The World's Aaron Schachter reports on the anticipation ahead of President Obama's visit to Turkey next week. There's speculation it might be the site of his promised speech to the Muslim world.
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KATY CLARK: After the NATO summit, President Obama heads to the Czech Republic, then he wraps up his first overseas tour with a trip to Turkey. The World's Aaron Schachter has this preview.
AARON SCHACHTER: Turkey is seen as among the United States' biggest allies in the Middle East, but these days polls in Turkey show the relationship has soured. Perhaps that's why President Obama is singling Turkey out for a visit. Ahmet Fahri Ozok is Dean of Istanbul Technical University.
OZOK: Turkish-American relations are passing through a stage of transition, and this transition is reflected in the statements of President Obama. So we can see – we can feel that there will be some change, at least in style to begin with, but maybe later in essence as well.
SCHACHTER: Turks found the previous administration's style caustic, to say the least. Yasar Yakus, a diplomat for 40 years, negotiated with the US over the use of Turkish military bases just before the Iraq War. He says the Bush administration treated Turkish officials like children, and the two sides ended up arguing over petty things like who should pay for ID cards for US personnel. Turkey ultimately denied American troops access to bases during the war. Yakus says a new tone would be welcomed, but the fact is the underlying relationship remains solid because of what he calls “constantsâ€.
YAKUS: “Constants†are the global role of the United States everywhere in the world, including the area where Turkey is located – surrounded by Caucuses, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, and Syria. Turkey's contribution to the American efforts in all these areas cannot be disregarded easily. These are the constants and it will not change very soon.
SCHACHTER: One of the constants in the United States that infuriates Turks is a recurring congressional resolution condemning what US lawmakers call “the Armenian genocide.†Ottoman Turks are accused of killing a million Armenians in World War One. Turks reject the term “genocide†and say atrocities occurred on both sides. Political Science Professor Ilter Turan of Istanbul Bilgi University says there is now a debate in Turkey over what happened in 1915, but Turks won't stand for condemnations from other countries that have their own skeletons in the closet.
TURAN: Turks find this totally unacceptable. They feel that they are being singled out, and if Mr. Obama is perceived to be a party to the house resolutions or whether his own message will contain words such as “genocideâ€, I think he might as well forget his whole trip.
SCHACHTER: It's likely Obama won't want to ruffle Turkish feathers. Right now, he needs help pulling US troops out of Iraq. Analysts here agree that as long as the President steers clear of thorny issues like the Armenian genocide question, Turkey will let the US use its military bases close to the Iraqi border. “Coming out is a whole lot different than going in,†is the common wisdom. Another question hanging over next week's domestic diplomatic get together is whether it constitutes Mr. Obama's big speech to the Muslim World that he promised soon after taking office. Most of Turkey's 75 million people are Muslim, but Ilter Turan says people here don't really want their country to be labeled an entree into the Muslim world.
TURAN: Rather than being perceived as a “gatewayâ€, I think Turkey wants to be recognized as a major player in this area. And I think the Americans are cognizant of Turkey's sensitivities that they are a secular society.
SCHACHTER: Some also question whether trying to speak to Muslims with a single voice would really accomplish anything. Hani Sabra, an analyst with the Eurasia Group in New York, says probably not. The Muslim world is not monolithic, but he says, there are ways to change the rhetoric that might help.
HANI SABRA: The kind of language that the United States uses with regard to countries like Iran where it says “we demand that you do X,†but when it comes to Israel, Hillary Clinton says “continuation of settlement building is unhelpful,†well, you know, language matters – saying something is unhelpful is not the same as demanding that something change.
SCHACHTER: Most agree that the ability of the US to make demands anywhere has been greatly diminished as of late, and that President Obama needs to make as many friends for America as possible. For The World, I'm Aaron Schachter, Istanbul.
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