BY HIKMET BILA
VATAN- Following eight years of the Bush administration, the US has come to realize that its Greater Middle Eastern Initiative was nonsense and that there was no way Turkey could be turned into a moderate Islamic state. As shown by President Barack Obama during his visit to Turkey this week, the US had to change course. From now on, the US will treat Turkey not by insisting on moderate Islam, but by sitting and speaking with the secular Turkish Republic. Of course, first it will protect its own interests and seek to get more than it gives, but from now on it won't be try to shape Turkey like it was a lump of clay.
The next part is another issue. We'll see the sincerity of the Obama administration in the days and months to come. Which will prevail: cooperation aimed at shared interests, or an insistence which doesn't even allow bargaining? Will the tendency to praise Kemalism win over the "moderate Islam" mentality? Following its first signs of a serious policy change, I hope Washington will take concrete steps and try to convince Turkey that it's sincere about this change. My criteria are respect for the unalterable provisions of the Turkish Constitution and Turkey's democratic and secular regime and unitary state structure. In addition, the US must stand next to Turkey, rather than terrorists, in the fight against terrorism. As I said, we'll see. Nevertheless, it's an important step that the US recognized that democratization, human rights, welfare and development and peace are based on the legacy of Ataturk's democratic secularism, as Obama said.
Now it's the turn of Europe and the European Union. The EU, which sees any step taking Turkey away from the road leading to modern Western civilization as a 'democratic right' and criticizes Ataturk's revolutions without even comprehending them, will also change course. The first signs of this have already been seen in recent statements by the European Parliament. The EU will also learn that you can't stop the march of history or turn it back.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn - the latest hero of ugly demands that if you don't do this, forget about the EU, along with people like him - will also learn this. They will learn that Turkey isn't a piece of clay to be molded. Watch now how important EU institutions, organizations and figures will make statements praising Ataturk, following Obama's lead. After Obama reminded people about Ataturk, I think there are some who would like to read and learn about Ataturk. I suggest that they start by carefully reading his Great Speech.