The cause of Palestine seems to have turned into the holy grail of Middle-Eastern politics. More than a crusade for finding a solution to the decades-old conflict, wading through the waters of the Arab-Israeli feud has become a springboard towards fame, name and influence for the more ambitious countries of the Middle East. In the rulebook of the Middle-Eastern politics, taking up the cause of Palestine is a must for any country that has set eyes on greatness and aspires to become a leading Middle-Eastern power.
Look at Iran and Saudi Arabia; these two arch-rivals have been long-standing claimants to regional per-eminence, having locked horns on numerous occasions – after all, Arab-Parsi rivalry is nothing new; it stretches back to the beginning of the Islamic era if not further in history.
Turkey, under its pragmatic leadership and by the stewardship of its able foreign minister, Ahmet Dayutoglu, is the latest claimant to Middle-Eastern prominence. Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been advocates of the cause of Palestine.
Iran's credentials in this regard is well-known and well-established – so much so that upholding the cause of Palestine has become an integral and existential part of the Islamic revolutionary state in Iran. In that land and under that system, the cause of Palestine is as much a matter of regional geo-politics as it is a matter of Islamic and revolutionary principles and ethos.
Saudi Arabia, as the de facto godfather of the Arab world, has long been a claimant to regional supremacy evident in its persistent efforts to seek a multi-lateral solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. With Turkey entering into the fray, the game has become much more interesting.
The dramatic saga of the Gaza Aid Flotilla, the subsequent souring of Turkish relations with Israel and the manner in which Turkey, almost overnight, became a fierce advocate of the cause of Palestine raised many eyebrows; that, however, is the way regional geo-politics in the Middle East is run. Turkey's new assertiveness on the regional and international platform and its highly ambitious foreign policy are part of its efforts to raise its profile and to match its burgeoning economy and increasingly deep pockets.
Our country Afghanistan has held a firm place on the Turkish regional agenda. Turkey has sponsored a number of international conferences on Afghanistan and its attempts to help Afghanistan open paths of dialogue with Taliban are ongoing. Similarly, on the issues of Syria and Iran's nuclear program, Turkey's mediatory attempts have laid bare its ambitions and its claim to regional leadership.
Turkey's new birth is nothing but a historical "correction". It would be incorrect to say that Turkey is rising to a leadership role; it would be correct to say that Turkey is re-building its past glory and re-claiming the greatness of the Ottoman Empire. For Turks and the architects of its foreign policy, the country's rise is a reverting back to the grandeur of its yesteryears.
The same would go for China. It is apparent that, despite all the predictions of doom and gloom for China and its decaying politico-economic model, that country will indeed continue to emerge as a global power. That rise too is, essentially, China's return to its glorious past and rebuilding of its impressive heritage. China, too, had, for the greater part of its long history, been a major power – a fact reflected in Napoleon's characterization of China as a "sleeping dragon".
The Middle East, burning in turmoil and unstable societies and governments, more than ever, is in need of responsible countries that understand their historic responsibilities and act as forces of peace and stability rather than instability.
Turkey has been one such actor; it has pursued a constructive foreign policy, being mindful of the delicate situation in the Middle East and the Arab-Persian rivalries and the resultant power vacuum in the Middle East. It has been quick in stepping into this vacuum and exploiting Saudi Arabia's internal distractions and its increasingly grim domestic outlook as well as Iran's slouching position under the heavy burden of isolation and international sanctions. Turkey's rise and its gift to the region in the form of offering a unique model for growth and development are welcome happenings.
Democratic countries that pursue a constructive and liberal foreign policy based on the principles of good neighborly relations can be and are forces of good not only for their own people but also for the broader region of which they are a part.
One would hope that Afghanistan's neighbors could take a leaf or two out of the book of Turkish rise and its story of constructive and rightful regional activism. This is, in fact, a priority for Afghanistan and its diplomatic apparatus. Building a pro-active and smart foreign policy is a pressing need for Afghanistan of today. The architects of Afghanistan's foreign policy can and should look towards other similar countries such as Turkey and build the foundations for an effective and smart foreign policy machinery.
At this critical juncture, what is missing and its absence evidently felt is lack of any sort of initiative on the part of Afghanistan's immediate neighbors, Pakistan and Iran. Pakistan, for example, should have sponsored international meetings and conferences on Afghanistan. A grand conference on Afghanistan in Islamabad could have served as a trigger for greater regional consultation and dialogue involving Afghanistan and the regional countries.
This could have served as a blueprint for future meetings and conferences wherein the countries involved could shed the sense of phobia and despair that they currently harbor in relation to Afghanistan and their bi-lateral relations with our country. Such inaction is not warranted or explicable. Initiatives towards enhancing regional understanding should be taken first and foremost by countries in our region themselves rather than outside powers who are, unfortunately, still play the old game of divide and try to rule.
Turkey's rise is a welcome development as it blows a new life into the Middle-Eastern politics and helps to break away from the old, tried and failed paradigms of organizing the internal and external affairs of the regional countries. We hope this progressive activism reaches the shores of Afghanistan and its neighbors as well.