Pak Tea House » Pakistan, World » Erdovan, Davos, and Dealing with Israel

Erdovan, Davos, and Dealing with Israel

January 30th, 2009 | 4 Comments

This mornings Stratfor Podcast is titled “Erdovan’s Davos Walkout Lays Down the Marker“. I haven’t heard it yet (hoping to, on the exercise machine), but just from that title, you can see one thing: the recognition of Israel has been anathema in the Muslim world, but if you had wondered if any good could ever come out of recognizing them, this is it. The fact that Turkey is seen in the Western World as a “moderate” Muslim state and has respect for being one of very few Muslim states to recognize Israel gives Erdogan’s action much more weight than, say, a Pakistani or Indonesian leader doing the same. I am not saying Pakistan should up and recognize Israel, but it’s something for Pakistanis to think about in the debate of whether and when to think about “normalizing” relations.

Folks not related to Pakistan might ask: Why Pakistan, specifically? Why not Saudi Arabia, or Indonesia? Well, Pakistan IS the 2nd largest Muslim nation in the world–and it’s not Arab, and it’s the only nuclear power in the Muslim world. Not to mention that ideologically and socially, it’s a center of much that happens and affects the rest of the world–both Muslim and otherwise. This IS the “most dangerous country in the world” if we are to believe the conventional wisdom in the West; this is the “training ground of terrorists”, no? Of course, it is a country I identify with (together with the US and Nigeria), and therefore it’s my job to raise the issue in its context; others can chime in with the view from their corner of the globe.

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4 Responses to "Erdovan, Davos, and Dealing with Israel"

Erdovan, Davos, and Dealing with Israel | All Viral Emails says:

January 30, 2009 at 6:38 pm

[...] This mornings Stratfor Podcast is titled “Erdovan’s Davos Walkout Lays Down the Marker“. I haven’t heard it yet (hoping to, on the exercise machine), but just from that title, you can see one thing: the recognition of Israel has been anathema in the Muslim world, but if you had wondered if any good could ever [...] Go to Source [...]
Ali Hillaj Dashti says:

January 31, 2009 at 1:19 am

Erdovan speaks the truth and Yusuf Raza Gillani goes begging for money and at the same time bullies the West that if you do not give us money, there will be more terrorism. The contrast is obvious.
Moin Ansari says:

January 31, 2009 at 3:16 pm

It is disgusting for Pak Tea House to use the enemies language “most dangerous place on earth”. If someone calls you a dirty pig, you don’t have to call yourself a dirty pig. Nor does it make yo ua dirty pig

How come all these “gora labels” were not used when the same people were fighting the USSR in the good war.

40% of Bharat is engaged in Naxalite insurrections and 800,000 of their soldiers are fighting the Kashmiris for six decades.
PMA says:

January 31, 2009 at 5:00 pm

Turks and Jews have something in common; both ‘hate’ Arabs. Turks still blame Arabs for their ‘betrayal’ and siding with Allies in the first world war. Through out the twentieth century there been full diplomatic and military cooperation between Turks and Jews. The ‘marriage of convenience’ has been beneficial to both partners. By recognising Israel Turkey has earned many brownie points from the West particularly the USA. If it was not for the Jewish support American congress would have long ‘black listed’ Turkey for Armenian genocide.

So why this spat by the Turkish Prime Minister? Why now?

Well, it is the Kurdish issue that has spoiled the relationship lately.

Even though ‘married’ to Turkey, Israel is ‘seeing’ Kurds on the side too. Since American invasion of Iraq, Kurds have gained a fair degree of independence from Baghdad and are even talking about Kurdistan state at the expense of Arabs and Turks alike. They have Israel’s support for that.

Since ever the birth of Turkish nationalism under Mustafa Kamal, Kurd nationalism has been Turkey’s soft underbelly. Erdogan’s out burst at Davos has less to do with Arab or Muslim solidarity or Turkish concerns for the murder of Gazans and more with sending a message to Israel that not every thing is well in the bridal suite.

As they say “All politics are local.” Pan-Islamists must not read much into what happened at Davos!