So Turkey has the OIC conference without al-Bashir

With the relief of al-Bashir not coming- I speculate that gov’t requested him not to come instead of rejecting his visit to save face- OIC summit takes place without much incidence? I guess so. But western media increasingly ask where Turkey heads. OIC summit triggered another wave of op-eds in this line. Turkey is not only making friends with Islamic countries but also other non-Islamic countries. Her foreign policy cannot easily be dubbed as being Islamized as many commentators argue…

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul checks his time as he waits for other leaders at the COMCEC Economic Summit in Istanbul, November 9, 2009. COMCEC is the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Al-Bashir is a test for credibility

Conducting foreign policy requires finesse, elegance and sophistication, but most of all, consistency. This is particularly true of a democracy. Falling into double standards, although not always willingly implemented, is one of the characteristics of the community of countries that claim to be sensitive to human rights and violations thereof.

Erdogan’s blind faith in Muslims | Seth Freedman | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Kamil Pasha quotes from BBC:
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan questioned the charges against Mr Bashir and said that ?no Muslim could perpetrate a genocide?, according to Turkey?s Anatolia news agency?
PM Erdoğan has such a naive cenception of Islam, I should say..

ANALYSIS: Cancelled Turkey visit by Sudan leader raises questions – Monsters and Critics

Turkey playing with the wolves photo: (!)

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C) poses for a group photo with his counterparts Abdullah Gul of Turkey (L) and Bashar al-Assad of Syria (R) during the COMCEC Economic Summit in Istanbul, November 9, 2009. COMCEC is the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).REUTERS/Osman Orsal

?Moral politics?

The term ?moral politics? has recently been used more frequently in politics, especially in international relations. Now, in the context of Sudanese President al-Bashir?s visit to Turkey, we see references to this concept.

Turkey Denies Policy Shift Toward Iran – World Watch – CBS News

Different aspects of al-Bashir controversy

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Darfur, had been scheduled to arrive in İstanbul on Monday for a meeting of Muslim countries, but Ankara conveyed a polite message to Khartoum stating that the Sudanese president?s visit might create problems in the wake of rising international reactions over al-Bashir?s possible visit.

Bashir and Turkey

Omar al-Bashir is a vicious dictator, one for whom the International Criminal Court (ICC) has even issued a warrant for arrest. The panorama of people killed under his watch include babies and women as well as the elderly.

An Islamic summit minus one

In the end, Ankara was forced to rely on a man charged with crimes against humanity to rescue its ?no problems with neighbors? policy. Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, let his Turkish hosts off the hook with a last-minute decision not to attend this week?s summit in İstanbul of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Different views of Turkey in the American press

Is Turkish foreign policy turning Islamist? Instead of attempting to answer this trendy question myself, I decided to share with you the views of two Western analysts by quoting them at length. Both views appeared in the American press last week. The first one is an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal by David Schenker. The second one is by Patrick Seale in The New York Times.

A Western ?expert? for a militarist Turkey

DONT LET HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF: Greek Cypriots and the Looming Turkish Strategy

Series of signs and reports lately denote the construction/ emergence of a new cooperative towards the Greek and Greek Cypriot side strategy of Ankara with related consequences for the Turkish/ Turkish Cypriot stance towards the ongoing negotiations on the Cyprus issue. Along this lines, the looming assessment of Turkey?s EU progress this December seems to play an important role.

An ?axis? debate in Washington

Turkey As An Emerging Donor, Interview with the TIKA President

– Interview with the President of the TIKA by the New Horizons magazine

– Turkey has come a long way in terms of development aid. These aids, achieved through rapidly increasing budgets, have greatly contributed to Turkey?s emerging role as a donor.

In this context, Bridging South-South Cooperation and Emerging Donor Roles: Strengthen Turkey?s Participation in International Development Cooperation project, in partnership with UNDP Turkey Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), aims to strengthen Turkey?s national capacity by increasing the capacity of TIKA, an institution that coordinates the development efforts in Turkey. We as New Horizons spoke with TIKA President Musa Kulaklıkaya about TIKA?s recent activities in terms of Turkey?s emerging donor status, capacity development and South-South Cooperation project.

New nuclear trends to require new thinking for Turkey – Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

FT.com / UK – Urgency and frustration grow in Ankara

Is the West losing Turkey? Probably not

Historic breakthrough Controversies: Will Azerbaijani lands be free soon? by LEILA ALIEVA

The Caucasus region is once more at the eve of events of historical significance — a century-old conflict between Armenia and Turkey may be coming to an end.

Turkey’s transformers (II): Ankara’s ambitions – Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

EU info centers to be replaced with new ones – Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

QUO VADIS, TURKEY?

By Dr. Balkan Devlen (Izmir University of Economics, Turkey)

The axis of Turkish-Israeli relations is shifting and this is not in the interest of Turkey, contrary to what some might argue. The latest ?crisis? with Israel, over the Turkey?s last-minute decision not to include Israel in the Anatolian Eagle exercise and the following provocative new TV series on state television, led many around the world to rethink Erdogan government?s attitude towards Israel. When the infamous ?one minute? comment was made by Erdogan in Davos, many in Turkey and Israel thought it was a gesture for domestic consumption. Erdogan?s defense of Iranian nuclear program in the UN and his comments about Israeli nuclear deterrent rai