DEMOCRACY AND SECURITY in Southeastern Europe, No 1

We ste rn po li ti cal the ory has for de ca des be en influ -
la ti ons, and be ca use it se ems that the ore ti cal po stu la -
re ce ived ve ry po si ti ve cri ti qu es. 5 only thro ugh its ge ogra phic po si ti on, but also thro ugh
tes pre se nted in this bo ok ha ve, si nce 2003, be en the
ba sis of the Tu rki sh fo re ign po li cyma ki ng. 3 Altho ugh
Da vu to glu has be en the Tu rke y’s Mi ni ster of Fo re ign
Affa irs only si nce May 1, 2009, he had a pi vo tal ro le
as Pri me Mi ni ster Re cep Ta yyip Erdo ga n’s chi ef fo re -
ign po li cy advi sor alre ady si nce 2003, when he was appo
inted amba ssa dor. His di plo ma tic co urse has, in the
pa st mo nths, influ enced Bo snia-He rze go vi na ’s inte rnal
po li ti cal si tu ati on, as we ll as its re la ti ons wi th Se rbia.
The se are all re aso ns eno ugh for a pa per which wo uld
ta ke a co mpa ra ti ve lo ok into the the ore ti cal po stu la -
tes in Stra te gic De pth and the cha nges in Tu rke y’s fo re -
ign po li cy.
enced by Max We be r’s ide as, acco rdi ng to which the -
re is so me thi ng inhe re ntly anti-de mo cra tic in co untri es
wi th an Isla mic cu ltu ral tra di ti on. Mo re po si ti ve exa -
mples of Mu slim-ma jo ri ty co untri es, such as Indo ne sia
and Ma la ysia, ha ve usu ally be en ne gle cted for the pu -
rpo ses of cre ati ng a ste re otype of ra di cal Islam. The co -
nse qu ences of the usa ge of this ste re otype in Ame ri can
pro pa ga nda after Se pte mber 11, 2001, ha ve re ce ntly
be en co mme nted on by Brze zi nski: „Wa shi ngto n’s
arro ga nt uni la te ra li sm in Iraq and its de ma go gic Isla mo -
pho bic slo ga ne eri ng we ake ned the uni ty of NA TO and
fo cu sed aro used Mu slim re se ntme nts on the Uni ted
Sta tes and the We st mo re ge ne ra lly.“ 6
* * *
The effe cts of Se pte mber 11 and the thre at of ra di cal
mo ve me nts inspi red by re gre ssi ve inte rpre ta ti ons of
Da va to glu ’s bo ok Stra te gic De pth (2001) is ba sed on
the fo ur ba sic ele me nts of Tu rke y’s fu tu re po li cy: ze ro
pro blem po li cy wi th its ne ighbo rs; mu lti di me nsi onal fo -
re ign po li cy; a new di plo ma tic la ngu age and the tra nsi -
Islam ha ve empha si zed the stra te gic impo rta nce of Tu -
rkey, which has an ide al po si ti on to asse rt itse lf as a
de mo cra tic mo del amo ng Mu slim-ma jo ri ty co untri es 7
Ho we ver, Tu rke y’s ta sk of imple me nti ng the „ze ro pro -
ti on to a rhythmic po li cy. 4 Ho we ver, altho ugh blem“ po li cy to wa rds its ne ighbo rs is, in fa ct, far mo -
me tho do lo gi ca lly se emi ngly di vi ded, the se ele me nts se -
rve in de fe ndi ng a co mmon po stu la te acco rdi ng to
which it is ti me Tu rkey drew its stre ngth from „stra te -
gic de pths“ – a uni que ge ostra te gic po si ti on, the co -
ntrol over Bo spo rus and Da rda ne lle, and the rich
impe ri al hi sto ric and cu ltu ral he ri ta ge in the fo rmer
Otto man Empi re co untri es.
