Turkey is foreign relations in tatters

Come, let us rewind the tape and see where Turkey could have been today and the level it has been reduced to by now.

I have only one thing to ask. Please let us leave aside for one day emotional behaviour and the ideological approaches and focus on the facts.
If Turkey had passed the motion Turkey would be the star of the region today. It would manage to make some of its policies accepted by the USA. It would get some respite from its economic problems. It would be sitting "at the table" in Iraq.

It would be, for example, in a position to control one part of Iraq that has been divided into three parts. It would at least be in a position to affect the developments — even though it might not display a military presence due to its sensitivities.

Tayyip Erdogan would have easy access to Bush any time he called the White House. President Sezer would be able to pay an official visit to the White House.

The Cyprus issue could have been brought to the foreground. Turkey could take EU membership for granted. Turkish representatives in the USA and in the world would be held in great esteem rather than being treated as representatives if a third world country. TODAY TURKEY’S NAME IS NOT EVEN BEING MENTIONED.

Don’t let us tell lies to one another. Today, in the international arena, Turkey’s prestige is probably only one percent of what it could have been.

This is not an exaggeration.

Today, in the realm of foreign relations, Turkey is in a sad position and it is just becoming aware of that.

We would be "burned" if we viewed these facts through the eyes of the AK Party’s conservative wing or the eyes of the Kemalist extremists.

Europe and the Islamic world become American
Don’t you tell me we have done the best thing by rejecting the motion, that this has boosted our prestige in Europe and in the Islamic world.

In the EU only four countries — France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg — are applauding Turkey. And theirs is not more than a gesture. In reality they are dying to jump on the U.S. train and grab a slice of the Iraq cake. The remaining 20 countries support Washington and view Turkey in a negative light.

Meanwhile the Islamic countries are in such a bad situation that they are not in a position to raise their voices against Washington. They are in fear.

Turkey must do its own calculations
Turkey has only three alternatives left in the international arena:

* It can engage in self-criticism, decide that the stance it has adopted is the right one, and, without burning its bridges with the USA, conduct a policy that is different than the USA’s.

In such a case Turkey would shoulder the entire responsibility. It would prevent its citizens becoming more affluent, bring to the foreground its internal conflicts (such as those involving the EU full membership issue and the PKK) more strongly and render them insoluble.

* The civilian and military leaders that govern the country can come together, assess the current issues and conduct a policy that would be in harmony with the U.S. policy. This way Turkey obtains EU full membership, carries its economy to sounder ground and wipes out terrorism from the country.

* It can take no decision in the best Turkish tradition, continuing to bury its head in the sand like an ostrich, getting neither useless applause from some foreign countries nor displaying a strong character.

Poland has gotten ahead of Turkey
If today Kurds are the winners in Iraq, Poland — after Britain — is the rising star among the coalition forces, the country the USA hugs to its bosom.

While we kid ourselves by saying that we have boosted our "respectability", Poland s the country everybody envies.

What we are left with are words such as national honor, peace, neutrality and doing the right thing (!)