BY NUH GONULTAS
TERCUMAN- Expecting the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to take effective decisions would be pointless in this world, where even the United Nations has become impotent. The current state of the OIC shows that the ‘Islamic world’ is nothing but a fiction. However, Turkey is now trying to improve the OIC as a regional power. Although the organization has been consigned to ineffectuality, it still carries the potential to transform itself into a vital formation for Turkey’s future. Ankara’s current effort is to set up a new platform for its future should the EU slams its doors. Turkey is now a major power in the region as it was invited to the G-8 meeting as a democratic ally, a NATO member and an active party to the US’ Greater Middle East Initiative (GME). If the EU refuses to accept Turkey, then Ankara will focus on its leadership in the Islamic world.
In EU circles, some are concerned about Ankara’s close relations with the US as Turkey has the potential to rise to a regional power by taking advantage of its young population and proximity to the Middle East.
In brief, Turkey is preparing to play various roles. International relations analysts use three phrases to describe Turkey’s position: Ahmet Davutoglu calls Turkey as a ‘central country,’ Koc University’s Fuat Keyman prefers to use ‘key position,’ and Fatih University’s Bulent Aras calls it a ‘key country.’