Al-Ahram Weekly: Turkey: We need more Erdogans
Turkey's Ottoman Empire died a quiet death nearly a century ago. But the country continues to enjoy a unique eminence of leadership across the Middle East and in much of the Muslim world. And Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly justified this love and respect for Turkey with his political courage and candour. From the lashing Erdogan gave Israel's Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos following the Gaza offensive earlier this year to his call this week demanding UN action on Justice Richard Goldstone's report on that offensive, Turkey continues to show rare leadership. Erdogan's nation stands up for justice and fair play, rather than going along with the shameful double standards that the rest of the world seems to take in its stride. This is remarkable for a country that enjoys close, strategic relations with the United States, is a NATO member and hopes to be the first Muslim country to join the European Union.
More important, Turkey has full diplomatic relations with Israel and is perhaps the only Muslim country with which Israel has close economic and military ties. (So you can't really throw the regular accusation of "anti-Semitism" against Ankara).
Labels: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey
