This is not because Turks are too humble but because they don't want to be part of a mission in which they themselves had a very small role. That's why even President Barack Obama's description of Turkish-US relations as a “model partnership” did not catch on with Turks.Putting aside the model language, the “Turkish role” is making the rounds. Two recent events have shown once more Turkey's increasing role in international relations. The first was the signing of the Nabucco energy project agreement, and the second was Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's visit to the Balkans. In both cases, many portrayed Turkey as walking into hostile territory. With Nabucco, the Russians were expected to explode against Turkey; it did not happen. As much as others may present Nabucco as an anti-Russian project, it is not for Turkey. You may find this preposterous now, but I wouldn't be surprised if one day both Russia and Iran join Nabucco. This is what Turkey will be working on over the next few years.
The second was Foreign Minister Davutoğlu's visit to Serbia and Montenegro. During the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995, the Muslim Bosnians were massacred on account of their Muslim identity. What was interesting was that the Serbian fascists had presented this as their revenge for the Battle of Kosovo in the 14th century. In other words, they were still fighting against the Ottoman Turks. In fact, they made use of the symbolism of the Ottoman fez, the headwear Ottoman citizens commonly wore from the Balkans to the Middle East, when they brutally killed Bosnians during the war. Some shouted, “Let's see if the Turks can help you now.” Despite all provocation, Turkey supported the Bosnians but never demonized the Serbs or the Croats.
When Davutoğlu went to Sandzak, he was received like an Ottoman pasha. For almost a century, no high-level Turkish official has visited this small and beautiful Muslim enclave in southern Europe. For Balkan Muslims, his visit underlined the importance of their cultural heritage and continuity as a community. For Turkey, it underscored Turkey's increasing role in all the major conflict areas from the Balkans to the Caucasus and the Middle East.
To sum all this up, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton placed Turkey among the seven rising global powers. She is right about that. Until a few years ago, some people balked at the talk of Turkey as a regional power or what Davutoğlu himself called a “central state.” They dismissed such descriptions as pretentious, arrogant, empty, even imperialistic. Today, no one disputes Turkey's status as a regional power. Turkish soft power has been immensely influential in the most difficult political conflicts of the last few years. The most recent example is the Turkish role inside Iraq, an issue not many people know about and Turks themselves have kept low-key. But it was and is thanks to Turkey's patient and intelligent diplomacy that the Iraqi Sunnis have become a part of the political system in Iraq today. I wouldn't be surprised if similar initiatives are to follow with other issues in the region.
What would Turkey as a global power look like? Well, you can see the signs already. Turkey is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council with a host of other key positions in various international organizations. What this means is that Turkey has a role in key decision-making mechanisms around the world.
Measuring power is always a difficult and tricky issue. Power today is no longer measured only by the number of soldiers you have. In other words, numbers alone do not deliver. We have moved from the purely quantitative world of gross power to the qualitative efficiency of key players. Yes, in order to become a global power, Turkey will need a strong economy, a dynamic population, active diplomacy and effective and extensive soft power. But the sum-total of these is not a Turkey with more muscle power but a Turkey with more intelligence, patience and perspicacity.
