The last resort

The issue is what Obama will do from now on. As he took over the country from scratch, or as we say as he is burdened with the debris of the United States every step he will take will be considered as an achievement.

But the whole world and he has many problems to solve. About $2.5 trillion were pumped to the world economy after the financial crisis. But as the overall loss is $6 trillion to reshape the world economy obviously another huge amount of money is needed.

As the U.S is unable to collect such a colossal amount of money a body like a World Central Bank will have to be set up. But it is impossible to launch such an office of last resort in a very short time.

In the foreign policy arena the timing of the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and transfer of them to Afghanistan is important. Also there is the Iran issue. On the other hand unable to compete with the Atlantic and the Pacific Poles the European Union will have a very hard time in adapting itself to the newly emerging economic order. It is a reality that the next two years will give an economic and political breathing space to the EU. But it is not clear that the promises given by Barack Obama on a reshaping of the world economy and bring international peace will be realized.

Experts who follow the developments in the United States and the EU are well aware that policies across the Atlantic cannot be changed quickly. It is known that the United States will never detract from her policy to support the EU. Now the question is what will be the policy toward Turkey who has applied for a full accession to the EU. Does the United States sincerely want a proximity between Turkey and the EU or does she support the idea of a privileged partnership as is the idea of President Sarkozy of France and Chancellor Merkel of Germany?

Turkey’s prime minister during his recent visit to Brussels insistently underlined the idea of strategic partnership between Turkey and the EU. It is very normal that Turkey should be the EU’s strategic partner as more than half of her foreign trade, almost all her financial relations are with EU countries and 5 million of her citizens live in Europe. But the EU doesn’t see this relationship from Turkey’s eyes as it has its own reasons. The EU should reassess her strategy and evaluate especially her economic relationship with Turkey. Speaking concisely if Turkey cannot negotiate her economic and political issues with her biggest trade partner it means there are some difficulties there.

One of the most important problems of this century is energy security. As Turkey is a bridge between the East and the West, is also a bridge between energy sources and energy consumers. Although Turkey has many difficulties in this region, its democracy survived for more than half a century. Meanwhile, Turkey also has become diplomatically and economically active in her region. She can do many important things for structuring the new world economic order which is emerging following the global financial crisis. Actually Turkey can well start to become an active player contrary to the role she was burdened before of being an actor who played roles cast for her. But to do this Turkey has to clean her problems and launder all the dirt in her own house. If Turkey can achieve and strongly establish a state of law and order then the EU’s and the United States’s approach may change.

Most probably Barack Obama will remain as the president of the United States for the next eight years. We don’t yet know how frequently Turkey has contacts with the present U.S. administration. But we are well aware what Vice President Joe Biden thinks about the upcoming Armenian resolution in the congress and the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Even if the U.S. administration’s approach to these two issues become s clear nobody knows Turkey’s strategy concerning about those issues.

Let’s see what the coming days will bring. It is essential for Turkey to develop her relations with the EU and the United States in every field. Turkey has to produce new strategies concerning the United States and the EU and be open to new changes.