OBAMA BRINGS NEW HOPES FOR TURKEY
Emrullah Uslu
Jamestown Foundation
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Jan 21 2009
DC
President Barack Obama’s inaugural address has been warmly welcomed
by the Turkish media. Three of his statements have been commonly
praised by the Turkish press: his warm message to the Muslim world,
the virtue of democracy, and hope for the future. The liberal daily
Radikal ran the headline "Virtue of Democracy"; the Center-Right
Milliyet announced "A New World"; and the Center-Right Hurriyet’s
headline was "Our Hope Is Obama." The Center-Left Sabah’s banner was
"We Are a Friend of the World." The Islamist Yeni Safak used Obama’s
message to the Muslim world, "Extend Your Hand" for its headline,
while Zaman pronounced "A New Beginning Full of Hope."
Almost all of the newspapers stressed the following paragraph from
Obama’s Inaugural address:
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual
interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who
seek to sow conflict or blame their society’s ills on the West: Know
that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you
destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit
and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of
history but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench
your fist (, January 20).
Obama’s message to the Islamic world was welcomed. Editorial
analyses of the substance of the speech have not yet appeared in
the Turkish press, but comments in Internet blogs warmly praised
Obama’s words. Very few of the 116 messages in an Internet blog were
negative. Some of the people were praying for Obama ("May Allah not
embarrasses you"); and one said, "he gave a very positive message. My
gut feeling tells me that this guy will deliver on what he says." "I
hope you will not turn into another Bush," another blogger wrote. Still
another said, "I am deeply touched by his speech and message. May
God help Obama. Our prayers are with him, because he is not only
the hope of America but the hope of all people" (,
January 21). Some 80 percent of Turks were anti-American before this,
but enthusiasm like this indicates that people are ready to forget
what the Bush administration did in the Middle East and want to open
a new chapter of relations with the Obama administration.
Columnists in Turkish newspapers take a positive view of Obama but
also question whether he will actually be able to deliver on his
promises. Beril Dedeoglu of Star, for instance, argues that Obama’s
policies call for sharing responsibilities with the international
community. This policy can only be implemented if all players share
accountability. In short, the United States outlined a model of
cooperation and expects others to go along with it. If international
players accept his plan there will be no problem…but if they do
not? In this case, it appears that the United States will continue to
punish those who damage the harmony of the American-led international
cooperation (Star, January 21).
Soli Ozel of Sabah cited Obama’s speech and interpreted it as a sign of
change. Obama’s statement that "as for our common defense, we reject
as false the choice between our safety and our ideals" showed that
he has a different approach from that of his predecessor Bush, Ozel
said. In addition, "by emphasizing ‘our power alone cannot protect us,
nor does it entitle us to do as we please,’ Obama rejected neo-con,
foreign policy principles. If Obama can keep his promises he will
change not only his own country but also the rest of the world. I
hope he can do it" (Sabah, January 21).
Cengiz Candar of Radikal is the most optimistic policy analyst. He
thinks that "by electing Obama as President, the most powerful country
in the world showed its capacity to change. It will initiate a momentum
of change. After this, it will be very difficult to maintain those
fossilized political structures and fossilized politicians in power"
(Radikal, January 21).
Cuneyt Ulsever of Hurriyet does not agree with the optimist
commentators, claiming that Obama simply cannot pursue his plans for
change but will be a realist and will maintain the United States’
position as a superpower. According to Ulsever, Obama’s policy
preferences will be tested in his Middle East policies. How fast will
he withdraw American troops from Iraq? While withdrawing his troops,
how will he shape the new balance in Iraq? Will he accept the reality
of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the fact that it is not possible
to control Afghanistan without establishing cooperation with the
Taliban? Will he negotiate with Iran and convince it to stop enriching
uranium? How will he position himself toward Hamas and Hezbollah? Will
he continue to work with American-friendly Arab dictators, or will
he endorse democracy in the Arab world? (Hurriyet, January 21).
In addition to the media’s optimism, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan expects Obama to "be the defender of those who have no defender
and the voice of those who have no voice" (Star, January 21).
It seems that with Barack Obama, amost everyone, from the prime
minister down to the man in the street, is ready to open a new chapter
in Turkish-U.S. relations. They do, however, have some concerns as
well. They want to know how he will handle the Armenian claims of
genocide and whether he will continue to support Turkish efforts
to curb Kurdish separatist terror activities. Given the fact that
Obama’s inaugural messages were warmly welcomed in a Muslim country
like Turkey, where anti-Americanism was on the rise, it would perhaps
be a wise step for Obama to visit Turkey in his early days in office
to reinforce his positive position toward the Muslim world.
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