions which have increased in Turkey since he took power.
Of course, many Turkish nationals support Erdogan because religious fervor is increasing within segments of society. Also, the nationalist angle means that he can appeal to two powerful bases. This means that he can alienate many people within Turkey because the secular clout is much smaller than the collective nationalist and conservative Sunni Muslim clout.
Relations with Iran are now also deteriorating because of Erdogan’s stance towards Syria and because Turkey will assent to the missile defense shield which is aimed at Iran. The Russian Federation is also worried about this development because clearly Turkey and America are meddling into the affairs of regional nations collectively. Also, Erdogan lambasted Iran by stating that this nation “lacked honesty” and that this country was “losing their international prestige.”
A former diplomat of Turkey, Sinan Ulgen, commented that “It is his posturing that has led to crises with our neighbors. If he hadn’t approached matters in a polarizing, black-and-white fashion, we wouldn’t have lost the ability to manage these relationships.”
“Instead of being the last person to intervene, very often he is the first to react. What he says then becomes policy, and limits Turkey’s room for maneuver; it corners us and policy becomes ossified.”
It is abundantly clear that Turkey is isolating itself in the region under Erdogan because many policy objectives follow a powerful Ankara-Washington theme. The only real discontent between Ankara-Washington is based on the current distrust between the leaders of Turkey and Israel towards each other. How much this is for domestic consumption is difficult to know because Erdogan does have a way to fall out with friends within a short period of time. However, is behavior in the Middle East and towards Cyprus, is threatening to alienate Turkey in important geopolitical areas. This must be raising eyebrows within Turkey. Also, a Republican government in America would be more cautious towards Ankara if Erdogan kept his anti-Israeli rhetoric up. Therefore, irrespective of domestic issues which may favor Erdogan, it is abundantly clear that his foreign policy is in tatters apart from the Washington and Gulf Arab axis. However, is that what the majority of citizens want in Turkey?
