There goes the neighborhood...

Tons of news on the Turkish international relations and diplomatic front in the past few weeks.

Turkey and Israel have been in talks all summer to try to heal the breach caused by the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara last year, which resulted in the deaths of 9 Turkish activists.  The Mavi Marmara was supposed to join another run on the Gaza blockade this summer, but technical problems with the ship prevented its sailing.  Turkey has continued to ask for an apology and compensation for the families of those killed, and Israel has continued to refuse.

The continued boycott the Turkish parliament by the member of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy party has not made much progress since the election in July.  The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has accused the Peace and Democracy party of being a wing of the Kurdish separatist movement, the P.K.K.  The members of parliament elected from the Peace and Democracy party, some of them jailed because of their alleged P.K.K. ties, have continuously denied involvement with the P.K.K.'s violent campaign for an independent Kurdistan.  The P.K.K. is only made the situation worse for the Peace and Democracy party.  In retaliation for the AKP's continued refusal to meet the demands of the boycotting Peace and Democracy politicians, the P.K.K. has stepped up its terrorist activity and has bombed both civilian and military targets.  In retaliation, Turkey, in partnership with Iran, has bombed suspected insurgent positions inside Iraqi Kurdistan.  The Turkish government says the strikes will continue for the immediate future.  As with any operation of this kind, there have been reports of civilian casualties.  The P.K.K.'s latest round of attacks are not only counter-productive but also possibly lethal to the reputations of the politicians associated with the Peace and Democracy Party.  Their efforts up till now may have seemed to be ineffectual against the powerful AKP, but their peaceful protest gave them the moral upper hand.  Now, no matter how innocent the Peace and Democracy Party and its members are of involvement with the Kurdish separatist movement, they will most likely will never be able to live down the violent "support" the P.K.K. is supplying.

For the last few years, Turkey has been pursuing a policy of "zero problems toward neighbors". It was an attempt to not only have good relations with the diverse range of countries in Southern Europe, the Caucuses and the Middle East, but to take advantage of its unique geography and history to become a leader and role model for this long troubled region.  Last year, the Mavi Marmar incident dealt a serious blow to the long-term sustainability of this policy.  This year, revolutionary movements of the Arab Spring have made "zero problems" completely untenable.  In the last six months, Turkey has been scrambling to revise and in some cases completely reverse its diplomatic position in light of recent developments.  No where has this been as evident as in Syria, with whose government Turkey until recently enjoyed friendly relations.  Turkey is now leading the international condemnation of President Assad's attacks against his own people, but stopping just short of demanding he step down.  The change in foreign policy was outlined by President Erdogan in his post-election victory speech.  Turkey still sees itself as a regional leader, but a leader of the peoples, not just the governments that rule them.  Erdogan puts Turkey forward as an example of open and democratic government for the Arab countries in political transition to look up to.  I just hope that Erdogan remains as committed to cultivating democracy in his own country as he seems to be about cultivating it in the Arab world.  Turkey may look like a bastion of freedom in the chaotic and ruthless world of Middle East politics, but as we have seen it has plenty of room for improvement.