On Obama's selecting Turkey

11 March 2009 /RADİKAL MURAT YETKİN

President Barack Obama's inclusion of Turkey among his destinations in his first comprehensive foreign policy tour after being elected US president was an important development that had repercussions in the international media, and it is indeed a quite significant move that deserves media attention.

Analyzing his decision, we can conclude that it is not related to current policy items such as the Armenian genocide resolution or the withdrawal of US soldiers from Iraq via Turkey or to ideological considerations such as sending his message to the Muslim world. First, we must realize that many issues which are on the US agenda concerning Europe, Asia and the Middle East are also items on Turkey's agenda. What distinguishes Obama from Bush is that he is aware of this fact and accepts it. During the Iraq crisis, Bush did not send his secretary of state or defense secretary to Turkey, taking Turkey's blind support for granted. Now, Obama will come in person. This implies that Obama listens to advice from a team of experts who know the region and Turkey well.

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