Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood: Crossing Roads in Syria

Abstract

Relations between Turkey and the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood (SMB) have gained momentum in the light of post-Arab revolt developments. This study aims to present the historical background of the relationship between SMB and AKP and effects of this relationship on foreign policy. For the analytical discussion on the relationship between AKP and SMB integration to particular recent foreign policies of Turkey, first of all, it will be examined how the SMB is perceived in Turkey in social and political arenas. Thus, the socio-political dimensions of the process in which the SMB came to the fore and began to be known in Turkey will be explored along with its position in foreign policy during the Justice and Development Party (JDP) government and the Syrian crisis. This study aims to analyze transformation of the relationship between Turkey and the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. In many points Turkey has moved away from traditional Turkish foreign policy in its attitude toward the Arab revolts. In this respect, Turkey began to support civil unrest as distinct from the idea that are the main actors in international relations. It was a significant shift from the dominant principle of maintaining the status quo in traditional Turkish foreign policy. The traditional foreign policy rule non-interference in the internal affairs of states was abandoned by Tukey, with the expectation of the Syrian regime would soon change. With the Syrian crisis and the Arab revolts in particular, Turkey for the first time embraced its position as a model country for the Middle East countries and applied this perception in its foreign policy. The visible signs in this major shift in foreign policy are Turkeys moving away from its secular foreign policy as one of the interested parties of the problem as a result of its systematic and explicit intervention and its policy of supporting refugees with many pre- established camps in the immediate vicinity of the border. In terms of foreign policy, Turkey began for the first time to be known for its relations with a non-governmental opposition party, namely the SMB and SMB-Turkey relations also attracted much attention from the foreign press. For example, in the analysis published by the New York Times in February (Thomas Jr., 2011), it is mentioned that Erdogans party has already established ties with the Muslim Brotherhood — a result of Mr. Erdogans long and successful campaign to present himself as a dominant and increasingly anti-Israeli voice in the Middle East. And according to research by Dore Gold at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, three members of the Muslim Brotherhood — two of whom serve in the Egyptian Parliament — were on the Turkish-sponsored ship that was attacked by Israeli forces on its way to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip in May. There is a great deal of ideological compatibility between the A.K.P. and the Muslim Brotherhood, said Mr.