When Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power in Turkey two decades ago, he tried to reorient Turkish foreign policy. The emphasis is on Europe and the West, despite his initial interest in joining the European Union. Instead, Erdogan adopted a policy of “zero problems with neighbors”, although this was difficult to implement when he realized that Turkey’s neighbors would resist Erdogan’s belief that this meant they had to submit to his whims, writes Ruben Mike. in an article in the American Enterprise Institute.
“Former Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu led a neo-Ottoman effort to revitalize Turkey’s ties with its former colonial territories. The problem here, however, was that Turks remember the Ottoman Empire more fondly than the former their citizens “, he writes.
The failure of neo-Ottomanism did not diminish Erdogan’s desire to play on the world stage and so he turned to Africa. Turkish investment in Africa has grown exponentially. Turkish Airlines became dominant in Africa. Turkey built a military base in Somalia and planned another in Sudan before the Sudanese revolution canceled those plans.
Erdogan described Turkey as an anti-colonial crusader defending the Africans. “Turkey, unlike other colonial powers, has a history in Africa without dark chapters,” he wrote. Historically, this was nonsense: just ask the victims of the Ottoman slave trade.
According to Rubin, “instead of building cohabitation, Erdogan’s approach was a curse for Africans. While on paper Turkey has invested billions of dollars in partner countries, in reality Erdogan is not investing in countries but in leaders. In Somalia, for example, Erdogan backed Mohamed Farmaho and his former intelligence chief, Fahad Yassin, in a bid to delay and delay his election campaign. Turkey even brought Yassin back to Mogadishu after the prime minister fired him for his role in the assassination of an official who knew too much about their illegal plans. can Pharmaaho achieve by force what he could not win at the ballot box “.
The same thing happened in Ethiopia. As Prime Minister Abi Ahmed pushed Ethiopia to the brink of collapse and sought to carry out genocide against the country’s Tigris population, Erdogan was quick to target Tigray locals and aid workers. Abby rewards Erdogan for his blind support with multibillion-dollar contracts. Both Abby and Erdogan can get rich, but the relationship was a disaster for ordinary Ethiopians who are increasingly suffering because of Abby’s incompetence.
What Turkey has done in Somalia and Ethiopia – shattering the promise of democracy for the benefit of its leaders – is now being pursued by Liberia. In any case, Liberian President George W. Bush is a disappointment. He failed in his legal commitment to set up a tribunal capable of prosecuting civil war-era financial crimes, fearing he and his top allies could be among the first in the case. Corruption is rampant. In any free and fair election, Weah would lose to people like former Coca-Cola executive Alexander Cummings or other rivals, Rubin said.
As the pressure on Weah began to mount, Erdogan began flirting with the Liberian. It was an easy match. Weah was a former football star, while Erdogan once aspired to become one. As pressure on Weah to tackle corruption has grown, Erdogan has offered Weaa more diplomatic support to hold him accountable and possibly extend his term. Such an agreement will not cost Wea anything, but the Liberians will pay the price for the agreements Turkey is seeking.
There is nothing wrong with trading. On the contrary, trade is the backbone of growth. When trade comes to the detriment of transparency or democracy, however, disaster follows. Just ask the Somalis and the Ethiopians, tens of thousands of whom are now dead directly because of the agreements their dictators made with Erdogan.
“Liberians must be careful. Liberian democracy is fragile. Wea’s legitimacy must be based on the ballot box, not on Erdoγan’s support. “and stop making excuses that prevent the establishment of a tribunal for the trial of financial crimes,” Rubin wrote.
Petros Kranias
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Source: Capital
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