Those were the days the image of the United States had high ratings in this country.The Turkey you are visiting now, in your capacity of secretary of state, is a country "transforming in slow motion," with different political actors in the game, with a process of change -- rather irreversible -- that will have consequences which are still unknown. The push for democratization is on a path to full-fledged democracy, which many hope will be the final destination. In a paradox typical of Turkey, this is occurring with nationwide conservatism.
It is now understood that democracy based on tolerance, plurality, freedom, fair representation, open elections and the rule of law will not be possible without taking into account a popular element worldwide: religion and faith. The crucial question here is how to determine the "dose" of religion in public life while vigorously protecting an updated and modernized version of secularism.
Given the apparent "cons" of a transformation by way of enhanced territory dedicated to conservatism, the pains of the process will be long-lasting. Large segments of rural communities here may be happy, may feel much more free to exercise their lifestyles and beliefs openly, but the questions remains how such an ethnically diverse, religiously (or non-religiously) complex society will learn to tolerate -- to the point of defense -- the "other" and not suppress it.
It is not conservatism per se that injects fear in various parts of the citizenry; it is the lack of political alternatives that stand as a threat to the vulnerable process of democratization. Vertically driven political actors and current parties have been out of touch with the grassroots; every political actor creates his own elite whose aim becomes belonging to the privileged. The political culture of each and every party is profoundly flawed in the sense that it is founded on self-interest, lack of vision and intolerance.
The United States, too, has changed since 1999. If we are concerned about the extremely high level of anti-Americanism in Turkey, we must seek the causes in the mismanagement of your country under George W. Bush, who to many common folk came to represent colonialism, arrogance, mass murder and chaos. To many others he represented a period in history during which the rule of law in the United States was stretched beyond all reason. Your work is hard.
Being bruised by breaches at home will not necessarily put hurdles in your way when you speak with your Turkish counterparts in Ankara. True, the focus will be on bilateral issues, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Caucasus and the Middle East. And undeniably Turkey has covered a long in its foreign policy, changing parameters and turning into a different sort of regional player. Its former days of dependency on its ally across the Atlantic are more or less over. A new era of interdependency is before you and it requires a new language and radically different presumptions.
Certainly, the expectations of opening a new page in Turkish-Armenian relations is a fully justified one and Ankara must, by any means necessary, be encouraged. But, Ankara's expectations of reaching a fair solution on the Cyprus question, which has created a destructive asymmetry in Turkish-EU negotiations, must be actively taken into account. Without clarity in accession negotiations with a deadline of some sort, Turco-American relations will also suffer. Your side will have to devote its full energy to redirect the process onto the right track and speed it up.
The Human Rights Report issued by your department frames a worrisome picture in the Turkish domestic scene. Denials will be loud: Look at yourself, it will be said. But if the Obama administration represents a different mindset, it will have to be humble and yet persistent because flaws in human rights are the mother of many ills.
This brings us to the heart of the matter. Although many of us find success in Turkey's foreign policy, we should not forget that unless the Turkish government and Parliament establish the rule of law in the term's full sense of the meaning and unless they are able to secure social stability in the country, success might be a passing fancy. What you and we report in basic human rights shortcomings are only symptoms that threaten to repeat themselves and fall into the reports of the coming years. The fundamental problem that should constantly occupy your agenda is the urgent need of a brand new constitution, based on wide consensus. Unless we change that primary parameter, we are doomed to be stuck in a vortex. Coup plans will remain on the agenda, vicious perpetrators of past crimes and disruptions of democracy will continue to get away with it and state powers will continue to fight against each other.
Turkey started to use its soft power in the regional context and it is certain to be encouraged by the newly adapted soft power approach of its traditional ally to be set as an example of great success, as the "North Star of Democracy" in the predominantly Muslim world.
