Turkey is not just a member of NATO but among the top five important members. Turkey has a majority population of Sunni Muslims, yet the first one has started diplomatic ties with the State of Israel. The strange aspect is that Turkey has been a secular state from its inception yet its present leadership is popular among extremist Islamist ideologies.
Turkey's Foreign Minister explained its state's complex and multifaced policies in his interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on the question of Israel-Turkey diplomatic relations and Israel's planned genocide in Gaza, drawing our attention to examine it more closely.
Turkey and NATO
Turkey joined NATO in 1952 after WWII and the beginning of the Cold War and has been an important member of the alliance ever since. However, Turkey's relationship with NATO has been strained in recent years, due to a number of factors, including:
- Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, which NATO considers to be incompatible with its own systems but sense among Turkey's leadership that they have been discriminated against when it comes to the question of sharing the technologies among member states.
- Turkey's crackdown on dissent as well as Kurdish Nationalist movements who are demanding the right to self-determination and more so after the failed coup attempt in 2016
- Turkey's military operations in Syria and Iraq, especially joining hands with NATO and Israel to destroy the political basis of the Bath Socialist Party both in Iraq and Syria, and also the Kurdish forces to enable extremists such as ISIS to take over. The Kurdish forces who believe in inclusiveness and rule-based order were targeted both by ISIS and Turkish forces.
Despite these tensions, even on the question of new members joining NATO, Turkey remains an important member of NATO, and the alliance is committed to maintaining its relationship with Turkey.
Turkey and Israel
The Jews of Haifa asked Sultanat-e-Othman to allow them to make their state in 1903 because the Jewish population in the Haifa area was the majority but the ruler in Istanbul denied their request. Turkey became a Republic after 1920 and on May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. US President Harry S. Truman recognized the new state on the same day and Turkey recognized Israel in March 1949.
The two countries had close relations until the 1960s when tensions began to rise over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2003, Turkey and Israel severed diplomatic relations after Israel killed nine Turkish citizens aboard a flotilla that was trying to deliver aid to Gaza.
Relations between the two countries began to improve again in 2010 when they signed an agreement to restore diplomatic ties. However, the relationship remains fragile, and tensions have flared up from time to time, most notably in 2014, when Israel launched a military operation in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians.
Turkey and the Sectarian Islamist Movement
Fethullah Gülen was a local state imam from 1959 to 1981. Since 1999, became a centrist political figure in Turkey prior to his being there as a fugitive and has lived in self-exile in the United States nearSaylorsburg, Pennsylvania.
Adnan Oktar, also known as Adnan Hoca or Harun Yahya, is not a scientist but wrote against the theory of evolution taken hand in hand by George Bush to be propagated as Intelligence Design landed in the conflict in Dover High School, Pennsylvania where finally court decided that Intelligence Design is not science but religion.
The Gülen movement and the above two personalities were the backbone of the formation and enabling of the AKP in Turkey to capture political power had started by enabling and elevating Erdogan through the mayorship of Istanbul city though his own performance and leadership were also extraordinary.
When the AKP came to power in 2002 the two formed an alliance in sharing power, despite their differences, a tactical alliance against state military influence over political affairs and the traditional secular politics adopted by its republic founding fathers.
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is a conservative party with strong Islamist sectarian roots. However, many praised the AKP for its economic policies and its so-called commitment to democracy in spite of the fact that press freedom and political dissent were crushed by using draconian means and methods.
The AKP's relationship with the Islamist movement is again complex. Its close association with Jamat-e-Islami of Pakistan, and Ikhwan-e-Muslimeen of Egypt, which are the mother organizations that gave birth to the present religious extremism and terrorism globally. On the one hand, the AKP has been accused of supporting Islamist groups in the Middle East. On the other hand, the AKP has also taken steps to crack down on some Islamist groups in Turkey and deny the Kurdish people the right to self-determination.
In my opinion, the Turkey AKP's relationship with the Islamist sectarian movements is likely to continue to be a source of tension not only in Turkish politics but also in the region.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkey's ruling party since 2002, has a complex and evolving relationship with the Islamist sectarian movement contradicting even the basic norms.
This claim that AKP is rooted in Turkey's conservative and Islamist traditions, and some of its members have expressed support for pan-Islamism, the idea of uniting all Muslims under a single political or religious authority yet Ignoring the fact that politics reflect the socio-economic and socio-political interest of the people. Even the Prophet (PBUH) was unable to unite his companions on the political question on his death bed where his own family, two fathers-in-law, and two sons-in-law were present yet after 1400 years Islamist terrorists want to prove their own Prophet wrong.
However, the AKP has also emphasized its commitment to democracy, secularism, and Turkey's integration into the Western world but only time will tell as NATO in Afghanistan instead of allowing its people to elect their own democratic government, gave power to the Taliban terrorists after 20 years of rule with the collaboration of Pakistan and Qatar.
The observers noted the fact that in its early years, the AKP was more openly supportive of Islamist causes. For example, the party supported the Palestinian Hamas movement (propped up by Israel to weaken the PLO) and called for a boycott of Israeli goods. However, in recent years, the AKP has moderated its stance on these issues, in an apparent effort to improve Turkey's relations with the West, probably the law of proximity and natural evolutionary process ultimately work when one lands into a situation to walk through the facts rather one to take refuge into the rhetorics of faith.
Despite these changes, some observers believe that the AKP still harbors ambitions to rebuild the Turkish Empire. They point to the party's support for Turkish nationalist causes, such as the recognition of Northern Cyprus as an independent state. They also note that the AKP has been accused of using state resources to support Islamist terror groups particularly Ikhwan in the Middle East.
However, other observers argue that the AKP is more interested in promoting Turkey's soft power and influence in the region than in rebuilding the Turkish Empire. They point to the party's efforts to develop economic and cultural ties with other Muslim-majority countries. They also note that the AKP has been criticized by some Islamists for its pragmatic approach to politics.
The AKP's relationship with the Islamist movement is likely to remain a source of tension in Turkish politics. The party's efforts to balance its Islamist roots with its commitment to democracy and secularism will continue to be delicate.
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