re co mpli ca ted than it mi ght se em. In to da y’s ve ry
co mplex inte rna ti onal re la ti ons, re pa iri ng re la ti ons wi -
th one ne ighbor mi ght re su lt in da ma gi ng tho se wi th
ano ther, which ha ppe ned when Tu rkey ope ned its bo -
rde rs wi th Arme nia, di sru pti ng its re la ti ons wi th Aze -
rba ijan. Re la ti ons wi th Arme nia are sti ll bu rde ni ng
Tu rkey on a wi der inte rna ti onal plan, be ca use Anka ra
is de nyi ng its re spo nsi bi li ty for ge no ci de aga inst Arme -
For ye ars after the Se co nd Wo rld War Tu rkey had an
infe ri ori ty co mplex: altho ugh it had jo ined NA TO and
was an unco ndi ti onal ally in the Co ld War, its Otto -
man pa st, into le ra nce to wa rds mi no ri ti es, the issu es of
fre edom of spe ech and la ck of ci vil co ntrol of the mi -
li ta ry ke pt Tu rkey at the do orstep of Eu ro pe.
ni ans in 1915. The U.S. Ho use Co mmi ttee on Fo re ign
Affa irs, a sta ndi ng co mmi ttee of the Uni ted Sta tes Ho -
use of Re pre se nta ti ves, cha ra cte ri zed this cri me as ge -
no ci de on Ma rch 4, de spi te appe als by the Oba ma
admi ni stra ti on pri or to vo ti ng, aga inst the pa ssi ng of
the re so lu ti on. This pro mpted Anka ra to de ci de not
to re tu rn its amba ssa dor to Wa shi ngton, the re by empha
Da vu to glu ’s stra te gy re co mme nds that Tu rkey de ve -
lo ps go od re la ti ons and aba ndo ns the lo ngsta ndi ng assu
mpti on that it is su rro unded by ene mi es. This
pre mi se impli es impro ve me nt of re la ti ons wi th ne -
ighbo rs and, at the sa me ti me, inte rnal de mo cra ti za -
ti on and mi no ri ty ri ghts: the so lvi ng of the Ku rdi sh and
Arme ni an pro ble ms and the issue of Cyprus. „The
’ze ro pro ble m’ appro ach to its ne ighbo rs“ sho uld, acco
rdi ng to this stra te gy, acce le ra te Tu rke y’s EU acce -
si zi ng the impo rta nce of this issue for Tu rkey. The
sa me Co mmi ttee a pa ssed si mi lar re so lu ti on in 2007,
but the Bu sh admi ni stra ti on ma na ged to pre ve nt the
vo te in the Ho use of Re pre se nta ti ves. Co nno isse urs of
re la ti ons be twe en Ame ri ca and Tu rkey be li eve this re -
so lu ti on wi ll mo st pro ba bly ha ve the sa me fa te as the
one in 2007, be ca use the impo rta nce of Tu rkey and
Arme nia are inco mpa ra ble in the co nte xt of Ame ri can
stra te gic inte re sts.
ssi on. In su mmer 2009, Tu rke y’s Pri me Mi ni ster
Erdo gan anno unced he wo uld gi ve the 14 mi lli on Ku -
rds in Tu rkey mo re cu ltu ral ri ghts and ini ti ate a mo re
inte nse di alo gue in order for the 25-ye ar lo ng co nfli -
ct wi th PKK to end. Acco rdi ng to the Eu ro pe an Co -
mmi ssi on re po rt from Octo ber 2009, Tu rki sh effo rts
Ve ry si mi lar to this is the si tu ati on wi th Isra el and Iran.
Isra el and Tu rkey ha ve tra di ti ona lly had go od re la ti ons,
a fa ct which often da ma ged Tu rke y’s co ope ra ti on wi -
th Mi ddle Ea ste rn Mu slim co untri es. Ni ne ye ars ago,
He nry Ki ssi nger ana lyzed the si gni fi ca nce of Tu rkey not
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