Browsing by Subject "Turkish identity"

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Open Access
Mitigating anti-Americanism in Turkey through public diplomacy
(2007) Watson, Forrest
Record-high anti-Americanism in Turkey goes deeper than the ongoing Iraq War. The build-up to and aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Turkey’s neighbor ignited preexisting sensitivities in Turkey due to its past relations with America and its own identity issues and fears. Turkey views the U.S. through the lenses of 1) an exaggerated view of American agency coupled with mistrust and 2) a reactionary phobia about threats to undermine the Turkish Republic. Seen through theses lenses, anti-Americanism is driven by a perception that America is supporting 1) Kurdish self-determination, which will lead to the eventual dismemberment of Turkey and 2) political Islam as a part of its broader plan for Middle East politics, which threatens to erode Turkey’s secular state. Because anti-Americanism is mostly based on distorted perceptions caused by the lenses, public diplomacy is an effective tool that should be utilized by the U.S. to bring about understanding with the Turkish public. If the politically-rooted anti- Americanism in Turkey continues, it will solidify into a view of the U.S. as a threatening power, squandering Turks’ natural affection for Americans. U.S. public diplomacy for Turkey can be improved by Washington and the U.S. Embassy in Ankara by acting from an understanding of the uniqueness of Turkey and the reasons that drive its anti-Americanism. Reinvigorated public diplomacy offers hope for strengthening a relationship that is in the best interests of both Turkey and America.
Open Access
Turkish identity: national vs state identity in Turkey and implications for US-Turkey relations
(2007) Eide, Karalyn
There is an abundance of oversimplified labels about Turkey, and this thesis attempts, with a strong angle toward history and patterns, to look deeper into Turkish identity. It will be argued that Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, packaged for the Turks an identity to which they could subscribe. The various components of this initial identity will be distinguished. The nation and state of Turkey overlapped nearly perfectly in the republic’s early years, and the goal was for them to stay so, with Turkey being a pure nation-state in the true sense of the word, but a detachment has developed. This is Turkey’s identity crisis, more than any political or social polarizations in the country today. American ignorance of Turkey’s identity has encouraged Turkish anti-Americanism. The two countries are supposedly ‘faithful allies’ on the political level, but what is understood (or rather misunderstood) on the public level does much relational harm. Mutual ignorance of each must be overcome between these two countries. The Kurdish problem will be discussed as an example of mutual misunderstanding.