Press Releases

AHI Highlights Series of Commentaries Critical of Turkey

WASHINGTON, DC —The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) wants to highlight a series of commentaries that have appeared in 2010 that have scrutinized and provided critical analysis of Turkey’s foreign policy orientation.

“We believe it is important to share these commentaries with the community because they accurately pinpoint how Turkey’s foreign policy direction is flawed and is not in the best interests of the United States ,” said Executive Director Nick Larigakis.  “We welcome these points of view, and we encourage the community to share them with colleagues, friends, and family.”

Ellis: Turkey’s Own Fault for Lack of EU Progress

In “Turkey has only itself to blame if it is shunned by the EU,” Robert Ellis rebuts Martin Kettle’s claim that Turkey’s EU accession bid is being “held hostage” by the Republic of Cyprus, Instead, as the article’s title suggests, Ellis states that it is Turkey’s own fault that its prospects for EU membership appear grim due to its violations of international law in Cyprus.  For example, Ellis writes, “In 1965 Turkey ratified the Hague convention of 1954 for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict, but nevertheless after its intervention and subsequent occupation of Cyprus in 1974 it has been responsible for the devastation, vandalism and looting of the island's cultural heritage on a scale unworthy of any civilised nation, let alone a prospective member of the EU.”

Ellis’ article was published in The Guardian on November 4, 2010.  Please click here to read it.

Rubin: Turkey, from Ally to Enemy

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Resident Scholar Michael Rubin offers that Turkey is undergoing a long-term Islamic Revolution.  He identifies how Turkey is now more aligned to Iran than to European democracies, has reoriented its foreign trade toward the Muslim world, and revamped its educational system as examples of how it is undergoing this process. “Whereas Iran's Islamic revolution shocked the world with its suddenness in 1979, Turkey's Islamic revolution has been so slow and deliberate as to pass almost unnoticed. Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic of Turkey is a reality—and a danger,” he writes.  Rubin adds, “…if Iran's Islamic revolution was spontaneous, Turkey's was anything but: it was bought and paid for by wealthy Islamists.”   Furthermore, Rubin concludes, “A decade ago, Turks saw themselves in a camp with the United States, Western Europe, and Israel; today Turkish self-identity places the country firmly in a camp led by Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Hamas….Turkey today is an Islamic republic in all but name. Washington, its European allies, and Jerusalem must now come to terms with Turkey as a potential enemy.”

Rubin’s commentary from July/August 2010 can be found here.

Pipes’ July Commentary in The Washington Times

In addition, AHI highlights Daniel Pipes’ commentary titled “Turkey in Cyprus vs. Israel in Gaza” that appeared in the July 19, 2010 edition of The Washington Times. In his commentary, Pipes asks the question, “Is Israel in Gaza really worse than Turkey in Cyprus?” and he proceeds to outline several contrasts leading to the conclusion of “A comparison finds this hardly to be so.” Among many contrasts between Turkey in Cyprus and Israel in Gaza, Pipes cites Turkey’s use of napalm and “spread terror” during its invasion of Cyprus, references a “forced ethnic cleansing” as a result of Turkey’s subsequent occupation of Cyprus, and references Turkey’s illegal settlement of occupied Cyprus with Turkish citizens.

Pipes is the director of the Middle East Forum and visiting fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. To view his commentary, click here

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For additional information, please contact Nick Larigakis at (202) 785-8430 or at pr@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our website at https://www.ahiworld.org.