There are those who think that if this happens, Turkey would become an untrustworthy ally. There are also those who panic because they think Turkey may try to become the leader of some sort of configuration that would damage the interests of the EU and the US. No matter what, it is true that Turkey’s future will directly affect many other countries’ futures. That is why international actors discuss what allowed Turkey to grow away from the West and what the remedy might be.Some insist that Westerners’ attitudes are to blame more than anything if Turkey has decided to move eastward. The US is accused of putting constant pressure on Turkey, hoping to reorient this country at will, and the EU is denounced for its anti-Turkey rhetoric. It’s a reality that most ordinary Turks have trust issues with the West and neither the US nor the EU have made much of an effort to modify this perception. However, Turks who don’t trust the US and the EU aren’t full of confidence when it comes to Russia, Iran, Syria or Jordan, either.
The multiplication of questions about the US and EU attitudes regarding Turkey has created a rich debate on how to win Turkey back. However, this “winning back” can’t be managed simply by developing bilateral relations. As we have seen in Israel’s case, no matter how many comprehensive bilateral agreements there are, they can be laid aside in a moment of crisis. However, if a relationship is regulated by multilateral agreements in a multilateral arena, the channels of dialogue remain open during even the most serious crises. That’s why, in order to win Turkey back, the Western organizations or the forums where great powers are represented should include Turkey, as much as possible. Another possible way may be to increase the global visibility of instances such as the G-20, in which Turkey is an important member.
After all, the debate about winning Turkey back is something the great powers of the Western world should hold between themselves. From this perspective, it is not surprising that everyone looks to the EU, because everyone knows that those in Europe who have claimed that Turkey is not eligible for EU membership have a great portion of responsibility for the current situation, especially as Turkey pursues its accession negotiations. So, the first move to confirm Turkey’s place within the “West” may be to accelerate Turkey’s EU membership process. It seems that many EU countries are already proposing this solution and the US supports the idea.
What else can the US propose to Turkey? Perhaps Washington believes that eventual EU membership would be enough to dismiss doubts about the direction of Turkish foreign policy, or perhaps they have additional plans for other international platforms, such as the UN Security Council. It’s not a secret that reforming the Security Council’s structure has been discussed for some time.
One mustn’t think that Turkey is playing an “opening to the East” game just to create pressure on the US and the EU or for political gain. The current international system wouldn’t allow Turkey to control all the dynamics of such a game anyway. However, one can say that Turkey is putting the current circumstances to good use.
