As many observers have noted, Turkish Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan has struck a chord with the Muslim world over France’s position on Islam and its followers. Taking up the words of French President Macron, Erdogan found a precious opportunity to hit back at him for his position regarding Turkey’s expansionist plan in Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Erdogan is well known for his flair for distorting things. He bets on a large fringe of candid people whose populist demagogic rhetoric tingles emotions, without bearing the brunt of the absurd ideas he promotes and which are unworthy of a responsible state adhering to the system of international values and laws.
An analysis of recent developments in relations between Turkey and the EU, with particular emphasis on Turkish-French relations, suggests that Europe’s silence, reticence and disagreement with Turkey’s recklessness sends the wrong message to Sultan Erdogan. The latter makes it clear he only understands the language of the red lines, a language that had succeeded in dissuading his militias from infiltrating Libyan territory.
The Turkish sultan cried boycott of French products and goods. Then he received a strong response from his Turkish detractors. His opponents raised legitimate questions about the extent to which calls for a boycott applied to a French-made handbag worn by the Turkish sultan’s wife.
The sultan wants to come across as the leader of the Islamic world to France and other European countries, capable of stirring up the sentiments of millions of Muslims against them. But this is all wrong. The games of Erdogan are well exposed for Arabs and Muslims. His discourse no longer resonates in Muslim communities.
Sultan Erdogan used the cartoons crisis and French President Macron’s remarks the same way Khomeini had used Salman Rushdie’s writings in the context of relations between the Iranian regime and the West. Islam and Muslims have been instrumentalized to serve the interests of populist regimes and rulers who know how to muddy the waters and pull off political acrobatics.
Both promote anti-Westernism at times, considering the West as a religious rather than a political bloc, while European support for the French position has nothing to do with religion. It is unbelievable that a secular France, defending its laïcité, would receive European support on a religious basis to pit one religion against another.
Indeed, Erdogan challenges a Europe divided on how to deal with him. It cannot even develop a common position to tackle the threat that Erdogan’s Turkey poses to European interests.
In fact, during a recent emergency videoconference, the European Union discussed the epidemic outbreak in the countries of the continent, and not the relationship with Turkey as France wanted.
European leaders made it clear that they would not rush to take action against Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They explained that the Union has many other problems to solve instead of focusing on Turkey, which after all remains an “ally” of a united Europe.
European Council President Charles Michel said the Turkish issue would be discussed by European leaders at an unspecified time, but in the near future, “before the end of the year.”
It is true that the coronavirus has a higher precedence than the adventures of the Turkish Sultan, given the disastrous second wave outbreak in some EU countries. However, Europe no longer holds many cards to play against Erdogan after Turkey’s dream of joining it has been completely shattered.
Erdogan also does not aspire to profit from the European Treasury, even by brandishing the Syrian refugee card, given the European economic downturn caused by the coronavirus torment and the difficulty of providing financial support to help the Turkish economy recover.
Europe remains concerned about the Sultan’s resorting to his favorite little game, the opening of the Turkish border to millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey, another headache for the European countries.
It goes without saying that the divisions and divergences between European capitals on sanctioning Turkey for its recent positions will surface. The obvious outcome of all this is that the Turkish sultan will continue to denigrate the EU countries and harm their strategic interests.
In short, Erdogan is twisting Europe’s arm. It is suffering the turmoil of Covid-19 and the repercussions of Brexit. But it did not expect Erdogan’s opportunism to add insult to injury.
European leaders must take a firm and decisive stand, even if red lines must be drawn to dissuade the Turkish sultan from continuing his reckless adventures.
