BY YASEMIN CONGAR
MILLIYET- Please read the title of this column one more time. These two concepts will shape US President George W. Bush’s foreign policy in the future, as two US criteria to evaluate its bilateral and multilateral relations and measure the functionality of its cooperation with other countries. In other words, the US is planning to engage in ‘transformation diplomacy,’ particularly in the Middle East.
Last week Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ali Tuygan was asked a significant question at a think-thank called the Washington Institute: ‘Allies might of course pursue different policies to serve interests in common. However, this still doesn’t explain President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s recent visit to Syria. Can you explain what his visit meant to Damascus, and what kind of messages do you think the opposition groups in Syria and Lebanon got from Sezer’s visit?’ The question was asked by the Czech Republic’s number two diplomat in Washington, Ambassador Vratislav Janda. We can answer his question by looking at the two concepts above. Sezer visited Syria and came back. The Assad administration used his visit to boost its position in the eyes of the international community. ‘The question isn’t the message, but whether Syria received it and will act in line with it,’ said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. In other words, while Ankara believes that Sezer’s visit was useful because he conveyed important messages to Damascus, Washington argues that this doesn’t mean anything.
The reason I quoted Janda’s question is that Syria and Lebanon are the two countries where the transatlantic alliance is currently pursuing transformation diplomacy. The measure of success will depend on Syria’s possible withdrawal from Lebanon and Damascus’ possible transformation towards a democratic system. Syria’s relations with the European Union must also be evaluated in the same context. Damascus could sign a trade agreement with Brussels if and only if it withdraws from Lebanon.
Syria is only one example. The transatlantic alliance will pursue this policy based on the two concepts above in a wider region ranging from the Middle East to the Black Sea basin and Gibraltar. Turkey might join the alliance as long as it considers democracy a criterion in its foreign policy. ‘Tens of million more human beings live on that right side of freedom, and all citizens of the community of democracies have a solemn obligation to help those who still do not,’ said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a speech on Saturday. ‘This time of global transformation calls for transformational diplomacy. More than ever, the United States is active with our partners in democracy in building a safer and better and freer world.’ These words could be seen as meaningless propaganda. However, we can also evaluate the steps that Washington takes in line with these words and join the common efforts for democratization. I believe that the latter will be a democrat one.