BY ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA
AKSAM- The motion was passed by Parliament. I hope it will do some good and also that we won't have to use it. Actually, it's meant to put the advantages of a cross-border operation into reach without actually carrying one out. Turkey had to make this decision and it couldn't hold back anymore. We needed to take a step showing our determination, and so we took it. Now it's time to think and act with cool heads. Let's start by making a proper diagnosis. Turkey's greatest weakness is its inability to diagnose its problems properly. When we make decisions on the spur of the moment, swayed by emotions and speculation, we can't reach any lasting solutions. We live in a country where almost all our domestic problems are also regional Mideast issues. Even our regional crises turn into feverish issues of world politics in which global actors intervene. In the final stage, our local problems turn into global crises, like the Cyprus and Aegean issues. Can we consider the terrorist PKK or, more generally, the Kurdish issue to be merely domestic issues?
Terrorism isn't only a security issue, but also involves foreign policy. Now everybody knows that it's used as a diplomatic tool. But starting from this, we should reach an important conclusion: the PKK issue is now influencing our foreign policy and international relations. It boxes us in and makes us immobile. This is where the danger lies. So I consider the passage of the motion, which is a radical decision and a risky step, an opportunity to change the paradigm and liberate our policies.
We need a large, comprehensive strategy. We should be able to explain the terrorism issue to the world and take measures calmly and clearly. As we started to make appropriate and effective decisions after long debate, our framework took shape: The military will fight the terrorists and take firm measures; the government will take a solid stance in its fight against terrorism; and the state will ensure coordination. But we should be careful, because one can't get tough in every respect. A balance mechanism at Parliament may be needed. We need `breathing room' put to good account at a proper time. I think Parliament is the basis for this. So the issue of the (pro-Kurdish) Democratic Society Party (DTP) should be approached very carefully.
Today we should take a new approach to take effective foreign policy steps. What is Turkey's position in the global system? We should decide. In addition, we should get out of this fix where our foreign policy is determined by attacks of the terrorist PKK, and then it should be positioned firstly in the Middle East and the Caucasus, and then in the European Union and Washington, in line with its priorities. If Turkey can take positions in the global system and determine its international relations and foreign policies accordingly, the terrorist PKK will be marginalized and terrorism rendered ineffectual. After we take this approach, the fight against terrorism will be much easier. Can't you see the link between the terrorist troubles we've been facing for the last several years and northern Iraqi Kurdish groups' positioning themselves the way I tried to explain? When we look at Kurdish groups' ties with EU countries and particularly with the US, this can be seen clearly. Then we should look at the big picture calmly and find our place. The timing couldn't be better. Let's start the game again.