Turkey's “obsession” with removing the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria -- as an unnamed US official has described -- rather than making the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) a priority, has nothing to do with Turkey's national interests but is about sectarian solidarity with Sunni groups and reviving the hope of taking up a leadership role in the region, according to analysts.
US President Barack Obama's administration is working on forming a strong coalition against the threat of ISIL in the region. Addressing top military leaders from more than 20 countries on Tuesday, Obama said about 60 countries have committed to join the campaign against the terrorist ISIL organization. The US administration has been pressing hard to obtain expanded access to İncirlik Air Base in Adana province, which is in close proximity to ISIL targets inside both Syria and Iraq. So far, Turkey has accepted the role of training the moderate Syrian opposition inside Turkey, but negotiations over basing rights for military operations against ISIL are still ongoing, with a military team from the US in Ankara.
US officials have made it clear that their immediate priority is defeating ISIL. In the last few months, the extremist group has advanced swiftly in Iraq and Syria and it has beheaded two American journalists and other Westerners, which has prompted a stronger reaction from the West. In the meantime, Kurdish forces in the town of Kobani are in a fierce fight against ISIL, and the US-led coalition is providing support with military air strikes in the region.
Turkey insists on making the removal of the Assad regime in Syria a priority, saying the regime is first and foremost responsible for creating an atmosphere that is fertile for radical groups such as ISIL to emerge.
A diplomat from a European Union member country in Ankara who wished to remain anonymous told Sunday's Zaman that for many Westerners it's difficult to understand what Turkey is trying to achieve in the Middle East. “The foreign policy of Turkey in the region is un-understandable for many in the EU, [especially] when you look at Turkey's relations with Hamas or opening its arms wide to the members of an organization such as the Muslim Brotherhood or insisting [on] the removal of the Assad regime. It makes it difficult for us to perceive one of our closest allies,” said the diplomat.
According to the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Adana deputy Faruk Loğoğlu, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu are both incensed with Assad because back in 2011, Assad rejected their demands to redesign Syrian domestic politics and incorporate the Muslim Brotherhood into his government. Speaking to Sunday's Zaman, Loğoğlu said that after that point, “brother Assad” all of a sudden became “arch-enemy” Assad.
“This dramatic shift in the AKP's [Justice and Development Party (AK Party)] Syrian policy and the fixation with Assad thus has no rational basis. It has nothing to do with Turkey's national interests, nor is it a reflection of concern for the welfare of Syrian citizens,” said Loğoğlu.
According to Loğoğlu, the AK Party's “blind obsession” with Assad stems partly from Assad's rejection of AK Party's stance of acting like a “big brother” and has a lot to do with the fact that he belongs to the ruling Alawite minority. “The AKP's Syrian policy is a victim of its sectarian Sunni approach, which continues to dominate its domestic and foreign policies. Erdoğan and Davutoğlu are thus largely responsible for the initiation, continuation and intensification of the civil war in Syria. They helped turn that country into a hotbed of radical terrorist organizations, including ISIL, by supporting them simply because they were fighting against Assad,” said Loğoğlu.
He stressed that this policy has endangered Turkey's security and hurt its economy while generating huge socioeconomic problems, with close to 2 million refugees who have fled across the border because of the Syrian civil war. “It also threatens the territorial integrity of Syria and may engulf the entire region into a protracted sectarian war. The best move for the AKP is to work for peace and stability in the region rather than acting like a party in inter- and intra-Arab conflicts," said Loğoğlu.
An expert who closely follows the relationship between the US and Turkey told Sunday's Zaman that since the start of the crisis in Syria in 2011, Turkey's position has not changed. Since then, Turkey has consistently been trying to remove Assad from power. When then-Prime Minister Erdoğan visited Washington to meet with US President Barack Obama in May 2013, Erdoğan's insistence of support from the US to topple Assad caused serious fallout. The Obama administration clearly does not want to be dragged into a war with the Assad regime, which finds support from Russia and Iran.
The expert, who wished to remain anonymous, has questioned the reasons behind Turkey's insistence on removing Assad as well. “It's obvious that the backbone of Turkey's Middle East policies depends on the removal of Assad regime. Turkey seems to be ready to pay the price of having tense relations with the US and damaging the settlement process with Kurds. The removal of Assad is a precondition for joining the campaign against ISIL, as well. The question is: Why?” he asked.
Answering his own question, he said: “If Assad wins and remains in power, it will be a big blow to Turkish foreign policy. At this point, Ankara does not want to admit the failure of its policies. Assad remaining in power and his tacit collaboration with the West means the collapse of the most important element in Turkey's Middle East policies. But it is clear now that costs are going to increase. Refugees are increasing [in number] and there are problems with Kurds. There is a tension with the US and it seems that it will increase in the near future.”
Another reason behind Erdoğan's insistence on removing Assad, according to the expert, is Erdoğan's personality. He doesn't want to take a step back and admit mistakes.
Erdoğan has further implied “sectarian solidarity,” maintained the source speaking to Sunday's Zaman. “He is playing the savior of Sunni brothers who are fleeing from a Shiite regime. In his address to the refugees in Gaziantep recently, Erdoğan used the term "ansar," the expert noted.
“Ansar” is an Islamic term that refers to “helpers” and denotes the Medinans that helped Prophet Muhammad on his arrival to Medina and waged war for the cause of Islam. Speaking to Syrian refugees, Erdoğan said “We are your ansar,” which refers to solidarity based on religion, according to the expert. He also claimed that Erdoğan's “hospitality” applies to ISIL militants who share the same religious sect as Sunni Turks.
The expert said the US has decided to eliminate ISIL and noted that Turkey apparently does not view ISIL as the focus in the campaign, as Erdoğan is trying to “revive a collapsed foreign policy objective” -- removing Assad from power.
“What Turkey is trying to achieve is joining the campaign with a no-fly zone and a safe zone, and [it is trying to] be a leading country setting the agenda. It is a ‘double down' in gambling,” said the expert, using a gambling term that explains a situation where it is possible to double the gain or significantly increase the risk of serious loss. “Turkey has neither given up its priority of removing Assad from power nor does it see ISIL as a priority,” said the expert.
http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_turkeys-obsession-with-removing-assad-hurts-turkish-interests_362010.html
