The Toronto Star
September 23, 2012 Sunday
Turkey transforms itself into an indispensable ally
Opinion
By Haroon Siddiqui Editorial Page
He is a leading global thinker and a pious Muslim. His wife, Sare, a
medical doctor, wears the hijab. He is the powerful foreign minister
of the most economically successful and moderate Muslim nation,
Turkey. His home and parliamentary constituency is Konya, home of the
mausoleum of the great 13th-century Sufi saint, Jalaluddin Rumi, whose
spiritual verses, in their English translations, have made him the
bestselling poet in North America since Sept. 11.
I ask Ahmet Davutoglu what he makes of the waves of Muslim protests
against the anti-Islamic movie made by an American Coptic Christian,
and earlier protests against the Danish cartoons of the Prophet
Muhammad and the burnings of the Qur’an.
He says the American ambassador to Libya and the three other Americans
killed in Benghazi were victims of “a heinous terrorist attack. We
condemn it in the strongest terms.”
But “the film is despicable and cannot be justified or tolerated under
the guise of freedom of press or expression.
“However, violence can never be an acceptable form of reaction either.
Muslims everywhere have to keep their cool and channel their rightful
criticism through peaceful means. In fact, this is what our religion
teaches us.
“On the other hand, we should not turn a blind eye to Islamophobia.
Fear-mongering over a totally baseless and unacceptable depiction of
Islam has been increasing. The rise of the far right, in particular in
Europe, pours oil on fire . . .
“Discrimination against Muslims is reaching alarming levels. We must
make sure that the acts of Islamophobia, such as this provocative
film, are treated in the category of hate crimes.”
Otherwise, “a small but focused radical minority” will continue to
hold the West and the Muslim world hostage.
Davutoglu – pronounced Dah-wu-Toh-lu – is an academic whose 1994 book
Strategic Depth, a runaway bestseller, was an outline of Turkey’s
place in the chaotic post-Cold War world.
In 2002 he was named foreign policy adviser to the prime minister and
appointed foreign minister in 2009.
Taking advantage of Turkey’s location on several geopolitical fault
lines, he has made this NATO member an indispensable player in the
most pressing issues of our time.
He has been compared to Henry Kissinger, not for being Machiavellian
but rather for his knowledge that lets him speak extempore without
notes with great authority and without fear of critics at home or
abroad.
In Toronto on Thursday, he held forth for 90 minutes before the
Atlantic Council of Canada about the United States, Canada, Russia,
the European Union, Armenia, Israel, Iran, Syria, the Arab Spring and
other topics. It was “a magisterial presentation,” said Bill Graham,
former foreign minister and chair of the council.
In that speech and in a separate interview, Davutoglu made the following points:
European Union. Turkey still hopes to join the EU, though it feels
insulted by German and French resistance, due to anti-Muslim prejudice
(“cultural misconceptions”).
However, the loss is mostly Europe’s.
Europe is in economic crisis. Turkey’s $1-trillion economy is booming.
Its exports have hit $135 billion a year and are projected to reach
$500 billion a year by 2023.
In 2011, Europe lost 2 million jobs, while Turkey created that many.
If Turkey were an EU member, it would have helped Greece much more
than any other country.
“Turkey is not a burden on Europe as it was 10 years ago. It is an
asset, economically and otherwise.”
Europe has a choice. To be geopolitically relevant, economically
dynamic and culturally pluralistic. Or become irrelevant, static and
culturally isolationist. “If they opt for the second, they will lose
credibility, efficiency and dynamism,” as well as their weight in the
international arena.
“For Europe, Turkey is the key.”
Israel. Historically, Turkey was a safe haven for Jews escaping
anti-Semitism in Spain and across Europe. The Holocaust was not just a
crime against Jews but all humanity.
For decades, Turkey was Israel’s only ally in the Muslim world.
Turkey mediated between Israel and Syria and brought them to the verge
of agreement in 2008. Then Israel attacked Gaza.
“They think they can do anything they want . . . We could not give a
green light to such behaviour.”
In 2009 Israeli commandos killed eight Turkish civilians in a
humanitarian sea convoy bound for Gaza.
The Benjamin Netanyahu government has made no progress for peace with
the Palestinians, while expanding illegal Jewish settlements in the
West Bank.
Ending the Israeli occupation is top priority for Turkey and most
Arabs, especially those engaged in the Arab Spring struggle for human
rights and dignity.
“If there’s no peace in Jerusalem, there will be no peace in
Palestine. If there’s no peace in Palestine, there will be no peace in
the Middle East. If there’s no peace in the Middle East, there will be
no peace in the world.”
Arab Spring. “This is a necessary, historic transformation,” the last
chapter of the Cold War, where “all the Cold War structures and old
rulers will go.”
It will unfold differently in different countries. “But the process is
irreversible.”
In Syria, “it is difficult to predict how long the crisis will
continue. However, the collapse of the regime is inevitable.”
Canada-Turkey. Relations deteriorated after the Stephen Harper
government recognized the massacre of Armenians in World War I by the
Ottoman Turks as “genocide,” a term Turkey has long refused to accept.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has since acknowledged that Turkey,
during its “fascist” period, did “ethnically cleanse its minorities.”
He has offered to find ways to bring closure to the tragedy. He has
improved relations with Armenia.
Davutoglu: “We are prepared to discuss what happened, including with
our friends in the Armenian diaspora. We are calling for a just
memory, not a one-sided memory.”
Meanwhile, seeing Turkey’s economic and geopolitical rise, the Harper
government has tried to make amends. On Thursday, Foreign Minister
John Baird joined Davutoglu in unveiling a monument at the spot where
a Turkish diplomat was gunned down in Ottawa 30 years ago, allegedly
by Armenian terrorists.
Davutoglu: “By this monument, Canada is showing great maturity . . .
We hope Canada can contribute to reconciliation efforts between
Armenians and Turks, rather than taking sides on this issue.”
From: A. Papazian