Relations With The U.S. In The Postwar Period

BY SAMI KOHEN
MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen comments on Turkish-US relations in the postwar period in Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
What is Turkey’s place in the US’ Pax Americana in Iraq’s postwar period? How will the new policy of the Bush administration affect Turkish-US relations from now on? The answers to these questions can be summarized as follows:
1. Turkey isn’t at the forefront of Washington’s new strategy for now.
2. The problem of northern Iraq will be a key factor in Turkish-US relations in the days and weeks to come.
3. Despite certain current disagreements and problems, common bilateral interests will eventually lead the two countries back to cooperation.
Let’s examine in detail these three principles. Turkey didn’t support the US before or during the war in Iraq, which caused disappointment and anger in many Washington circles. The US administration hasn’t let us off the hook yet, so it’s no longer treating us as a ‘strategic ally.’ As evidence of this, Ankara wasn’t invited to a recent international peacekeeping force conference in London and is being shut out of projects for Iraq’s reconstruction.
There are mutual fears and a lack of confidence in the aims of Washington and Ankara. Basically the points of view of Washington and Ankara on northern Iraq are different. The US is giving the Kurds, who fought alongside it during the war, an important place in its strategy. Ankara views this development with great suspicion and concern. The US is discussing the establishment of a federal structure in Iraq, but Turkish officials neither trust the Kurds nor welcome any plans for a federation. If Ankara and Washington cannot see eye-to-eye, a new Iraq crisis might lead to a very bumpy road in future bilateral relations.
In spite of all problems as I mentioned in the third item above, Turkey and the US should formulate their policies on many issues so as to again act together in line with their common interests. Even if Incirlik Airbase’s mission is over, Turkey’s geostrategic position and its standing as a political, economic and social model for the region are still important for the US. Many in the US administration think they can’t really afford to ignore Turkey. US pragmatism will eventually lead to a rejection of a ‘hands-off attitude’ towards Turkey. Ankara needs to pursue a more serious-minded, realistic and steadier strategy on northern Iraq, and it should act with the US in a more coordinated way. Most importantly, both Turkey and the US should focus their relations not on missteps from the recent past, but rather with eyes firmly fixed on the era to come.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION