Davutoğlu officially becomes FM

These are preparations to compete in political arena, not in economy, with the opposition, which will certainly come up with populist solutions for people who suffer from the economic crisis. Since the Prime Minister is off the world, he has difficulties to duly perceive the economic crisis originated outside.

The new Foreign Minister Davutoğlu is not publicly known but since Abdullah Gül has become the president, Davutoğlu is actually in charge of the foreign ministry. We have seen especially during this period that Turkish foreign policy has consciously turned face to other regions in addition to its historic western inclination and tried to have equally significant relations with these regions as with the West; that mediation efforts although obsessive have yielded absolutely no results; that Turkey has quickly lost impartiality while giving the impression more of an aggressive Muslim country in Europe. This period will be remembered through famous crises in which Turkey had its share: Cartoons of Prophet Mohammed in a Danish daily, visit of Hamas leader Khaled al Mashal, of Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, the Davos and Rasmussen episodes.

Davutoğlu has a big share in Turkey’s new foreign policy trends. About another important issue, Turkey’s main national objective, the EU membership, his views are as follows: "Turkey’s ever increasing influence in the Middle East brings Turkey closer to the European Union. Be it in the Middle East or in the Caucasus, our influence makes us more important in Brussels and Washington as well." Unfortunately, consequences of this approach have been exactly to the opposite. Turkey has alienated itself from Europe while at home the EU accession works have systematically been loosen up.

The EU bid is not equal to other relations
I am tired of repeating since 2000: Once Turkey becomes an EU member, it will, as the minister put, ’pay its debt’ to countries where we have brotherly ties in blood, religion and race. No matter how hard we sniff at, Turkey has a lot to learn from the EU’s techniques. On the other hand, we have not much to learn from other regions, but we have so many practices to carry from the EU to these regions.

Today, limping EU works are also slowing down Turkey’s normalization process both inside and outside because in order to manage and steer issues that we are discussing openly thanks to the EU dynamic and to come up with a new social consensus out of this, is embedded in the EU techniques. Solutions to our chronic problems such as asymmetrical state-society relation, place of religion in public sphere, women’s place in society, education and curriculum, the military’s practice to interfere in politics, the Armenian-Greek-Kurdish issues and so many others will be found through the synergy of local dynamics with that of the EU. Only this synergy can bring Turkey up to the strong position in the 21st century that Davutoğlu wishes for the country.

We should better understand this process and look for solutions not in outdated theoretical frames but in extremely practical and solid EU process. For this reason, Turkish foreign policy should focus on the EU as much as possible without spending unnecessary time with historic and geographic kinships now as we may create new dynamics with them one we become an EU member. In this sense, if Davutoğlu clears the ways for the solution of deep-rooted Armenian- Greek- Kurdish issues that all have local bonds; if he turns the new term of Turkish-American relations into an utmost partnership, if he provides full support for the State Minister for EU Affairs Egemen Bağış and if he informs public opinion about all these developments, it would be more than enough for Turkey. But if Davutoğlu adopts the policy of becoming more of a Middle Eastern Muslim country, which he managed to achieve in the last four years as the chief adviser, and having pipe dreams about "Grand Turkey" Turkey will continue to lose time. For Davutoğlu, the period of being an adviser with decision power without having any accountability has come to an end. Now it is the high time for not problematic but responsible operations.