Turkey: U.S. Must Push for Political Reform

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Henri Barkey argues that putting blame on the European Union for “Ankara’s movement away from the West,” as remarks from President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates have suggested, is an oversimplification and shows a lack of understanding of Turkey’s internal affairs. According to Barkey, the current Turkish administration “would have acted the same way even if membership to the EU were imminent,” saying that Turkey’s movement away from the West is simply a reaction to its “over-inflated” sense of importance in the world stage. Turkey, according to Barkey, believes that its “strategic location, economic prowess, historical ties and cultural affinities with the Muslim world” can be utilized to enhance its “activist foreign policy” and “Ankara’s importance.” Its interest in the Middle East is also a commercial one, as Ankara is searching for new markets, Barkey says. Nevertheless, in regard to its potential membership in the EU, Turkey faces several challenges, including the Kurdish problem and more importantly, the fact that the government “does not embrace the rule of law.” Barkey concludes that U.S. silence on domestic concerns within Turkey relieves “Turkish leaders from the burden of reform and from being honest with their public.” If EU membership for Turkey is in fact in America’s interest, then “the U.S. must align itself with Turkish and European advocates of change and help transform Turkey into a more tolerant and democratic society. Only then is EU membership likely.”