By EMRE USLU
Questions about Turkey’s stance towards ISIL elicited similar responses from Davutoğlu. In response to a query about why Turkey was not sealing off its southern borders, Davutoğlu first explained at length just how difficult that would be and then went on to say something quite striking: “You ask why we don’t seal off our borders to prevent foreign fighters from joining ISIL in Syria, but why do you not make the same requests of Lebanon or Iraq? Hezbollah forces head from Lebanon over to Syria, as do Shiite militants, all in an effort to support Assad. In fact, one country [Iran] even has official military units fighting alongside Assad. Why do you not say the same things to these countries?”
I’m certain this will be quite an eye-opening answer for many Western observers, who are likely to read these words as follows: Turkey has staked out sides in the Sunni-Shiite clashes in the region. In essence, Turkey is allowing al-Qaeda style militants to slip over its borders into Syria in order to fight against the Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiite forces fighting alongside Assad in Syria.
And in fact, Davutoğlu’s statements were eye-opening for me too. If the reality is that Hezbollah and Shiite militants — not to mention official units of the Iranian military — are fighting in Syria alongside Assad, is it really Turkey’s solution to then allow Sunni al-Qaeda style militants to cross its borders into that mess? Is there really no other solution to this? How can there even be any indication that this is somehow a legitimate tactic as it equals out the entrance into Syria of foreign Shiite fighters?
I believe the strongest mark left behind in the wake of Davutoğlu’s New York visit is the attempt to respond to the West’s criticism that Turkey is allowing individuals to pass through its borders in order to join ISIL in Syria with questions about why the West is not opposing or trying to block the entrance of Shiite fighters (like Hezbollah) into Syria. It is a stance that pretty well sums up Turkey’s approach to the situation.5, Thursday