İBRAHİM KALIN i.kalin@todayszaman.comColumnists
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| OK. The “Turkish model” debate is over. No one in Turkey wants to be a model for anyone else. And certainly no Turk wants to be presented by Americans or Europeans as a model to Arabs or others. | ||||||
This is not because Turks are too humble but because they don't want to be part of a mission in which they themselves had a very small role. That's why even President Barack Obama's description of Turkish-US relations as a “model partnership” did not catch on with Turks.
Putting aside the model language, the “Turkish role” is making the rounds. Two recent events have shown once more Turkey's increasing role in international relations. The first was the signing of the Nabucco energy project agreement, and the second was Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's visit to the Balkans. In both cases, many portrayed Turkey as walking into hostile territory. With Nabucco, the Russians were expected to explode against Turkey; it did not happen. As much as others may present Nabucco as an anti-Russian project, it is not for Turkey. You may find this preposterous now, but I wouldn't be surprised if one day both Russia and Iran join Nabucco. This is what Turkey will be working on over the next few years.
The second was Foreign Minister Davutoğlu's visit to Serbia and Montenegro. During the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995, the Muslim Bosnians were massacred on account of their Muslim identity. What was interesting was that the Serbian fascists had presented this as their revenge for the Battle of Kosovo in the 14th century. In other words,.............
.........................;;http://www.todayzaman.com/tz-web/columnists-182543-the-turkish-role....
