Turkey as a model

Columnists 11 February 2011, Friday İBRAHİM KALIN i.kalin@todayszaman.com Is Turkey a model for the Arab world? According to a recent survey published by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), Turkey is perceived as a positive actor and a rising power among the peoples of the Middle East. Contrary to claims Arabs are not happy about Turkey’s increasing role in the region, the survey suggests Arabs want to see Turkey playing an even bigger role. Why? The TESEV report on the perception of Turkey in the Middle East is based on interviews with 2,267 people in seven Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Saudi Arabia) and Iran. The interviewers asked about Turkey’s role in the Middle East, Turkey’s EU membership, Turkey as a model for other countries and perceptions of other countries, including the US, China and Israel. Several results stand out. First of all, 75 percent view Turkey favorably. The questions covered a number of areas, such as Turkish diplomacy in the region, the economy, tourism and democracy. Turkey is seen as playing a very positive role through its mediation efforts in the region. From the Palestinian issue to the Iranian nuclear program, many consider Turkey to be a problem-solving actor. What is even more interesting is that 78 percent believe that Turkey should play a bigger role in the region. Besides Turkey’s diplomacy and mediation role, Turkey is seen as a democratic country. This places Turkey above many of its neighbors in the region. Despite the heavy presence of the military in Arab perceptions of Turkey, Turkish democracy comes out as a distinctive feature that can inspire other countries. Moreover, 66 percent believe that Turkey can be a model for other countries, and the main reason mentioned (again 66 percent) is that Turkey has been able to reconcile Islam and democracy. The third important factor for Turkey’s favorable image in the region is its economy. Not many people realize that Turkey ($800 billion) is the largest economy in the Muslim world ahead of Indonesia ($700 billion), Saudi Arabia ($450 billion) and Iran ($350 billion). In the Arab Middle East, Saudi Arabia is still seen as the biggest economic power. But now this is changing, too. As Turkish companies and products become more visible and established in the Arab market, Turkey will soon be seen as the real economic giant in the region. Democracy, Islam, the economy and foreign policy are the four main indicators that measure the current perceptions of Turkey in the Middle East. Do these elements make Turkey a model? Some think so. But the model debate is a slippery one and has many flaws. First of all, Turkey does not project itself as a model for anyone. President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other Justice and Development Party (AK Party) officials have said this on many occasions. They rightly avoid any patronizing language or attitude towards others. Secondly, conceiving a model for Arab countries is a way of forcing change upon them and would not be very different from President Bush’s failed “democracy and freedom agenda.” What needs to be done in most Arab countries is clear: better governance, ending corruption, establishing institutions of democracy, free and fair elections and better economic policies. These are clear-cut goals and have become universal policies. Arab countries do not need Turkey or another country to implement these policies in their own countries. There is another problem with the current model debate. Those who were very critical of Turkey until recently now present it as a model for the Arab world because they seem to establish a hierarchy of democracies. First, we have the autocratic Arab regimes. Second, there is the semi-democratic (and somewhat unruly) Turkey. And thirdly, we have the advanced democracies of the West. Since, the argument goes, Arabs cannot nourish and sustain the culture and institutions of democracy as they developed in advanced countries, they should imitate a country like Turkey. This is a flawed analysis and far from grasping the realities of the Arab world. As we have seen in Tunisia and Egypt, the Arab public cares about both the culture and institutions of democracy and wants to see them implemented in their countries. Turkey may have served as a source of inspiration because of its democracy, growing economy and active foreign policy. But this does not mean that Arabs are clueless about what kind of a political system they should adopt and should therefore look to Turkey. The TESEV survey shows that Turkey is likely to increase its profile in the Middle East as a constructive player. This should be a welcome development for everyone because the problems in the region require the presence of more positive and constructive players.

In his article ‘’ Is Turkey a model for the Arab world? ‘’ depending on the recent survey conducted in seven Arab countries with 2.267 people by TESEV, Kalın describes Turkey’s position in the region and the perception of the arab world about Turkey’s current active role in the Middle East. I agree with the writer’s analyses evaluating the claims from different angles.

First of all, when we consider Turkey’s democracy, religion, economy and foreign policies, we can say that Turkey is a non negligible role player in the region. Turkish republic has a democratic regime for decades and also majority of the people are Muslims. Turkey continues its democratic and Islamic harmony in a peaceful manner, which makes Turkey prestigious in Arab world. Turkey ($800 billion) is also the biggest economic power among the Muslim countries despite the fact that we assume that Saudi Arabia is the largest economy. Moreover, Turkey’s market share is getting bigger day by day. Besides its economic and democratic power, Arab countries appreciate that Turkey is a really active player in the international arena. For years we have seen Turkey as a pacifier in many troubled situations while trying to solve problems. As Turkey’s foreign policies depend on national and international peace, we know that Turkey will go on its role of mediation. These are the positive factors enhancing Turkey’s position in the eyes of the Arab world.

His second point to which I agree is that Arab countries should not necessarily see Turkey as a model for themselves. We can see it from both Turkey’s and Arab world’s approach to the issue. We have never heard a word about the model issue from either Arab countries or the Turkey’s officials. They do not need Turkey or any other country. As the writer mentions in the article, they just need democracy and better economic policies in the short term.

In conclusion, we have seen current affairs in Arab countries and we hope they will implement the most suitable policies for themselves in a short time. They do not need any model country, but they might be inspired from countries which have similar cultural and social structure like Turkey.