The rescue of forty-nine consulate officials is a welcomed relief. Now Turkey can devote its efforts of contributing to the longawaited positive change in both Iraq and Syria
The rescue of the 46 Turkish citizens who were taken hostage in Mosul has created a festive air in Turkey. The result is paramount here, and what is more, it is a result that was achieved without a single drop of blood being spilled. The rescue of the 49 hostages, included babies and three Iraqi nationals from the hands of a group renowned worldwide for its savagery, is not a feat that can be achieved by any ordinary country. We are talking about a highly unpredictable group in an equally volatile region. This success is undoubtedly due to the "strategic isolation" policy as well as the principled and humane foreign policy executed by the AK Party. The fact that the hostages were rescued without a military operation is testament to this policy. While the policy has received much criticism, it is now clear that it was necessary.
Global powers, especially the U.S., are aware of this reality. Don't forget that the global powers stood idly by while Maliki turned Iraq into a living hell for Sunnis and Kurds, while Assad's dictatorship murdered over 200,000 people and even forgot its own "red lines." The global powers did not stop there. By carrying out perception operations such as Gezi, the Dec. 17 and Dec. 25 coup attempts and the truck operations, they aimed to shrink Turkey's sphere of influence by creating internal problems and attacking the dignity of the people of the region. The aim was to create distance between Turkey and both the Middle East and Islamic regions. Turkey serves as a source of inspiration and shares a common history in the desire to remove dictators. The global powers realized that with this strengthening relationship and the momentum of the Arab Spring that they would be left out in the cold. As a result, they won some time by turning a blind eye to el-Sissi's coup in Egypt, Assad's dictatorship in Syria and Maliki's in Iraq. Now consider how the situation has changed with the emergence of the engineered group ISIS. The global powers are once again active, and the first to go was Maliki. Assad will also go. If he does not go, there will be no end to ISIS and other similar organizations. After 100 years, this deep-rooted change is essential for the region. At this point, the global powers are largely to blame; if they continue as they have in the past in Afghanistan and Iraq, then the region will continue to be in chaos. It is at this point that, whether global or regional powers like it or not, they need Turkey. The spirit of Turkey's "reconciliation process" - created to deal with the Kurdish question - needs to be carried into the wider region. For as long as ethnic and religious segments of societies are kept out of politics in the Middle East, even if one carries out dozens of operations, the result will not change. Turkey must continue on its path, both in the U.N. and in the region and champion political solutions.
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