PROBLEMS AT HOME, PEACE IN THE WORLD
by Bulent KeneÅ~_
Today’s Zaman
Sept 8 2008
Turkey
The outstanding results of the "zero problems with neighbors" policy
that Turkey has been pursuing for the last five or six years are
obvious. Until recently Turkey saw itself as a country "surrounded
by enemies" and devised its foreign policy based on this perception,
but today Turkey has created a "chain of peace" around itself.
There was only one missing link in this chain: Armenia. But now we
can safely claim that a new era has begun with Armenia.
Indeed, the historic visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul to
Yerevan in response to an invitation by Armenian President Serzh
Sarksyan to join him at a football match between national teams of
the two countries is worth being heralded as the start of a new era
between two countries. The civilized and diplomatic courage displayed
by the presidents of Turkey and Armenia, whose border is still closed
and which do not enjoy diplomatic ties, deserves much praise. We hope
this lost link of the zero problems with neighbors policy will be put
in place as soon as possible so that Turkey evolves into an oasis of
peace surrounded by friendly countries.
In the great efforts exerted by Turkey for developing friendly
relations with its neighbors, the resolve by the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AK Party) is the main driving force. Gul,
who personally implemented this policy during his time in office
as foreign minister, is lending support to this admirable policy
also as president. Otherwise, he would not dare to proceed with
such an initiative so harshly criticized by opposition parties and
neo-nationalist circles.
Yet, despite its success in settling its problems with its neighbors,
Turkey cannot formulate policies that would embrace all social groups
within. Notwithstanding all well-intentioned attempts by the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the state has not yet been
able to welcome religious/conservative groups as well as a majority
of the Alevi and Kurdish populations. The state still perceives some
of its citizens as its enemies or as a potential threat to itself,
and acts accordingly just because their lifestyles are different. But
having successfully pursued a policy of zero problems with its
neighbors, Turkey should achieve the goal of having zero problems
with various social groups consisting of its citizens.
Actually, we know that the AK Party government led by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is eager to initiate policies to ensure greater
rapprochement between the state and the social groups that are the
subject of discrimination. This eagerness, though yet to become
reality, can be witnessed in the government’s so-called "new Kurdish
initiative" and the "Alevi initiative" and in the legislative work
on the elimination of the headscarf ban on university campuses
— one of the most important problems for conservative groups —
and in the attempt to draft a new civilian constitution that would
bring greater freedoms and individual rights to all social groups,
including religious minorities. However, while it was not thwarted by
the criticism and obtrusive attacks from the opposition concerning
the visit to Armenia, the government is still unable to solve the
problems the state has with its citizens irrespective of religion,
language, ethnicity, ideology or lifestyle. In other words, while
Turkey is extremely ardent in realizing the "peace in the world" part
of founding father of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s
famous motto, "Peace at home, peace in the world," it still lacking
in implementing the "peace at home" part.
As a person who knows well the willingness and determination of the
government with respect to the "peace at home" part, I can assure
you that it is the government that deserves the least criticism
in this respect. Everyone is well aware of the fact that the steps
the government took to secure domestic peace have so disturbed the
establishment, top judiciary, high bureaucracy, pro status quo elites
and the military that this uneasiness led to a closure case against the
AK Party. Nevertheless, we can expect no one but the AK Party to try
and launch formulas and initiatives devised to bring the state, Kurds,
Alevis and conservatives closer together. At this point, we must note
that newly appointed Chief of General Staff Gen. Ä°lker BaÅ~_bug’s
mingling with the people in one of the southeastern provinces will
make a significant contribution to the desired rapprochement between
the state and the nation.
However, these good-willed and constructive gestures are still
ineffective in terms of solving the problem. A public opinion poll
conducted by Ankethane between Aug. 1 and 10 and whose results have
just been released has revealed the urgency of bringing the state
closer to the nation without any discrimination. You can read the
details of this poll in today’s edition of Today’s Zaman. Suffice it
to say that the answers to the question "Will we see a Turkish-Kurdish
conflict in the future?" imply that this possibility is still worrying
all citizens.
Another striking finding from the poll’s results is that Kurds
have split into two distinct groups. Although due to the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party’s (PKK) terrorism, stretching back around 30 years,
a Turkish-Kurdish cleavage could have been anticipated, this division
has occurred in reality among Kurds. The division has created a group
around the Democratic Society Party (DTP), radicalized due to armed
conflict and adherence to the organization. Opposite this group are the
Kurds who have not embraced radicalism or armed conflict. The existence
of this "moderate" group of Kurds is a great opportunity for Turkey.
One cannot agree more with the words of Professor Dogu Ergil,
the poll’s analyst, who said: "A reasonable public administration
should embrace this moderate Kurdish population, try to make
it bigger and reward their political wisdom. This reward can be
given by integrating the Kurdish culture with the system within the
framework of democratic pluralism and human rights, not by banning
everything that is Kurdish. Perceiving nation not as an ethnic and
cultural uniformity/assimilation, but as political and legal union,
and defining this in the constitution can serve as the antidote of this
problem. If this is not done, and if this moderate Kurdish population
is alienated politically, the ethnic division and conflict will become
inevitable. By failing to create a modern pluralistic and participatory
democracy, Turkish public administration will do what the PKK has
failed to do. In this case, violence, which is seen as a tactical
tool today, may evolve into a strategic purpose that targets division."
–Boundary_(ID_NLGhd2zHEmbrktqD7j P1vA)–