September 5th motion

Cüneyt Ülsever for TDN Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Today is truly a very important day.
In the last few years, Turkish foreign policy seems to have been dominated by the word “motion.”
We have been debating the March 1 motion, when Turkey rejected U.S. troop deployment in our country, for more than three years. We still haven't done a factual profit and loss assessment of that decision. We still can't agree on whether it was good or not.
No matter what the decision is today on the Sept. 5 motion, we will be discussing its repercussions for some time. I am sure that we will fail to reach any concrete agreement on this one, either.
The fact is that the issue we are debating is not something whose results can be foreseen and is not based on objective criteria.
Our Parliament today will take a subjective decision whose consequences and profit and loss analysis cannot be reached with objective criteria.
There are two main opinions on the “sending troops to Lebanon” issue.
1-- There are those who argue “this matter has nothing to do with us.” They don't want us to get involved.
2-- Those who want Turkey to have a say in the new Middle East being shaped want Turkey to contribute troops.
In terms of realpolitik, these two opinions contradict each other.
Some of those who concentrate on the humanitarian side of the issue oppose Turkey sending troops because they fear they will come in harm's way. There are also those who concentrate on the same thing and come to the conclusion that something must be done to stop the ongoing bloodshed in Lebanon.
Ignorant people on both sides accused one another of “treason” in order to gain support.
I am an individual who tries to look at issues from a realpolitik perspective.
There is a humanitarian side to almost all international issues, but I personally believe they unfortunately play little or no part in the decision-making process.
That's why I personally believe:
1-- Those who think “this matter has nothing to do with us” should realize that whether we like it or not, Turkey will be pulled into this matter and in fact is being pulled right now. Those who did not want to send troops to Iraq for the same reason must have realized the fact that Turkey did not escape from the “Iraq matter” and has suffered significant financial losses due to it.
2-- I personally believe Turkey should play the region's “imperial state.” Not only my opinion but also history, geography, culture and human capital are forcing Turkey to become an influential country in the Middle East.
I believe Turkey needs to take an active part in the war of “re-division” that it cannot stop or prevent. I believe Turkey's strength prevents it from having the luxury of becoming a bystander in the 21st century. I fear even if it wants to remain on the sidelines, Turkey's strength will result in other countries with imperialistic ambitions in the region (e.g., Iran) not allowing it any rest.
I reserve my right to like or not like the decision Parliament will take, but no matter what it is, we should not take a stance that is insulting to the other side. The biggest mistake we could commit would be to attack each other on an international issue.
I hope the decision our Parliament makes today will benefit us all.