A Loneliness That Isn't Worth Much

On his way back from Kabul on Sunday night President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan uttered: “Currently, we can see that spokespersons of foreign ministries in the US or in Europe are mulling over certain things. There has been talk about forming a front against ISIL [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant] by giving the PYD [Democratic Union Party] arms… But the PYD, for us, is equal to the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party]; it is a terrorist organization. It would be very wrong for the US, a NATO ally, to openly talk of such support [to the PYD] and expect us to agree. It cannot expect such a thing from us and we cannot say ‘yes' to such a thing either.”
A few hours later, the BBC Turkish service reported: “The United States Central Command announced 'weapons, ammunition and medical assistance' were deployed to Kurdish fighters in Kobani by air. It has been announced that military ammunition and medical supplies provided by the Kurdish authorities in Iraq were delivered by air in an operation conducted to lend support to the Kurdish forces defending the Syrian city against the ISIL organization.”
There cannot be a more concise expression of the loneliness the so-called “New Turkey” has created on its own, a sort of concretization of the humiliation at the UN last week where Turkey received 60 out of 194 votes to be pushed out of the race for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council. The US has shaped a corridor from the air between Iraqi Kurdistan and Kobani and used it blatantly, without the approval or disapproval of Mr. Erdoğan, as the idea of a land corridor via Turkey was rejected by Turkey in the first place. The operation is part of the accords made with Democratic Union Party (PYD) leader Saleh Muslim during his visit to Dohuk in Iraq last week, and Turkey is not a party to this deal. The fact that ammunition is being sent by Iraqi Kurds is irrelevant. Some kind of reaction from the strong man of Turkey would have been expected by now.
Twenty-seven containers of supplies transported by air to Kobani constitute a good deal of assistance, but its political significance weighs heavier. First of all, Turkey's analysis of regional developments, its regional policies, its requests from the international community (particularly the US) and even its strategic alliances have been dismissed or at least debased to a large extent with this move. The US and other Western allies support the Kurds not because they are Kurds but because they are the most efficient and proficient military force in the fight against ISIL, and support for them now includes the provision of arms. This operation means that the priority has been placed on Kurds, not on the Syrian Arab opposition or the vague buffer zone asked for by Turkey.
With the operation, the US and the West have stepped up their support for Kurds, and this support will certainly increase in the future. Indeed, they would never allow the perception that “ISIL defeated the US in Kobani” to circulate.
This operation takes the cooperation -- even tactical -- between Syria's and Turkey's Kurds on the one hand and Iraqi Kurds on the other, to a new level. Turkey is nowhere to be seen at this table as it still considers two-thirds of Kurds to be terrorists.
Erdoğan's tough talk comes at a time when NATO allies are greatly disappointed with Turkey's performance regarding the fight against ISIL and terrorism in general. These countries nurture serious doubts about Turkey's tolerance towards ISIL members, including its ISIL-affiliated citizens. Indeed, a parliamentary question was introduced in the Dutch parliament concerning Turkey's transfer of weapons to ISIL, as was recently made public by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). Today, Turkey is treated as a different ally within NATO.
From a public diplomacy perspective, we should acknowledge the success of Iraqi, Syrian and Turkish Kurds and Turkish civil society in raising awareness in the international community in the face of the failure of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which possesses tremendous public resources, to convince its Western allies. The world learned about the situation in Kobani via Twitter and Facebook. The information provided patiently and persistently by Kurds has eventually turned into military support. Who won? Erdoğan, who said “Kobani is about to fall,” or those who opposed resistance by listening to their conscience?
The man who steers everything at home asks for the same abroad. It simply doesn't work. In the amusement park, the dwarfing mirror comes right after the magnifying mirror.

CENGİZ AKTAR (Cihan/Today's Zaman)