By Soner Cagaptay, Special to CNN
Editor's note: Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a GPS contributor. You can find his other posts here. The views expressed are solely those of the author.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Turkey on Saturday is loaded with symbolism – and she will have a packed agenda.
But first, there’s the setting to consider. Even though Clinton is visiting Turkey for official business, she is scheduled to bypass Ankara, the country’s capital, and will instead hold meetings in Istanbul, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire and the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) preferred choice for international meetings
Anyone with any doubts over whether Turkey had been transformed under the AKP in the past decade should now be able to lay them to rest: Turkey has all but abandoned its secularist nation-state ethos, for which Ankara has served as a symbol, and embraced its pre-Kemalist Ottoman heritage, centered in Istanbul
Istanbul’s significance doesn’t stop there: the city hosts the Syrian National Council (SNC), one of the groups claiming to represent the Syrian opposition. When she meets members of this opposition in Istanbul, Secretary Clinton will no doubt make sure to pose in public with a broad array of Syrians, not just those of the SNC. So expect photo-ops with a diverse array of Syrians, including those in the non-violent opposition, women, Kurds, Christians, young internet activists, and, if things really work out, even Alawites, the group from which the Bashar al-Assad regime draws overwhelming support.
Clinton is also expected to tell the Turks that Washington is with them against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish group that has launched a number of ferocious attacks into Turkey from northern Iraq, where it is based, claiming more than a dozen casualties already this month.
The Turks are increasingly angry with the PKK, and blame Syria, and indirectly its patron Iran, for the group’s attacks. Damascus and Tehran do indeed have a strong incentive to encourage the PKK to target Ankara – the PKK has always been Turkey’s weak point and, as Iran and Syria are well-aware, playing the PKK card is the best way to make Turkey think twice about its policy of confronting the al-Assad regime.
Turkey has implied it would respond to Syrian support for the PKK with military action if necessary. Indeed, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has even reportedly stated: “Who knows that we will not do it? Our three military units are performing exercises on the [Turkish-Syrian] border.”
Without a doubt, these issues will be central to Clinton’s visit. So, presumably, will be discussions about whether to arm the Free Syrian Army. But Washington, for its part, also appears to have growing concerns over Turkey’s reaction to PKK violence, worrying it could potentially trigger a military conflict between Turkey, a NATO ally, and Damascus, thus pulling the United States into a military operation to help Ankara. This would be an unwelcome development for the White House, which would surely want to avoid becoming embroiled in another conflict so close to the presidential elections in November.
Ultimately, though, this visit is about symbolism, and discussing contingency planning with America’s only NATO ally bordering Syria is a highly visible way to convey U.S. determination to avoid events in Syria sucking the region into disaster. That may be the most meaningful take-away from Clinton’s trip to Istanbul.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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As anyone knows, Hilary Clinton is going to Turkey to give more of her "it's either my way or the highway" orders!
oooh, oooh, i know, i know this one...
it so this administration can destabilize turkey too. right?!!
Sadly enough bailouts, I'm afraid you're right about that! On the other hand, since Turkey has already proved itself to be such a loyal cronie state to the U.S., the C.I.A. may let it's Turkish cronies remain in power a while longer!
Why PKK & Massoud Barzani are having conflict of Interest in Syria?
Both PKK and Barzani are claiming to be liberator of Kurdish people. But they are coming from two different backgrounds.
Massoud Barzani wants to build Kingdom in Kurdistan similar to Saudi royal family of Saudi Arabia. That Kingdom can be called “Barzani Kurdistan” with the first King to be Massoud Barzani. He is almost there now.
PKK wants to build country for Kurds to be similar to China can be called “Democratic Republic of Kurdistan” with the first chairman Abdullah Ocalan.
Both Systems of Governments above are based on dictatorship. One is traditional royal family starting with first King Massoud Barzani. And the other is labor dictatorship similar to Chinese Governments.
The questions are what the Kurdish people want.
Kurdistan are divided among four major partner namely Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria plus large part of Kurdistan have been taken by Azerbaijan and Armenia too.
Kurdish people have been suffering from wrong politics by Kurdish leaders for over 2500 years.
Kurdish leaders are never listening to Kurdish people. Each leader wants to impose his agenda based on greedy, especially those who wants to build monarchy system of Governments.
This wide opening is giving countries like Turkey, Israel and others to use Massoud Barzani against PKK or allowing countries like Syria, Iraq and Iran to use PKK, Gorran and Talabani against Barzani.
The Kurdish civil wars in the last 2500 years killed hope within Kurds to be liberated from occupiers.
Syrian Kurds are by passing both ideologies above so far. They are using true democratic system and rule of laws to elect leaders to rule Kurds. This process will eliminate PKK and Barzani conflict of interest and can lead to Kurdish people liberation.
I believe the Kurdish people liberation will be possible when they are united under the flag of true democratic system and rule of laws.
