Study: Turks cooling towards West

02/10/2007

Disenchantment with both the EU and the United States has been rising in Turkey. But the trend is reversible if the right steps are taken, says an expert at the German Marshall Fund.

By Ayhan Simsek for Southeast European Times -- 02/10/07

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has said PKK terrorists in Iraq and a resolution pending in the US Congress about Armenian genocide claims are the main issues hampering strategic relations between Turkey and the United States. [Getty Images]

Turks have cooled significantly towards the United States and the Europe, and there is a rising sense of alienation from the West, according to a recently published survey by the German Marshall Fund (GMF), a US-based public policy institution.

The study -- Transatlantic Trends 2007 -- revealed a continuing decline in Turkish support for EU membership and growing criticism of both US and EU global leadership. Warmth towards the United States dropped from 20 degrees in 2006 to 11 in 2007 on a 100 point "thermometer scale".

Young Turks aged 18-24 continued to show slightly warmer feelings than the national average towards both the United States (15 degrees) and the EU (28 degrees).

"The last couple of years were particularly difficult for Turkey due to major problems in foreign policy, with the instability in neighbouring Iraq, rising attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the partial suspension of accession talks with the EU," said a senior Turkey expert at the Fund, Ian Lesser. "I still believe that this is a reversible trend. With relevant steps by Washington and Brussels, that is possible," he added.

One of the most important steps is to take Turkey as a serious counterpart, he said, citing the importance of the country's EU perspective.

"Turkish people give very much importance to their concerns being seriously addressed by the Americans and Europeans. Washington and Brussels should more strongly underline Turkey's importance as an international actor," Lesser said.

Although 40% of respondents still view EU membership as positive, support has been declining steadily. The figure is 14% lower than last year and 33% than in 2004. Turkey's talks with the EU, meanwhile, have been hampered by disagreements over Cyprus and other issues, and some members of the bloc -- particularly French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- have voiced open opposition to Turkish membership.

According to the GMF survey, Turkish support for NATO has also continued to decline. Only 35% of those surveyed agreed that NATO is essential for their country's security, compared to 44% last year and 53% in 2004. Analysts said this is part of a mainstream trend among NATO member countries, reflecting a confusion and lack of awareness in public opinion on the new role of the alliance against new security challenges.

Ties with the United States have been complicated by Turkish frustration over PKK terrorists operating out of Iraq. A majority of Turks believe their concerns are not being adequately addressed. Many also accuse European countries of giving support to the PKK.

The survey also found a rise in negative attitudes towards non-Western political actors in the region. Positive sentiment towards neighbouring Iran dropped to 30 degrees on the thermometer from 43 last year. Turkish respondents also harbor "cool" feelings towards Russia (21 degrees) and China (28 degrees) on the 100 point-scale.