Turkish Corruption and the Arab Spring

The world is relying on Turkey to serve as a linchpin country in the highly unstable Middle East.  Unfortunately, Turkey is currently embroiled in a massive political scandal never before seen in the democratic nation’s history.  Because a large part of the scandal involves the exchange of gold for Iranian oil against international sanctions perpetrated by high ranking officials and their relatives, the United States finds itself condemning a friend it needs more than ever in a region of uncertain allies.  Unlike Saudi Arabia, which is another linchpin state, Turkey’s status as a democracy gave Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government a certain degree of legitimacy in the eyes of those seeking political changes.  Following the example of Western and American politicians, the Prime Minister has chosen to take on corruption by denying it, attacking critics, and engineering conspiracy theories instead of facing the problem head.  In essence, this means Turkey’s need to turn its attention inward makes it a far less reliable partner for dealing with regional issues.

Democracy encourages political participation and public protest as a means of redirecting public outcry away from mass violence and ensuring conflicts will be resolved in a peaceful manner.  That said, politics can also be a source of instability and violence, as we all know, when the political system becomes a means of legitimizing or shielding the self-serving behavior of elites.  The one advantage democracy has over all other forms of governance is that its structure is more likely to cater to and balance the interests of the People as a whole.  If a democracy fails to do that, it is no better than any other kind of government.  While Saudi Arabia certainly saw protests during the Arab Spring revolutions, which the Kingdom suppressed with armed intervention, it has long tried to address many of its People’s interests and has since redoubled its efforts to do so.  This mechanical approach to serving the interests of a People can be better than the automated approach built into a democratic structure when those in the democratic government cater mainly to special interests.  As such, the corruptions scandals in Turkey must be addressed head on by demonstrating the government is there to serve the interests of the People and the interests of the power elite; otherwise, the conflict will only intensify.  Moreover, the current controversy must be resolved in satisfactory manner, not avoided, before Turkey can properly take on its role in the Middle East.