When U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that President Barack Obama would visit Turkey, most Turkish political observers were caught by surprise. However, conventional wisdom suggests that the possibility of Obama’s visit to Turkey was in fact always there.
In one of Emre Uslu’s earlier analyses about the Obama administration’s approach to Turkey, which appeared in The Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Daily Monitor, on Jan. 21, the following facts were underlined:
"With Barack Obama, almost everyone, from the prime minister down to the man in the street, is ready to open a new chapter in Turkish-U.S. relations. They do, however, have some concerns as well. They want to know how he will handle the Armenian claims of genocide and whether he will continue to support Turkish efforts to curb Kurdish separatist terror activities. Given the fact that Obama’s inaugural messages were warmly welcomed in a Muslim country like Turkey, where anti- Americanism was on the rise, it would perhaps be a wise step for Obama to visit Turkey in his early days in office to reinforce his positive position toward the Muslim world."
Since not only Turks but most people in the Muslim world will be closely watching what Obama says in Turkey, it is critical for Obama to come to Turkey with a message that grasps the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. Unlike many political observers who think that vital American interest in the Muslim world deeply contradicts the values of Muslim societies and that lead to anti-Americanism in this region, I believe that there is a medium in which Obama could deliver a message that could address the basic needs of Muslim societies in this part of the world, while at the same time helping America maintain it vital interests.
One way to deliver such a message is to draw a parallel between the foundation of the United States, which is not based on ethnic or religious exclusionism or any ideology but principles that value human rights, freedom of religion, freedom of expression and democratic values, and the foundation of Islam, which advocates human dignity, does not permit killing, allows women to participate in activities in society and other things that complements Islam. Drawing a parallel between the values that lie at the foundation of the United States and the foundation of Islam will easily grasp the hearts and minds of the majority in the Muslim world.
One of the problems of the Middle East is that tyrants of the region have long been manipulating their own people to maintain power. More importantly, ethical principles and the understanding of human dignity in this part of the world are very closely associated with Islam. In other words, there is almost no 'secular ethic' in this part of the world because the society’s ethical principles are so closely associated with Islam, any opposition group that emerges in this part of the world, in one way or another, has to refer to Islamic values because they are part of the social genes. Thus, the Obama administration should understand why successful opposition groups use Islamic references in their stance against the tyrants of the Middle East.
Second, Obama should realize that democracy in this part of the world is still vulnerable and that leaders, including military and civilian leaders, could easily manipulate it. Also, the lack of institutions, a civil society and interconnectedness with the democratic world, slowed down the process of a flourishing democracy in this region. Thus, instead of putting too much emphasis on bringing democracy to the region (the Bush administration made this mistake), Obama should underline the issue of promoting civil society and institutions that reinforce the democratic culture as well as the reform process in the region.
Related to this, the Obama administration should know that one of the reasons the Bush administration lost the support of Turks, in general, and some circles, in particular, is because such circles in Turkey that do not want the current government in power to use their traditional ties in the United States, which include military and diplomatic connections (a general went to Washington and stated that there was a possibility of a military coup in Turkey), to topple the democratically elected government and receive the support of at least the former vice president.
The Obama administration should be aware of the fact that ideas in Turkish and Middle Eastern societies are not developed in "public spheres" and then circulated by the mainstream media; rather, ideas are developed in "community valleys" (religious networks, liberal intellectual circles, Alevi communities, neo-nationalist circles and Kemalist plazas) and circulated by word of mouth and by media outlets. Whenever one or more ideas come from an alternative "community valley" and undermine that dominant idea, a "clash of ideas" occurs. These days, Turkey is witnessing such a trend and the dominant idea, which was empowered by the powerful state bureaucracy, was undermined by an alternative idea(s) that was promoted by religious networks, Alevi communities and liberal intellectual circles, making Turkey a "zone of confrontation" between the idea of supporting "democracy" and the idea of supporting a "hypocrisy" that has long claimed to be supportive of democratic values but, upon losing power, tried everything to bring the old regime back.
Knowing that such is the fabric of this society, Obama should come with a message that encourages nothing but democracy in which every idea should be discussed freely and without fear of powerful security institutions and the government in power.
All in all, Obama should understand the fabric of this society, where ideas are developed by "clique" circles that have a great deal of influence. Targeting those segments of society in his message is very critical for the United States if he wishes to reduce anti-Americanism in Turkey. Once Obama gains the confidence of those "community valleys," or "cliques," deeps state-run clandestine public campaigns meant to increase anti-Americanism and harm the current government in the eyes of its most critical ally will not work forever. This will not only normalize U.S.-Turkish relations but also normalize Turkish democracy.
