Al Bhatti
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By Abdullah Gul Special to Gulf News
December 30, 2012
Crisis and transformation
Europe and the global community can help the Mediterranean region to regain the prosperity and grandeur it once had and Turkey will play its part to realise that vision
It has become a cliche to characterise our era as one of multiple rapid transformations. However, 2012 was particularly eventful. Not a single day passed without requiring continuous and concerted attention to economic crises, political and military conflicts, social upheavals, cultural clashes or environmental problems in some corner of the world.
Turkeys immediate neighbourhood occupied the top spot on the global policy agenda in 2012 and will continue to be so in 2013. To our north, Europe is at a crossroads, undergoing a process of creative destruction, with potentially far-reaching ramifications well beyond the confines of the European Union. To our south, an irreversible quest for dignity, freedom, democracy and peace is altering the regions political landscape.
Needless to say, economic measures alone cannot end the European Unions (EU) ongoing crisis. Europe must redefine itself and identify its mission anew if it wishes to retain its geopolitical weight. The EU must decide whether it represents a community of values or a narrowly defined geographic entity whose exclusionary impulses will eventually erode its global relevance.
As an integral part of Europe, with EU membership as a strategic objective, Turkey is not an indifferent bystander. On the contrary, Turkey strives to participate in the current debate by offering its own views and ideas. It believes, for example, that EU integration needs to be wider as well as deeper, thereby maintaining its positive transformative influence in neighbouring regions.
Here, of course, the Middle East and North Africa should be of paramount concern. Historically, whatever happens on one side of the Mediterranean has had a direct impact on the other. Given todays high level of global interdependence, there is every reason to believe that this will remain true.
The Arab peoples genuine aspiration to secure for themselves the universal rights that Europeans enjoy refutes the Wests long-held orientalist perspective. Of course, it is still too early to predict the outcome of the Arab Awakening, and the countries in transition still face daunting challenges. However, none of the various nightmare scenarios materialised, which augurs hope for the future. Moreover, in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, free and fair elections the first in these countries history were held in 2012.
However, democracy is not only about elections. The task of creating essential democratic institutions the rule of law, habits of accountability, gender equality and freedom of expression and faith still awaits these countries. Yet, the Arab people have finally experienced genuine empowerment and have crossed the threshold of fear. I believe that they will continue to advance towards democracy.
That said, the situation in Syria and recent Israeli aggression in Gaza remain open wounds. In Syria, a bloody civil war is laying waste to some of the worlds most magnificent ancient cities. The Syrian peoples demands are the same as those heard in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt: A dignified, democratic life. Instead, they have got an inhuman campaign of violence including attacks by warplanes, helicopters, and tanks by President Bashar Al Assads regime. The regimes effort to turn its struggle for survival into an ethnic and sectarian conflict can wreak havoc across the region, starting with neighbours like Lebanon and Iraq.
From the very outset of the Arab Awakening, Turkey has taken a principled stand on the side of legitimate and democratic aspirations. Aware of its special role as a historical partner and, more so, as a source of inspiration to those demanding their rights and freedom, Turkey has felt particularly compelled to do so.
For Turkey, the civil war in Syria has created an additional challenge in the form of a humanitarian crisis. Turkey is now hosting approximately 200,000 Syrians who fled their countrys growing violence and Turkey has already spent more than $400 million (Dh1.47 billion) to accommodate these displaced, desperate people with almost no assistance from the rest of the world. However, Turkey will never be dissuaded from helping its Syrian neighbours in their most difficult hour, given the special bonds emanating from centuries of shared history.
Two other fundamental and inter-related security challenges in the region are the Arab-Israeli conflict and the growing danger of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). These also must be resolved in order to ensure that the Middle Easts historic transformation leads to security, stability and prosperity. Here, the recent violence in Gaza has once again demonstrated the risk of an all-out regional conflict.
Israels latest operation in Gaza brought it no benefit, neither tactical nor strategic. On the contrary, this aggression, clearly staged for domestic political consumption, will harm Israels long-term security. For the first time, Hamas proved capable of causing disruptions as far away as Tel Aviv, while Israel was forced to defend its behaviour and reputation even with its traditional allies, including the US. But the biggest lesson for Israel is that it needs to comprehend better the new strategic environment following the Arab awakening.
It is imperative to adopt a more holistic approach to both of these problems. The reference point for such an effort should be parallel implementation of the 2002 Arab Peace Plan, which addresses Israels security concerns, and a regional disarmament mechanism based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, adopted in 1991, to enable the elimination of WMDs from the entire region. I deeply appreciate US President Barack Obamas remarks at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in 2010, at which he supported this idea and invited other major actors to take the initiative on disarmament.
This approach will enable a fair and lasting resolution of the Palestinian issue, which profoundly offends peoples sense of justice and causes instability and extremism, while eliminating tensions arising from the threat perceptions of Iran and other countries in the region.
Beyond this, advanced countries and international financial institutions should implement a comprehensive economic recovery programme for the Arab countries in transition, similar to the Marshall Plan implemented after Second World War. Europe and the international community have an opportunity to help the Mediterranean region to regain the prosperity and grandeur that it once had and to turn the Middle East into a zone of peace, democracy and stability. Turkey will play whatever part it can in order to realise this vision.
Project Syndicate, 2012
Abdullah Gul is President of the Republic of Turkey.
