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produced during this period. On the one hand, this cannot be sustained any more. On the other hand, USA would not voluntarily give up its efforts to regain the worldmaster's position, so long as it seems achievable, no matter how adventurous the roadmap may seem. The only force that is able to deter USA from doing so can be created by turning the Developing World, i.e. Eurasia, into a more organized and united front, which will also neutralize Europe, where the centrifugal forces are becoming more and more visible.
It is interesting to note that USA has not been successful in any open war it launched since the Second World War. But its successes accomplished via manipulation of ethnic and religious contradictions or by means of social engineering can hardly be denied. During its present tactical retreat, it is focusing more on these methods in an attempt to create new instruments that will enable itself to start new attacks. It is within that framework that one of the most crucial places the efforts of USA are concentrated upon is Turkey and Turkey's present ruling party AKP - the Justice and Development Party. Let us now shortly consider the recent developments in Turkey.
Turkey during the last decade
In the first term of AKP (2002 - 2007), the center of weight of the government's policies was located aroud Turkey becoming a member of the European Union. It is no exaggeration to say that there was not a single domestic or foreign issue (with the possible exception of those directly concerning US.A as the invasion of Iraq) that was not related to the potential membership of Turkey to the EU. It was very clear from the outset that the West had not even the least intention to accept Turkey to the EU. The plan was to keep Turkey bound to the door of the EU without letting it enter, in order to prevent Turkey from even seeking other alternatives in the East. One of the major common denominators of the political party leaders, generals and oficers, rectors, journalists, intellectuals imprisoned under the Ergenekon, Sledge-Hammer and similar operations is that they all have been regarding Eurasia as an alternative to the West on the
international plane, that in a rather broad spectrum though, ranging from just increasing the bargaining power of Turkey towards the West to considering Eurasia as the geography where the future civilization of mankind is being born.
In the second term of AKP (2007 - 2011), especially after Obama took ofice in the US, things started to change drastically. Membership to the EU was not even mentioned any more. The additional influence of the global economic crisis on this change cannot be denied, of course. The EU had also lost its charm due to the economic dificulties that especially its southern members were faced with. The substitute for the EU was now «regional leadership of Turkey», or «New Ottomanism». Turkey becoming a regional leader was subject to a particular constraint, which was not spelled out as loud as the leadership part though, namely «regional leadership by aligning Turkey's stance along the interests of big powers towards the region». The attitude of Turkey in the nuclear issue towards Iran, its developing relations with Syria, its opposition to Israel in the Palestinian issue, the growth of economic relations with Eurasian countries lead to the question of whether there was a shift in Turkey's axis towards the East on the international plane.
An ideal Islamic partner country for USA
Although the more recent developments obviously show that there has been clearly no such shift, it might yet be worthwhile to look into the same issue from the viewpoint of USA during the same period. The military failures of the US in Afghanistan, Iraq and in the attack of Israel against Hisboullah in 2006 had made the following clear to the US Administration: Military superiority is a must and a big advantage in becoming the master of the world, but it does not sufice. One needs to change the image of the US Administration towards the world as well. In fact, image making has always been accompanying US foreign policy. Just remember the US Foreign Ministers within the last ifteen years: Madeleine Allbright female, Colin Powell black, Condoleeza Rice both female and black, and now Barack Obama black, Hillary Clinton female. Image making
is useful, but not suficient either. What USA really lacks is the diplomatic, social and cultural channels that will enable it to directly iniltrate into an Islamic country to create a socio-political basis that can be made to internalize the US plans concerning that country. The way out is then to create a «model Islamic country» that will do all this that USA itself cannot do on behalf of the US. It is precisely this role that the AKP Administration in Turkey is playing.
«Moderate Islam» is an American invention. A moderately Islamic country is by deinition a country that looks socially and culturally as an Islamic country from outside, which, however, also has gone through a reinterpretation of Koran such that Islam is freed of all the elements that may form an obstacle to the integration of that country to the market system of the West. In the context of Turkey, moderate Islam is meant as a substitute for Kemalism. On the one hand, it is used not only to liquidate Kemalism from the state apparatus, but also to erase all the traces of the Kemalist Revolution from every sphere of social life. On the other hand, a «model country of moderate Islam» is a very useful tool for implementing the US plans concerning the Islamic World. However, if this model country looks like a faithful follower of all the US stances in its foreign policy, then it will have no credibility in the eyes of the other Islamic countries and thus cannot gain the position of a «regional leader». So these are the main guidelines of the scenario written for Tayyip Erdogan and Abdullah Giil - the former of whom is known to have proudly declared to be a Co-Chair of the Greater Middle East Project of the US in several different occasions, and the latter of whom again proudly confessed to have signed a confidential two-page nine-item agreement with Colin Powell, which speciies what falls upon Turkey in implementing the Greater Midle East Project.
USA needs shortcuts since time is tight
Time is tight for USA. Thus, the need for shortcuts arises in staging the scenario in question. In stage 1, the relations between Turkey and Syria were going so well that the audience expected that the two countries would even abolish the borders between them and
act as if they were one country. But now in stage 2, Erdogan seeks ways of launching a war against Beshar Esad. The United Nations cannot reach any decision against Syria. It is not possible for NATO to converge to some such decision either. Obama cannot convince, let alone the rest of the world, the American public opinion in launching a war against Syria. Thus, it falls upon Erdogan to do it.
In stage 1, the AKP Administration voted against sanctions against Iran in the United Nations. Now they accepted to station the radar system of NATO (better said of USA) of the so-called Missile Shield in Turkey in stage 2. As for Libya, in stage 1, Erdogan said that it is not possible to even think, let alone approving it, that NATO militarily intervenes into Libya. Only two weeks thereafter, in stage 2, he declared that NATO should enter Libya in order to establish that Libya belongs to Libyans.
In 2007, Beshar Esad proposed to the AKP Administration that the three countries - Turkey, Syria and Iran - carry out a joint military operation against PKK in Northern Iraq. This proposal was not accepted by Erdogan and Gil. If Erdogan really wished to contribute to the solution of the Palestinian Question, then a natural way to follow on his part would be to join and help to coordinate the forces that side with the Palestinians. But now the Erdogan Administration is hostile to all the countries and forces that have defended the Palestinian Cause since its inception. But then the natural conclusion this picture leads to is the following: Erdogan's efforts concerning the Palestinian Question are aimed at replacing the forces that have been defending the rights of Palestine on behalf of the US, rather than joining them.
Common threats can be countered by common struggles
Turkey is presently facing two crucial threats that reinforce each other. One is becoming an instrument in launching a war in the Middle East via a fait accompli - a war, which can hardly be kept local. The other is being fragmented for the sustainability of the puppet state in Northern Iraq.
The stabilization of the puppet state, which is something that the US cannot fogo, cannot be achieved by staying within its current borders in Northern Iraq. One way or another, it has to be expanded towards the North, and preferably towards the West and East as well, if possible.
Both of these threats can be coped up with cooperation and solidarity of the countries in the region. The territorial integrities and sovereignties of the four countries in our region - Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq - have never been interdependent in history to the extent they are now. Common threats can be countered by a common struggle. Paradoxically, it is unfortunately the AKP Government today who constitutes one of the main obstacles to the formation of a united front against these common threats.
Genuine cooperation and strengthening solidarity between the peoples of these countries is to play a very crucial role for the security of the region. This is, in fact, a must if one wishes to render the plans of imperialism concerning the Middle East unsuccessful. It will not only set an example of how a multipolar world can and should be constructed, but it will also make the way free to a genuinely multipolar world by limiting imperialism. It will lead to a turning point in the history of the region whose impact will spread out to the entire world.