Relations With The US

BY ALI KISLALI
RADIKAL- Signs that Washington wanted to change its relations with Turkey first emerged 15 years ago, during the fall of the Berlin Wall. Turkey’s road was shown as being parallel with the United States’ advice. They gave advice like, ‘Be a moderate Muslim country, and be tolerant towards the Kurds and give them what they want.’ Such counsel was given directly or indirectly through articles, analyses or books from the US. Even if the PKK was declared a terrorist organization, it was sometimes treated as having US support. One piece of news that raised suspicions was that US helicopters were aiding the PKK. Our chief of General Staff and many officers at that time didn’t deny it.
There are also signs that the US also supports political parties using religion as a tool in their policies. In his recent visit to the US, Deputy General Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug brought up this issue, rejecting the US’ request to present Turkey as a ‘moderate Islamic state.’ He added, ‘Since its founding in 1923, Turkey has been a secular, democratic, and social state under the rule of law.’ Basbug also criticized the US approach to PKK terrorists in northern Iraq. He said that its promises aren’t being kept and that Turkey is waiting to see action. US President George W. Bush, who got into deep trouble after invading Iraq, needs Ankara for its Greater Middle East Project. But it appears that our leading organizations don’t share this view. From our standpoint, we have to accept the fact that it’s no easy thing to form balanced relations with a superpower like the US. This task has to be done by political powers and state organizations, which must provide useful information about past relations and their current dimensions.