Crisis and transformation | GulfNews.com
December 30, 2012
Crisis and transformation
Europe and the global community can help the Mediterranean region to regain the prosperity and grandeur it once had and Turkey will play its part to realise that vision
It has become a cliche to characterise our era as one of multiple rapid transformations. However, 2012 was particularly eventful. Not a single day passed without requiring continuous and concerted attention to economic crises, political and military conflicts, social upheavals, cultural clashes or environmental problems in some corner of the world.
Turkeys immediate neighbourhood occupied the top spot on the global policy agenda in 2012 and will continue to be so in 2013. To our north, Europe is at a crossroads, undergoing a process of creative destruction, with potentially far-reaching ramifications well beyond the confines of the European Union. To our south, an irreversible quest for dignity, freedom, democracy and peace is altering the regions political landscape.
Needless to say, economic measures alone cannot end the European Unions (EU) ongoing crisis. Europe must redefine itself and identify its mission anew if it wishes to retain its geopolitical weight. The EU must decide whether it represents a community of values or a narrowly defined geographic entity whose exclusionary impulses will eventually erode its global relevance.
As an integral part of Europe, with EU membership as a strategic objective, Turkey is not an indifferent bystander. On the contrary, Turkey strives to participate in the current debate by offering its own views and ideas. It believes, for example, that EU integration needs to be wider as well as deeper, thereby maintaining its positive transformative influence in neighbouring regions.
Here, of course, the Middle East and North Africa should be of paramount concern. Historically, whatever happens on one side of the Mediterranean has had a direct impact on the other. Given todays high level of global interdependence, there is every reason to believe that this will remain true.
The Arab peoples genuine aspiration to secure for themselves the universal rights that Europeans enjoy refutes the Wests long-held orientalist perspective. Of course, it is still too early to predict the outcome of the Arab Awakening, and the countries in transition still face daunting challenges. However, none of the various nightmare scenarios materialised, which augurs hope for the future. Moreover, in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, free and fair elections the first in these countries history were held in 2012.
However, democracy is not only about elections. The task of creating essential democratic institutions the rule of law, habits of accountability, gender equality and freedom of expression and faith still awaits these countries. Yet, the Arab people have finally experienced genuine empowerment and have crossed the threshold of fear. I believe that they will continue to advance towards democracy.
That said, the situation in Syria and recent Israeli aggression in Gaza remain open wounds. In Syria, a bloody civil war is laying waste to some of the worlds most magnificent ancient cities. The Syrian peoples demands are the same as those heard in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt: A dignified, democratic life. Instead, they have got an inhuman campaign of violence including attacks by warplanes, helicopters, and tanks by President Bashar Al Assads regime. The regimes effort to turn its struggle for survival into an ethnic and sectarian conflict can wreak havoc across the region, starting with neighbours like Lebanon and Iraq.
From the very outset of the Arab Awakening, Turkey has taken a principled stand on the side of legitimate and democratic aspirations. Aware of its special role as a historical partner and, more so, as a source of inspiration to those demanding their rights and freedom, Turkey has felt particularly compelled to do so.
For Turkey, the civil war in Syria has created an additional challenge in the form of a humanitarian crisis. Turkey is now hosting approximately 200,000 Syrians who fled their countrys growing violence and Turkey has already spent more than $400 million (Dh1.47 billion) to accommodate these displaced, desperate people with almost no assistance from the rest of the world. However, Turkey will never be dissuaded from helping its Syrian neighbours in their most difficult hour, given the special bonds emanating from centuries of shared history.
Two other fundamental and inter-related security challenges in the region are the Arab-Israeli conflict and the growing danger of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). These also must be resolved in order to ensure that the Middle Easts historic transformation leads to security, stability and prosperity. Here, the recent violence in Gaza has once again demonstrated the risk of an all-out regional conflict.
Israels latest operation in Gaza brought it no benefit, neither tactical nor strategic. On the contrary, this aggression, clearly staged for domestic political consumption, will harm Israels long-term security. For the first time, Hamas proved capable of causing disruptions as far away as Tel Aviv, while Israel was forced to defend its behaviour and reputation even with its traditional allies, including the US. But the biggest lesson for Israel is that it needs to comprehend better the new strategic environment following the Arab awakening.
It is imperative to adopt a more holistic approach to both of these problems. The reference point for such an effort should be parallel implementation of the 2002 Arab Peace Plan, which addresses Israels security concerns, and a regional disarmament mechanism based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, adopted in 1991, to enable the elimination of WMDs from the entire region. I deeply appreciate US President Barack Obamas remarks at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in 2010, at which he supported this idea and invited other major actors to take the initiative on disarmament.
This approach will enable a fair and lasting resolution of the Palestinian issue, which profoundly offends peoples sense of justice and causes instability and extremism, while eliminating tensions arising from the threat perceptions of Iran and other countries in the region.
Beyond this, advanced countries and international financial institutions should implement a comprehensive economic recovery programme for the Arab countries in transition, similar to the Marshall Plan implemented after Second World War. Europe and the international community have an opportunity to help the Mediterranean region to regain the prosperity and grandeur that it once had and to turn the Middle East into a zone of peace, democracy and stability. Turkey will play whatever part it can in order to realise this vision.
Project Syndicate, 2012
Abdullah Gul is President of the Republic of Turkey.
Crisis and transformation | GulfNews.com
