Turkey is ready to rear up in foreign policy
Fehmi Koru
I guess I have found the reason: The key to success in foreign policy in today's world is to be able to "reset"...
As known by those who follow up technological advances, 'Reset' means to zeroize something. When you purchase a new device, you can make some mistakes while using it and it is not always possible to correct every mistake. That is why producers add a "reset" button onto devices. When you push that button, your device restores the factory settings regardless of the mistakes committed earlier....
American and Iranian diplomacy have decided to put an end to a deep-rooted problem through pushing this 'reset' button...
Iran has put aside its prejudices towards the West and the US has abandoned its preconditions to be able to negotiate with one another. Despite the oppositions, the two parties have reached an agreement to the benefit of both countries which is also a relief for the entire world.
This "reset" button and Turkish foreign policy have been crossing my mind every time I think about Iran nowadays...
Indeed, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has pushed this 'reset' button when they started to reshape the Turkish foreign policy. Former Turkish foreign policies had its rights and wrongs; however AKP has made its own way in foreign policy regardless of the past which means to push the 'reset' button somehow. That is how Turkey has adopted a new foreign policy in which Turkey sees the East alongside the West as partners, prioritizes having good relations with its neighbors and seeks ways of cooperation all around the world.
While making all these changes, Turkey has not left aside to set up new public institutions in line with the necessities of the new age....
Result: Until the 'Arab Spring' which was evidently inspired from Turkey, a highly successful ten year praised by both national and international circles has passed.
It is possible, why not? 'Arab Spring', has brought along some surprises which caused the elbow room of the Turkish foreign policy to narrow down. Turkey, previously seen as a country at ease with the international arena as well as with its own people, has started to be seen having problems in interior and exterior.
No matter how much it tries, Turkey can possibly not be able to overcome today's challenges on its own and with unilateral decisions. Today's problems are too complicated to settle with yesterday's solutions and different approaches are needed to be adopted in a world where alliances are replaced by new ones...
The axis shifts although we stand still, thus, we need to keep up with the new order by adopting appropriate policies...
New words need to be said; new actions need to be displayed...
Our country's diplomacy traditions and more importantly, the fact that the ruling party pushed the 'reset' button ten years ago is very promising for today. Turkey can surely adopt a different path just like Iran and the US did in accordance with their own interests. 'Strategic depth' perspective can indeed allow for such a leap. Turkey is ready to rear up considering its geopolitical position, its values and strong economy.
This should be noted that the 'reset' button of devices are not located in a visible way…