Dr Reem Abou-El-Fadl on the current state of Turkish-Arab relations
Reem Abou-El-Fadl has recently contributed an article and an interview on the Arab uprisings and their implications for Turkish regional power: first in Arabic newspaper Al-Shorouk (21 September) and then in Turkish newspaper Hrriyet (3 October).
In her interview with Hrriyet, Reem was asked about Turkeys growing soft power in the Arab world, the reception of the Turkish role since the Arab uprisings, and the progress of the Egyptian revolution. She pointed out that Turkeys credibility as a regional player stems from its strong economic and strategic position, and its critical stances of Israels policies, rather than from its cultural production or tourism.
She cautioned, however, against overestimating the importance of the political example of Turkey in recent months, since Arab actors are concerned with their own political players now more than ever, and indeed often infuse the term Turkish model with different meanings according to messages they are sending to leaders at home.
Moreover, she said, we ought to replace the term model with experience, since the notion of importing models is far removed from public debate in the Arab world, which rather includes Turkey along with several other countries whose political structures and cultures might offer ideas in the transitional period.
On Egypt, Reem explained the contradictions between the role of the ruling military council and the demands and progress of the January Revolution, while discussing the flourishing of Egyptian associational life as the elections draw near, and the popular insistence that ancien rgime members be held accountable before the law.
The full article can be seen here.
Reems piece in Al-Shorouk was written against the backdrop of the September 2011 visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdo?an to Cairo. It draws attention to the limits of the comparisons being drawn in contemporary debates between Turkey and Egypt as regards Israel, discussing the two states very different trajectories in bilateral relations with the Israeli state.
The article juxtaposes the relatively recent shift in Turkish foreign policy away from its alliance with Israel, with Egypts history of support for Palestinian rights. It then argues that signs of a popularly mandated shift in contemporary Egyptian foreign policy towards a stronger stance on Palestine have been noticeable since the January Revolution, even if these may not yet be making as resounding an impact as those of the current Turkish government.
The article explores the opportunities for Turkish-Egyptian cooperation in this regard, but places the onus on Arab actors to effect change in the final instance.
The full article can be seen here, republished on the Jadaliyya website.
(Photograph of protesters in Cairo showing solidarity for Turkey courtesy of Flickr user Wild_atHeart.)
