Who offended the US?

BY ALI ASLAN
ZAMAN- Since last March when our Parliament voted down a motion to allow US troops to deploy through Turkish territory, Americans have been trying to discover who is responsible for offending Turkey. This is a useful argument involving a great deal of self-criticism.
The gap in Turkish-US relations, which has been further widened with US Ambassador Eric Edelman’s recently announced resignation, must also be examined by Turkey. We need to ask the same question: ‘Who offended the US?’ But most of us are reluctant to engage in such self-inquiry. Some of us are even as happy as the fascist Nazi Hitler would be to brush off an alliance that has some Jewish roots.
I won’t go into whether Edelman has been a good ambassador, because Turkish hospitality wouldn’t allow that. Besides, his work performance should be an American concern. And as far as I know, his superiors are pleased with his actions. Edelman will most likely be promoted to a higher rank either in the administration or the private sector. He might even replace Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.
I’m not going to speculate about Edelman’s future, either. What I’m trying to get at is how this decline in Turkish-US relations should be interpreted. Edelman’s resignation is one of the most dramatic instances of Turkey’s fall from America’s ‘friends’ list. Never before in Turkish history has a US ambassador resigned from his duty.
American officials have repeatedly emphasized that Edelman’s resignation is in no way related to President Sezer’s future visit to Syria. It’s said that his resignation is due to a pileup of misfortunate events. Somehow we were able to send a high-ranking US diplomat and friend of Vice President Dick Cheney back to the US broken-hearted instead of using his assistance to make our voice heard in Washington!
Although the question ‘who offended the US’ is seldom asked in Turkey, it’s frequently discussed in the US, and the finger is pointed at Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials and the Turkish media. It’s notable that the Turkish Army drew less criticism than expected. I wonder if the neocons are once more edging towards the Turkish military.
In this context, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) meeting scheduled for Wednesday is crucial, for the AEI is known for its closeness to the neocons. In my opinion, the neocons have largely abandoned all their faith in the AKP government. However, this meeting could be an opportunity to dispel some of their worries about Turkey getting closer to Iran, Syria and Russia.
For years, the neocons have secured Washington’s link to Turkey. In order to restore its friendship with the US, Turkey needs to be in good terms with the neocons, for they hold the key to access in Washington.