Obama’s Turkish Delight

President Barack Obama’s choice of Turkey as his first port of call in a Muslim country, in his first 100 days in office, is not without a purpose. He has been endeavouring to reshape the global image of the United States. In this regard, he has been trying to reach out to the Muslim world by promising them a level playing field in world affairs, and vowing to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli imbroglio in earnest.

Similarly, by offering an unconditional dialogue to Iran, and reengaging Syria, the new US administration has laid down the format for a broader interaction with the Muslim world.

Obama’s visit to Turkey, a secular Muslim democracy, aims to deal with a much deeper problem as well. During the Bush administration, the very strong anti-American sentiments in Turkey were an issue of deep concern for both the capitals. By easing mistrust, the new US administration believes it can win over Ankara to play a crucial role in implementing its agenda in the region: pulling troops out of Iraq, furthering cooperation in Afghanistan and 
using the good offices of Ankara to deal with Iran’s nuclear programme and the Middle East peace process.

President Obama’s speech at Prague, earlier, has outlined his vision of a world free of nuclear weapons, which called for outlawing nukes within four years, and to draft a treaty abolishing the production of fissile material that can be used to create nuclear weapons. And this comes on the heels of his understanding with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to conclude a new bilateral treaty, which may ultimately lead to the scrapping of nuclear warheads. But the most articulate aspect of his speech was an attempt to engage Iran, presenting Teheran with a choice between getting access to peaceful nuclear energy, or risking isolation with its current nuclear strategy, which Obama says poses a “clear threat”.

Such a policy prescription of accommodation can be of great help as Obama brushes shoulders with Islamists and liberals in Turkey. With an ambitious public relations programme for the greater Muslim world, as he addresses the Turkish parliament, President Obama, perhaps, will emphasise that a clash of civilisations is not necessarily inevitable. At the same time, the Turks look towards the youthful American leader to realise their dream of becoming a member of the European Union.

Obama needs to lobby Ankara’s case in the West as well. Accession to the European Union is Turkey’s right, which boasts the credentials of being the only constitutional secular Muslim nation that has for decades been anchored to the Western institutions like NATO and EU.

Obama must persuade his European allies that admitting Turkey in the European Union is in the larger interest of peace and stability. Turkey’s 
vitality as a bridge between East and West should not be lost.