Alienating Turkey

Orhan Oğuz Gürbüz

Turkey was expecting steps towards normalization in society following the mayoral elections. However, it seems that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has decided to escalate tension in the run-up to the presidential election scheduled to take place in August.

Pro-government media outlets publish reports and news stories that are dark propaganda. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and leading party figures make unfounded accusations directed at the Hizmet movement at every opportunity. In Turkey, when people want to hide something and divert attention, they create a virtual agenda and you are asked to follow the distortionist.

The AK Party perception management plan that holds the Hizmet movement responsible for every problem and flaw in Turkey seems to be working right now. Standing up against the world also holds a crucial place in their strategy to keep the support base consolidated before the presidential election.

There are rumors among those backstage in politics indicating that Prime Minister Erdoğan will include voicing his plan to transform the Hagia Sophia into a mosque in his election campaign. With this move he wants to discredit the Europeans and their criticisms of Turkish democracy and the growing pressure in the political landscape in Turkey.

In other words, they want to send the message that the Europeans and the Americans do not really want democracy; rather, they are trying to undermine Turkish national identity. We do not know whether or not these allegations are election fantasies.

It appears that the AK Party administration is determined to disconnect with the entire world. The reason for maintaining minimal relations is economic interdependence. Otherwise, the AK Party administration would reconsider Turkey's obligations under international legal institutions, norms, conventions and other mechanisms.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's paradigm based on the attractive and appealing slogan “Zero problems with neighbors” has collapsed. Davutoğlu, a leading architect of the inconsistent foreign policy of Turkey, tried to cover up the failure by offering a new term, “precious loneliness.”

Transportation Minister Lütfi Elvan's response to the European parliamentarians who criticized social media bans in Turkey was very interesting and indicative of a hilarious apolitical attitude. He said Turkey would leave the World Wide Web and create its own separate ttt domain. The minister is talking about creating an Internet network and web that has no connection with the world. This is fantastic.

US State Department Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Douglas Frantz, who was in Turkey to join a conference, gave the following warning with respect to violations of the law in Turkey: “Turkey is a vital NATO member and has been a US partner for more than 50 years. If we feel that Turkey is moving away from the path of democracy, we have a responsibility to give a warning in order to remind you of what made Turkey strong and powerful. There will be repercussions that will affect Turkey. The Turkish people will be terribly affected by the perception that Turkey is no longer a strong democracy and has turned into something else.”

Turkey is not a country that will be deprived of freedoms through the distortion of “precious loneliness.” Those who want to alienate Turkey will only alienate themselves.

Published on Today's Zaman, 26 April 2014, Saturday