The findings of the survey, based on interviews with a national sample of respondents, are not only very interesting because they indicate that there is very little, if any correlation between Islamic belief and support for political and religious extremism, but also for revealing attitudes in Turkey toward the West, specifically toward the US and the EU, in the spring of 2009.The most remarkable findings concern the extremely negative perceptions among the people of Turkey of both the US and the EU, possibly for different reasons. Large majorities of respondents declared that the US pursues policies that aim to “dismember Turkey” (86 percent), “divide and weaken the Islamic world” (85 percent) and “spread Christianity” (82 percent). The US is among the least liked nations, only after Israel and Armenia, and even ahead of Greece and France. Equally large majorities of respondents believe that the EU, too, pursues policies that aim to “dismember Turkey” (81 percent), “divide and weaken the Islamic world” (80 percent) and “spread Christianity” (76 percent). What is perhaps most striking is that negative perceptions of the US and the EU are not affected by level of education or religiosity. Professor Esmer concludes that the West has succeeded in uniting both the religious and the secular in Turkey against it.
What do these findings indicate? Let me begin with the US. It is true that the image of the US in Turkey has rarely been positive. Since the 1960s both left and right-wing nationalist movements have seen the US as an enemy of Turkey. During nearly 60 years of close alliance, there have been a number of occasions on which US policies have severely upset even the Turkish political establishment. The most recent occasion is, of course, the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq despite Turkish objections and the ensuing differences between Ankara and Washington over Iraq under US occupation.
The single most important factor that has destroyed the image of America in Turkish public opinion is surely the situation the US invasion led to in neighboring Iraq. The deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, torture and other atrocities committed against Iraqi detainees by US forces, the country turning into a hotbed of terrorism and particularly into a base for the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to stage its attacks against Turkey have all contributed to the sinking image of the US in Turkey.
President Barack Obama's efforts to win back the hearts and minds of the Turkish and Muslim masses by addressing them first from Ankara and later recently from Cairo are surely very appreciated. Surveys reveal that Obama has the approval of a clear majority of Turks, whereas President George W. Bush's rating was less than 10 percent in Turkey. But Obama's well-intended statements have apparently not yet been able to reverse the negative image of the US in Turkey.
What about the image of the EU in Turkey? Professor Esmer's survey reveals highly paradoxical results. The EU has almost as negative an image as the US in Turkey, as discussed above. Furthermore, 93 percent of the respondents said the EU is not treating Turkey equally with other candidate countries. Those who declare that the EU will never accept Turkey even if Turkey fulfills all conditions of membership make up not less than 80 percent of those surveyed. The proportion of respondents who call for closer relations with the Turkic world (40 percent) and the Muslim world (30 percent) are significantly higher than those who want Turkey to prioritize EU membership (22 percent). And yet, no less than 57 percent support Turkish membership in the EU, a result roughly in line with other recent survey findings.
How can this contradiction be explained? Perhaps as follows: Turks are clearly aware that the EU accession process has greatly helped Turkey to develop its economy, improve human rights and liberalize its democracy. They are also acutely aware, however, that since the coming to power of Nicolas Sarkozy in France and Angela Merkel in Germany, the discourse according to which Turkey will never be allowed in the EU has spread and even dominated the election campaign for the European Parliament, at least in many key EU member states. And this has clearly affected trust in the EU.
President Obama is right in paying a lot of attention to improving the image of the US in Turkey. Perhaps EU leaders, too, need to think what can be done to improve the image of the EU in Turkey. Such negative attitudes about the West in Turkey are surely not in the interest either of Turkey or the West. Those who wonder how Ankara governments, despite growing distrust of the West among the people, will manage to sustain close relations with the West surely have a point.
Benzer Haberler 
