Fumbling at the Top in Turkey

Despite the 30 years he has spent in public life, Necmettin Erbakan has proven to be less than a polished politician since he became Turkey’s prime minister a little more than three months ago. The head of an Islamist party in a largely secular land, Erbakan has determinedly set out to improve Turkey’s relations with some of its most controversial Muslim neighbors. That effort has not been especially welcomed by his key partners in the coalition government or by some of Turkey’s NATO allies, particularly the United States. Erbakan’s first venture abroad took him to Iran, where he signed a big natural gas deal to which Washington has strongly objected. Now Erbakan has drawn further U.S. criticism, along with some outrage and ridicule at home, for his just completed trip to Libya, another country on Washington’s list of terrorism sponsors.

Erbakan sought to charm his host, the mercurial Moammar Kadafi, with the bizarre reflection that Libya itself has been the greatest victim of terrorism. Kadafi, in turn, humiliated his guest with a sweeping tirade against Turkey’s foreign policy and a demand for an independent state for Turkey’s Kurdish minority. That notion is anathema to ethnic Turks of all political persuasions, as well as to Syria, Iran and Iraq, all of which have large and sometimes restive Kurdish populations. The response in Turkey was swift and predictable. The press denounced Kadafi as “a barefoot Bedouin” and Erbakan for his failure to rebut the Libyan leader. A censure vote is likely in Parliament next week. Erbakan’s governing coalition has a margin of five votes, but defections that could topple his government are possible.

Turkey remains a pivotal NATO member and has played a major support role for U.S. policy in Iraq. Many Turks are eager to cement their ties with the West by gaining entry into the European Union. Erbakan’s attempts to draw closer to Iran and the most anti-Western of the Arab states are unlikely to advance that prospect. Erbakan was elected with only 21% of the vote. His tenure may be a short one, thanks to his own inept actions.