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Today, The Jerusalem Post reported:
Kerry said he understood Turkey's strong reaction to the incident, but said Israel "had acknowledged that some mistakes had been made."
He said he was confident tensions can be "put in a proper perspective" if the people of Israel and Turkey try and understand each other.
IMO, Senator Kerry could no be farther off the mark. The differences that have erupted between Turkey and Israel have little to do with misunderstandings or personalities. Rather, they represent the reality that Turkey is undergoing a strategic refocusing of its relationships based on how the present Turkish government conceives Turkey’s interests. Hence, if Turkey seeks to build ties with Iran, as it is doing, it can expedite that effort by demonstrating to Iran that it is weakening its ties to Israel. Given the evolving changes in the balance of power in the region, the present Turkish government’s policy is aimed at repositioning Turkey so as to safeguard its critical interests in a future where Iran is possibly the region’s strongest power.
Such flawed assumptions are not rare. In fact, during the Cold War, some policy makers persistently argued that the Cold War was largely the result of misunderstandings. It wasn’t. It resulted from a fundamental clash of interests. Turkey’s strategic repositioning is also the result of how Turkey conceives its interests. It is not the result of Israel’s policies (even as the pretext is used) nor Turkey’s not having attained full EU membership. Nation’s don’t base their policies upon petty feelings. Otherwise, the world would be far more unstable than it is today, alliances would be practically non-existent due to continually shifting ties, and diplomacy would be rendered largely impotent.
Kerry said he understood Turkey's strong reaction to the incident, but said Israel "had acknowledged that some mistakes had been made."
He said he was confident tensions can be "put in a proper perspective" if the people of Israel and Turkey try and understand each other.
IMO, Senator Kerry could no be farther off the mark. The differences that have erupted between Turkey and Israel have little to do with misunderstandings or personalities. Rather, they represent the reality that Turkey is undergoing a strategic refocusing of its relationships based on how the present Turkish government conceives Turkey’s interests. Hence, if Turkey seeks to build ties with Iran, as it is doing, it can expedite that effort by demonstrating to Iran that it is weakening its ties to Israel. Given the evolving changes in the balance of power in the region, the present Turkish government’s policy is aimed at repositioning Turkey so as to safeguard its critical interests in a future where Iran is possibly the region’s strongest power.
Such flawed assumptions are not rare. In fact, during the Cold War, some policy makers persistently argued that the Cold War was largely the result of misunderstandings. It wasn’t. It resulted from a fundamental clash of interests. Turkey’s strategic repositioning is also the result of how Turkey conceives its interests. It is not the result of Israel’s policies (even as the pretext is used) nor Turkey’s not having attained full EU membership. Nation’s don’t base their policies upon petty feelings. Otherwise, the world would be far more unstable than it is today, alliances would be practically non-existent due to continually shifting ties, and diplomacy would be rendered largely impotent.