Strategist: Turkey rebuilds self-confidence

ANKARA

Once a country lacking in self-confidence, Turkey now takes control of its borders and chooses its potential allies, the founder of a U.S.-based think-tank said Wednesday

Participating in a tech summit in Istanbul, the head of Geopolitical Futures George Friedman said, "Ten years ago … I wrote something absurd, which is that Turkey is emerging as a great power.

"And people told me this is not possible, especially Turks. But it is possible and it is happening," Friedman said, underlining that although Turkey still did not trust itself, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was trying to instill confidence in the nation.

"What I learned as I watching Turkey for 10 years, is that Turkey doesn't trust itself, that at root, President Erdogan it trying to instill self-confidence into Turkey," he said.

"Ten years ago the idea that Turkey would sit at the same table with Russia, with the United States, with all of these countries, and speak as an equal ... this was not likely," he added.

Arguing that this shift in Turkey's policy was healthy one for growth and for the region, he said with ongoing chaos in the Middle East, Turkey demanded the U.S. leave its border with Syria, and the U.S. complied.

He stressed that this was an important development in terms of Turkish-American relations, and noted that the U.S. has realized that war could not be a constant activity.

Despite its strength, the U.S. should could not be present everywhere and must choose right destinations, he said.

Asserting that an ongoing row between Ankara and Washington surrounding Turkey's recent purchases of Russian-made defense hardware was "temporary", Friedman said joint cooperation could be conducted in many areas between the two countries.

He underlined that in order for Turkey to be a reliable partner of the U.S., it must be self-sufficient in its digital capability.

In April 2017, when its protracted efforts to buy an air defense system from the U.S. proved fruitless, Turkey signed a contract with Russia to acquire an S-400 anti-missile shield.

Opposing deployment of the Russian system, U.S. officials argue that they would be incompatible with NATO systems and would expose its fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets -- of which Turkey is a development partner -- to possible Russian subterfuge.

Turkey, however, stresses that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems, and posed no threat to the alliance or its armaments.

The S-400 is seen as one of the most advanced missile systems in the world, capable of tracking several targets simultaneously.

Turkey not depending on foreign customers

Friedman noted one of the things he admires the most about Turkey is that it has an internal economy.

Noting that it does not rely solely on foreign customers, as does China, he said that this was a form of national security.

Freidman underlined that national security is not merely having fighter planes but also not being hostage to your customers.