Coming to terms with how modern Turkey interprets herself is an altogether different matter, apparently often misjudged by foreign observers. There was a former US presidential hopeful (Mr. Rick Perry) who by reminiscing about his younger years (some of which he had spent in Turkey) confused the Turkey of the past all too often suffering from and under military tutelage with today’s Republic. Then there are those who shift gears all too easily -- cherry picking one “violation of rights” issue after the other without the slightest regard for the country’s achievements Turkey managed to amass over the best part of the last decade. Even daring to publish the exact words about military tutelage I have just entered into my laptop’s keyboard 15 or 25 years ago would have resulted in a court case filed against both my editors and myself; hence, “Hello, Brussels and Strasbourg” and please come and visit Turkey and learn about the difference between inciting hatred in society and/or plotting coups with freedom of the press.
My own attempt at better understanding Turkish politics relies on coming together with people in the know. It may be a fellow commentator who lived in this fascinating metropolis much longer than myself, or it could be by attending a seminar or panel discussion at SETA [Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research], or USAK [International Strategic Research Organization]. Quite regularly I consult the opinion polls as published for example by MetroPOLL, too.
A splendid combination of news in this regard means that the Turkish electorate finally values the president of the republic, Abdullah Gül, as a more trusted institution than the military. At the same time Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tops the list of most successful leaders and politician -- a perfect tandem. A prime minister runs the country on a day-to-day basis, whereas a president uses his stature in a somewhat broader sense to make sure that democracy as proposed by the head of the government indeed blossoms in each and every corner of the country. Complimentary, indispensable teamwork yet I dare say that at all times the pendulum of power swings just about visibly enough to the prime minister and rightly so unless Turkey changes to a presidential system based-nation state.
Deciphering Turkish politics was much more cumbersome early in the new millennium. Visiting a ministry I would not get very far as talking about EU harmonization was a no-no unless the head of department himself would OK a comment. Proposing a training seminar about the benefits of regulatory impact analysis remained a “distant, remote” option as external advice was unheard of back then. Hence learning from and learning about Turkish politics often began once the clock had struck five in the afternoon.
Always agreeing on Chatham House rules, hence never letting a third person to associate a person and her or his comments I began to realize that the winds of change had just about arrived within the higher echelons of Ankara’s ministries and institutions but needed to be unleashed so that people could work without fear, without worries that if they openly supported Turkey’s EU vocation their jobs would be on the line. I know what I am talking about, yet still under Chatham House rules -- early in 2005 I visited a local ministry trying to inform them about a seminar about EU harmonization efforts and whether they would put up a note on the ministry’s pin-board. No such luck albeit having visited their premises upon an invitation.
Almost seven years later Ankara has changed. Ankara is a government seat open to the world. Ankara is a city that five to 10 years from now will have become a true European, cosmopolitan metropolis. Its decision makers are proud to be Turkish, yet happy to let in the outside world, too. What a transformation. Am I color blind? No. Just acknowledging change, reality.
