Experts agree that this lack of a strong reaction from US President Barack Obama's administration stems from the “unpredictability” of Turkish foreign policy, in conjunction with the need to cooperate with Turkey on number of areas in the problematic Middle East.
The fear of putting American interests in danger is what holds back the US administration, despite Turkish government officials, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan, saying that the corruption scandal is a foreign plot. ErdoÄŸan threatened to expel US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone over a seemingly fabricated story that only appeared in four pro-government dailies.
The stories allege that Ricciardone met with a group of EU ambassadors in Ankara on the day that the graft probe came to light, on Dec. 17, telling them that they were about to witness the collapse of an empire -- referring to the ErdoÄŸan government -- a claim that was denied by the US Embassy in Ankara and number of embassies representing EU countries.
‘Fear of unpredictability'
James Jeffrey, a retired US diplomat who served as the US ambassador to Turkey between 2008 and 2010, has said that the external body that ErdoÄŸan picks on the most is the US.
Appearing on “Charlie Rose,” an American television interview show last week, Jeffrey said that ErdoÄŸan has worked with the US in the past and that the two countries have a lot of common interests.
According to Jeffrey, it is important for ErdoÄŸan to understand that Turkey's economic success in the past decade depends on its integration to the world economy, the rule of law and predictability of the government. Nobody knows how he will react if he runs into a difficult patch in the upcoming elections, Jeffrey said.
Speaking to Sunday's Zaman, Faruk LoÄŸoÄŸlu, deputy chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and who served as Turkey's ambassador to the US from 2001 to 2005 has admitted: “Yes, I agree with the suggestion that compared to the EU, the US reaction to the recent developments in Turkey is cautious.”
“Two former US ambassadors to Turkey, Morton Abramowitz and Eric Edelman, have urged the Obama administration to warn Turkey strongly, rather than flattering the ruling party. That means, the people who follow Turkey and the US closely can see what is happening,” LoÄŸoÄŸlu said.
“What is the reason behind the lack of strong US criticism? The needs of the US in the region are sharper and more significant than those of the EU. The Obama administration needs the ErdoÄŸan government's help, contribution and cooperation with regard to the regional problems. Therefore he does not criticize much and refrains from blunter criticism,” he added.
In an article titled “The United States needs to tell Turkey to change course” that appeared in The Washington Post last Thursday, Morton Abramowitz, Eric Edelman and Blaise Misztal, acting director of foreign policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center's Turkey Initiative, warned that ErdoÄŸan is destroying his country's precarious democracy. “Whatever his achievements over the past decade, … ErdoÄŸan is destroying his country's parlous democracy. That is a profound problem for Turks and Turkey's Western allies. Staying silent, out of fear that speaking out would harm some short-term interests, risks Turkey's longer-term stability.”
LoÄŸoÄŸlu explained that the US is anxious to protect its own interests and that the US is worried that if it is not cautious, the “already unpredictable” Turkish prime minister and Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu may react more strongly against US interests. “There is a fear factor here, because the US sees that their counterparts' predictability and responsibility are set to zero,” said LoÄŸoÄŸlu.
Stressing that he does not expect a strong reaction from the US, LoÄŸoÄŸlu emphasized that the EU has the tools to pressure candidate Turkey, including the opening of chapters 23 and 24 in the accession negotiations. “The EU has stronger means than the US, in terms of independence and impartiality of the judiciary and handling the corruption issue,” said LoÄŸoÄŸlu.
ErdoÄŸan, making his first visit to Brussels in five years on Jan. 21, faced strong criticism from EU officials after a crackdown on the judiciary and police that has also concerned foreign investors.
"It is important not to backtrack on achievements and to ensure that the judiciary is able to function without discrimination or preference," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said, during a joint press conference with ErdoÄŸan.
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso also said that respect for the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary were basic principles of democracy and essential for Turkey's EU membership.
"Whatever the problems are, we believe that the solution for those problems should respect the principles of rule of law and separation of powers," Barroso said.
US officials have reiterated the same statement on a number of occasions, stressing that they do not want to interfere Turkey's internal politics. White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes, speaking at a press conference at the US Department of State's Foreign Press Center on Wednesday, said Turkey is facing important internal challenges and taking steps to resolve them, but that this has nothing to do with the US.
Rhodes said the US government rejects the conspiracy theories which suggest that the political unease in Turkey is somehow tied to actions of the US government. Stressing that Turkey is a strong democracy committed to the rule of law and democratic institutions, Rhodes said that Turkey can overcome the internal challenges and reassured observers that the US will continue to work with Turkey on foreign policy issues.
Answering a question on why US President Obama and ErdoÄŸan have not spoken on the phone for a long time, Rhodes said that Obama and ErdoÄŸan have maintained a very effective cooperation over the last five years and that when regional problems are considered, the effectiveness of the cooperation between the US and Turkey is evident.
Responding to claims that the alleged US involvement in Turkey's internal affairs has damaged the trust between the two countries, Rhodes said that Turkey is an important NATO ally and reiterated that the US administration rejects the notion that the US government or a US ambassador is involved in a political plot in Turkey. “The United States is not and will not become involved in Turkey's domestic politics. I think we'll leave it up to them to have those conversations,” US State Department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf said last week in a US State Department daily briefing.
When asked about the Dec. 17 events, Harf said: “Well, we've been following Turkish domestic developments in the wake of the corruption investigations. As we've said repeatedly and I will repeat again today, we are not going to comment on those investigations beyond reiterating our support for the strong desire of Turkey's citizens to see all investigations conducted in a fair, transparent, and democratic manner.”
When the corruption investigation caused a public scandal, Prime Minister ErdoÄŸan sought to discredit the probe, calling it a “foreign plot” and “an attempt to damage the government by a parallel state operating from within the [recognized] state.”
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