Hamma Mirwaisi is a former member of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) and representative of the KNK in America and the author of the book, “Return of the Medes”. Born in Kurdistan, he is a US citizen and has lived in the US for more than 35 years. He currently works as a speaker and business consultant for the Middle East region where he hopes to someday assist in the establishment of an “Economic Union” in the area spanning from Pakistan to Turkey and from Kurdistan to the former Soviet Union. He can be reached at: hmirwaisi@gmail.com
Mr. Hama
This article is about the Syria and Kurdish liberated area. The Kurds in Syria needs every Kurds support. The chauvinistic Arabs and Turks are planning to destroy any gain by Kurds in Syria under pretext of fighting PKK. Your attack against PUK,KDP,PKK,PYD and Goran makes me think you either have a personal agenda or you live in your grandiosity word and detached from real word.
As you claim to be a writer, you should inform the readers of suffering of Kurds in Syria, The Syrian regime’s massacre of Kurds in 2004 Newroz uprising, and The ethnic cleansing of Kurds by Asad regime.
I hope, I see more pro Kurds and solidarity with our brothers in Syria in your future writings.
Kak Azad
I am aware of Kurdish people suffering in Syria. The key for Kurds in Syria to have peace and freedom are to be united. The World are not helping us Kurds to be united, only Kurds can help Kurds to be united. And united Kurds are possible through free election and rule of laws.
We Kurds are under occupation by three powerful nation. Trying to force Kurdish people accepting Barzani, Talabani, PKK, Gorran or Islamic political parties are meaning civil war between Kurds always.
Look at Kurds in South Kurdistan (part under Iraqi Arab occupation), today Massoud Barzani is allied with Turkey and PUK plus Gorran are ally of Iran, it means civil war between Kurds.
I hope Kurds from Syria will be united first and then we can ask others to help us
Iran, Syria's patron is also trying to solve the crisis in Syria. The shuttle diplomacy of Iran's foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi led him to Ankara to hold talks in the Turkish capital, requesting Ankara for help in releasing the 48 Iranian "pilgrims", abducted by the Syrian rebels near Damascus. Last Thursday an international meeting on Syria was held in Tehran. If Turkey could persuade Iran to cooperate, Tehran might let Assad fall, after all Iran doesn't want to be a loser in this conflict and in the region.
Just because the Turkish government hosts its meetings in Istanbul instead of Ankara, it has now abandoned the secular ethos of its predecessor ?
I am amazed such poor journalism can make its way on CNN.
Surprised about poor journalism on CNN? I'm shocked (this is said tongue in cheek)! CNN hasn't allowed good journalism on it's airways for a long time. Wolf Blitzer is nothing more than a carnival barker, Anderson Cooper a daily puff talk show host. Erin Burnett is an intellectual lightweight and Piers Morgan wouldn't know good journalism if it hit him in the head. The only "good" journalists on CNN are Candy Crowley and the axed John King. At least their shows have/had some intellectual substance. CNN now stands for "Crappy News Network" and is a far cry from the once proud news organization of the past.
Mr. Hama
This article is about the Syria and Kurdish liberated area. The Kurds in Syria needs every Kurds support. The chauvinistic Arabs and Turks are planning to destroy any gain by Kurds in Syria under pretext of fighting PKK. Your attack against PUK,KDP,PKK,PYD and Goran makes me think you either have a personal agenda or you live in your grandiosity world and detached from real world.
As you claim to be a writer, you should inform the readers of suffering of Kurds in Syria, The Syrian regime’s massacre of Kurds in 2004 Newroz uprising, and The ethnic cleansing of Kurds by Asad regime.
I hope, I see more pro Kurds and solidarity with our brothers in Syria in your future writings.
Kak Azad
I wish Kurdish people will have choice someday to elect leaders in true and free election. The Kurdish political parties are nothing but Mafia type parties. It is controlled by one person or group of people which are leading to civil war between Kurds always.
I am not looking after my interest like most of the Kurdish writer does. I write truth about the suffering of our people in the hand of self appointed leaders.
I believe PKK will win in true and free election in today Kurdistan, but they need to allow other Kurds to compete free of intimidation. Forcing people to accept dictatorship in Kurdistan are meaning civil war between Kurds. And civil wars between Kurds are meaning longer occupation of Kurdistan by Arab, Turks and Persian.
I hope you and other Kurds will work for true and free election in Kurdistan to avoid civil wars between Kurds.
If Bloomberg can buy his way to tird term, why can't weiner get a seccond chance in congress. He will win. he was an extremely hard worker. He closed donut hole with his weener. and did other imp stuff too.
I am a useless piece of camel dung. I post anti American, anti GB, anti semite, anti India, anti modern anything because I am a good moooooslem. I steal people's monikers because I am so ashamed of myself and post the most stupid comment. When people get angry with me, I claim insanity. I am the same guy.