For a Greek who is studying or has studied International Relations the most common and maybe the most interesting issue to cope with is the Greek-Turkish Relations.I couldn be no exception! Even though my field of studies has slightly differentiated the interest remains the same and even stronger taking into consideration the better access to data and information I have at the UK. Therefore here are three articles which really raised my interest again about the regional stability of forces at the SE Balkans
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/65634/soner-cagaptay/is-turkey-leaving-the-west?page=show
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=muslims-don8217t8230-2009-11-10
http://online.wsj.com/article SB10001424052748704013004574517210622936876.html
There is an obvious change at Turkey's foreign policy.Turkey tries to get a hegemonic role not just at the Balkans but also at the Middle East and the Muslim world.Turkey tries to play the role of a pioneer of world peace and reconciliation. There are some pionts which indicate Turkey's new strategic plan.In brief the most important and significant are:
Professor Davutoglu(http://www.mfa.gov.tr/ahmet-davutoglu.en.mfa). Here,please allow me making it a little personal. I've met Professor Davutoglu back at 2006 when I've participated at the Eyropean Weekend School at Istanbul,an annual event organised by Center of European Studies of the Bogazici University (translated into the University of Bosphorus) one of the most prestigious academic institutions in Turkey with speakers some of the most important people from Turkey and academias from Trueky,Europe and USA. At that time Dr.Davutoglu was just a professor at Beykent University and an Advisor to the Prime Minister Recep Tayiip Erdogan.I didn't know him at that time and neither did most of the other non-Turkish participants. By the organizers he was presented to us as a Bogazici alumni,with a long carreer as an academia at the Islamic University of Malaysia, at Bogazici University,at Beykent University and at the Military Academy and War School. Before the session during which he would talk,everyone was anxious and really glad that Davutoglu would deliver a speech to us.I asked them why is he so important?My Turkish friends told my that he was,and still is, one of the most important and influential people at the Turkish politics.As they told me,he is a traditional islamist, a very modest academia,a really smart advisor to PM Erdogan and most of all the ideological founder and establisher of the AKP,Erdogan's party.
After having heard so much about him I was really keen on listening what he would say to us andespecailly about Greek-Turkish Relations.Well,during his speech he didn't talk at all about Greek-Turkish Relations!He told that there should be a solution for Cyprus taking into consideration Turkish interests as well as Greek of course. I tried to ask him more about our bilatteral relations but I didn't have a chance.However it was made quite clear that Turkey was not interested only in just coping with the Greek-Turkish issues but wanted to achieve something greater.To make Turkey a key role player not at a regional sphere but at a more wide sphere. Those who have read Davutoglu's book "Stratejic Derinlik"(Strategic Depth),say that all his perspectives and his vision about Turkey are well-stated at this book,which I really wanna find translated into English or Greek but is just not available yet.They say that this book is a handbook for someone who wants to read Davutoglu'smind and interprete Turkey's steps not in the very far future.
For anyone coping with Turkey it must be made clear that Turkey is no longer a small regional actor whose objective is just to become an EU member and be a good friend of USA. Turkey wants a bigger part at the global sphere and Turkey will take it and wont't wait to have it given.
(this piece is not a product of long academic research and cannot be considered an academic essay.
It was written while listening to Broken Flowers OST)
ps.after the publishing of this piece I came across this really interesting article about Prof.Davutoglu
http://www.newsweek.com/id/224713
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=muslims-don8217t8230-2009-11-10
http://online.wsj.com/article SB10001424052748704013004574517210622936876.html
There is an obvious change at Turkey's foreign policy.Turkey tries to get a hegemonic role not just at the Balkans but also at the Middle East and the Muslim world.Turkey tries to play the role of a pioneer of world peace and reconciliation. There are some pionts which indicate Turkey's new strategic plan.In brief the most important and significant are:
- Change in relations with Israel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRB1vQVqdQA,http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4387779&c=FEA&s=INT)
- Closer relations with Iran (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8325373.stm, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=anNJ_8vuGKf0, http://centreforeuropeanreform.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-turkey-irans-friend.html)
- Raprochment with Libya (http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-libya-together-to-expand-to-africa-2009-11-25,http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/93256/turkey-and-libya-to-lift-mutual-visa-requirements.html)
- Meditator between Israel and Syria despite the problems occuring due to Turkey's turbulence with Israel (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/992924.html , http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/blog/show/4637)
- Kurdish issue
Professor Davutoglu(http://www.mfa.gov.tr/ahmet-davutoglu.en.mfa). Here,please allow me making it a little personal. I've met Professor Davutoglu back at 2006 when I've participated at the Eyropean Weekend School at Istanbul,an annual event organised by Center of European Studies of the Bogazici University (translated into the University of Bosphorus) one of the most prestigious academic institutions in Turkey with speakers some of the most important people from Turkey and academias from Trueky,Europe and USA. At that time Dr.Davutoglu was just a professor at Beykent University and an Advisor to the Prime Minister Recep Tayiip Erdogan.I didn't know him at that time and neither did most of the other non-Turkish participants. By the organizers he was presented to us as a Bogazici alumni,with a long carreer as an academia at the Islamic University of Malaysia, at Bogazici University,at Beykent University and at the Military Academy and War School. Before the session during which he would talk,everyone was anxious and really glad that Davutoglu would deliver a speech to us.I asked them why is he so important?My Turkish friends told my that he was,and still is, one of the most important and influential people at the Turkish politics.As they told me,he is a traditional islamist, a very modest academia,a really smart advisor to PM Erdogan and most of all the ideological founder and establisher of the AKP,Erdogan's party.After having heard so much about him I was really keen on listening what he would say to us andespecailly about Greek-Turkish Relations.Well,during his speech he didn't talk at all about Greek-Turkish Relations!He told that there should be a solution for Cyprus taking into consideration Turkish interests as well as Greek of course. I tried to ask him more about our bilatteral relations but I didn't have a chance.However it was made quite clear that Turkey was not interested only in just coping with the Greek-Turkish issues but wanted to achieve something greater.To make Turkey a key role player not at a regional sphere but at a more wide sphere. Those who have read Davutoglu's book "Stratejic Derinlik"(Strategic Depth),say that all his perspectives and his vision about Turkey are well-stated at this book,which I really wanna find translated into English or Greek but is just not available yet.They say that this book is a handbook for someone who wants to read Davutoglu'smind and interprete Turkey's steps not in the very far future.
For anyone coping with Turkey it must be made clear that Turkey is no longer a small regional actor whose objective is just to become an EU member and be a good friend of USA. Turkey wants a bigger part at the global sphere and Turkey will take it and wont't wait to have it given.
(this piece is not a product of long academic research and cannot be considered an academic essay.
It was written while listening to Broken Flowers OST)
ps.after the publishing of this piece I came across this really interesting article about Prof.Davutoglu
http://www.newsweek.com/id/224713
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