BY YILMAZ OZTUNA
TURKIYE- Columnist Yýlmaz Oztuna comments on the fall of the Baath regime in Iraq and the postwar period in the Middle East. A summary of his column is as follows:
Baathism is an Arab ideology which combines elements of Arab nationalism, anti-imperialism and socialism. And Islam is merely a tool which is used to support it. Supposedly, Baathism is the Arab people’s ‘resurrection’ movement. Organized as a political party, the Arab Socialist Resurrection Party (Baath), this ideology came to power in Syria in 1953 and in Iraq in 1968. Last weekend, the Baath Party in the latter was officially done away with. It is very likely that the US will soon move to do the same thing in Syria, too.
Baathism strives for the unification of all Arabs under one great Arab nation. It has no leanings towards democracy. It has an anti-Western stance, yet it has chosen the Turkish nation as its foe. Turkey does not seek a stake in other countries’ regimes. But the Turkish people surely have the right to criticize and dislike an ideology which inherently bears feelings of enmity towards the Turkish nation.
Now that the US wants to reshape the political structure of the entire Middle East, the international ‘Arab nation’ is likely to hit very troubled waters concerning the US’ plans. There are 11 independent Arab countries in the region, plus Palestine and Israel. The picture will dramatically change in this part of the world, and anti-US sentiments in the region will rise. Yet the US will surely get it wants.
The Middle East, together with Iran, will be introduced to a completely different context. The US will have the final word on two-thirds of the world’s oil resources. Israel will have peace for the first time since the day it was founded. And these changes to the balances of the region will a have a deep impact on Turkey.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION