A tale of two diplomatic appointments
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 05, 2009 00:00
For us it appears to be a "Tale of Two Appointments." With apologies to Charles Dickens, this tale suggests at first glance a theme from his 19th century novel, the prospect of the "best of times" or the "worst of times."
The pair of appointments which draw our attention are those of Ahmet Davutoğlu to the helm of the Turkish Foreign Ministry and that of Danish Ambassador to Turkey Jasper Vahr to the newly created post of director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General.
First, Davutoğlu. Seldom has an appointment been made with such an imbalance between speculation and hard facts. The facts are that Davutoğlu is a respected academic, a graduate of one of the country’s finest universities and a thinker who has contributed greatly to the expansion of Turkey’s foreign policy vision. His doctoral adviser for his Ph.D. thesis was none other than Şerif Mardin, among the most internationally respected sociologists that Turkey has ever produced. That his role until now has been largely behind the scenes has enabled critics to tag him with all kinds of labels, from that of Islamic Rasputin to coddler of Hamas extremists.
But his first public comments on his new role suggest something quite different. "Turkey is no longer a country that only reacts to crises," he said, "but [a country that] notices crises before they emerge." He also went out of his way to make it clear he envisions no retreat from Turkey’s Western orientation centered on the goal of full membership in the European Union. This is a vision that suggests the possibility of a "best of times" era for Turkish foreign policy. It is a vision that deserves, and has, our respect and support.
Less encouraging on the international front is Ambassador Vahr’s new job as the No. 1 aide to the new NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Rasmussen, of course, is stepping down from the Danish prime ministry to take the job, which has alarmed many because of his handing of the "cartoon crisis" in his homeland in 2006. Turkey rightly asked the question: Is this the right CV for someone to run NATO’s operations in a place like Afghanistan? That issue has been resolved, and Rasmussen takes up his new job on Aug. 1.
We believe Vahr is well qualified. He has been an effective ambassador and has deep experience in security policy. In terms of objective qualifications, he is better prepared to run NATO than his boss. But we are deeply concerned with reports that his appointment was made to fulfill a pledge by Rasmussen to appoint "diplomats from Turkey" in exchange for Turkey’s late support. This suggests a juvenile word game. It also suggests the "worst of times" may be looming in an era when understanding by NATO of Islamic sensitivity is critical.
First, Davutoğlu. Seldom has an appointment been made with such an imbalance between speculation and hard facts. The facts are that Davutoğlu is a respected academic, a graduate of one of the country’s finest universities and a thinker who has contributed greatly to the expansion of Turkey’s foreign policy vision. His doctoral adviser for his Ph.D. thesis was none other than Şerif Mardin, among the most internationally respected sociologists that Turkey has ever produced. That his role until now has been largely behind the scenes has enabled critics to tag him with all kinds of labels, from that of Islamic Rasputin to coddler of Hamas extremists.
But his first public comments on his new role suggest something quite different. "Turkey is no longer a country that only reacts to crises," he said, "but [a country that] notices crises before they emerge." He also went out of his way to make it clear he envisions no retreat from Turkey’s Western orientation centered on the goal of full membership in the European Union. This is a vision that suggests the possibility of a "best of times" era for Turkish foreign policy. It is a vision that deserves, and has, our respect and support.
Less encouraging on the international front is Ambassador Vahr’s new job as the No. 1 aide to the new NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Rasmussen, of course, is stepping down from the Danish prime ministry to take the job, which has alarmed many because of his handing of the "cartoon crisis" in his homeland in 2006. Turkey rightly asked the question: Is this the right CV for someone to run NATO’s operations in a place like Afghanistan? That issue has been resolved, and Rasmussen takes up his new job on Aug. 1.
We believe Vahr is well qualified. He has been an effective ambassador and has deep experience in security policy. In terms of objective qualifications, he is better prepared to run NATO than his boss. But we are deeply concerned with reports that his appointment was made to fulfill a pledge by Rasmussen to appoint "diplomats from Turkey" in exchange for Turkey’s late support. This suggests a juvenile word game. It also suggests the "worst of times" may be looming in an era when understanding by NATO of Islamic sensitivity is critical.