Three weeks ago I argued in this column: “The last thing the Obama administration wants is to provide ammunition to those who are willing to see an American conspiracy behind every effort at democratization. Given the persistent anti-Americanism in Turkey, Washington will do its best to maintain a low profile while Turks discuss their own Kurdish problem.”Well, it looks like maintaining a low profile was not enough to keep conspiracy theorists like Deniz Baykal or Devlet Bahçeli at bay. They seem genetically predisposed to seeing an American hand behind everything. Their belief that Washington has the power and competency to control, manipulate and determine the outcome of the Kurdish debate only shows how detached they are from the reality of Washington. One can only wish that Washington was so powerful. The American war machine would certainly have encountered less embarrassment in Iraq and Afghanistan. American officials can only wish they were as powerful as all the conspiracy theorists believe.
Make no mistake. Washington supports the opening. There are think tanks, analysts and statements from officials that support more democratization in Turkey. But there is nothing hidden or conspiratorial in this. The fact that Turkey is discussing a democratic initiative for the Kurdish problem is good news for Washington. The reason is simple. The Kurdish problem has been the most important issue poisoning Turkish-US relations and the persistently negative image of the US in Turkey. American officials familiar with Turkey know that the real reason fueling a negative perception of Washington is the strongly held belief that the United States wants an independent Kurdish state in Iraq and thus foments Kurdish nationalism in the region.
Sixty percent of Turks, according to recent opinion polls, believe that Washington and Europe are enemies of Turkey and that they are helping the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Turkey's current verbal commitment to solve the Kurdish problem is a step in the right direction for Washington precisely because it shows that Ankara has at least some willingness and courage to focus on its own most crucial problem. US officials hope that with more democratization and specifically with more openings on Kurdish cultural rights, the PKK will lose political support. This, in turn, will pave the way for more peaceful Kurdish alternatives and political movements. It is with the same spirit that Washington has been supportive of improved relations between Ankara and the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq.
This is why any attempt of the Turkish government to recognize that there is a domestic Kurdish problem in Turkey and that the solution requires more democratization is good news for the United States. This is good news for Washington for an additional reason having to do with Turkey's regional ambition to play a high-profile mediation role in the Middle East and beyond. US officials are very familiar with the vision and narrative of the AK Party foreign policy, now under the direction of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. This vision puts Turkey at the center of major regional issues and promotes the geo-strategic and political importance of Turkey as the only country that can talk to conflicting parts with a regional voice and the experience of history. As a result, the Turkish government believes it is playing a very effective role in mediating between Israel and Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Hamas and Fatah, Sunni Iraqis and Shiite Iraqis, Russia and Georgia, etc.
Washington is certainly appreciative of this Turkish vision and effort. It is also willing to support it when necessary. However, there is also a sense among US officials that this regional vision and ambition of Turkey takes away time and intellectual energy from Turkey's own foreign and domestic problems. In other words, there is a certain belief in Washington that Turkey should focus a bit more on solving its own major problems instead of spending so much time and energy on other countries' issues. The list of domestic issues Turkey could focus on is long. It starts with the Kurdish question, but it certainly does not end there. The normalization of relations with Armenia, the Cyprus question, more EU reforms and the democratization of civilian-military relations are additional areas where Washington would like to see a more engaged and forthcoming Turkish government. So the question is simple: where is the conspiracy in all this?
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