Alliance of Civilizations debated

Clos seems to be right because first of all the Second Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Istanbul did not create the desired impact. The first one was held in January 2008 in Madrid.

Turkish public opinion followed the trend in the world and caught "Obamania" rather than the Alliance of Civilizations. So everyone focused on this visit. The forum held in Çırağan Palace, however, started a discussion: "Is an Alliance of Civilizations in Turkey necessary?"

US should stay away from project
Of course, the disappointment about Obama’s lack of participation in the forum and not delivering a speech played a role in this. Different views were voiced on why Obama did not participate in the Alliance of Civilizations forum.

Some say that because the project was launched during the George W. Bush period, Obama is cold toward it. Some others say the U.S., just like the European Union and Russia, kept its distance from the beginning, even though it was endorsed by the United Nations. For instance, Brett Shaefer, an expert at the Heritage Foundation, one of the leading think tanks in the United States, says in his article that the Alliance of Civilizations project is a failure as he suggests that Washington keep away.

I wouldn’t know if Obama took this and similar suggestions into consideration but interestingly enough, the U.S. president didn’t refer to the notion of Turkey as "a bridge between Islam and the West" during his speech at the Turkish Parliament.

If you recall, Obama said, "Turkey is in the middle of everything, at the point where the East meets the West," rather than referring to Turkey as a "bridge." He stressed that Turkey has both Eastern and Western values and its importance comes from this.

What is being said about the Alliance of Civilizations, which was being discussed in detail for the first time in Turkey since it was launched by the Spanish and Turkish governments and endorsed by the United Nations? Debates on televisions reflect that the project’s purpose - bringing Western civilization face-to-face with Islam - is a reason for criticism. I mean, the concepts on both sides of the scale are incompatible.

Different concepts
Let alone the most difficult thing in the world is to reach a consensus over the civilization concept. As Radikal daily’s Türker Alkan wrote, even if the Alliance of Civilizations is recognized by states level, its implementation is impossible because a civilization doesn’t form according to predetermined plans. Another criticism about the initiative is Turkey’s tendency to see itself as the representative of the whole Islamic world in this frame.

And this is in accord with American strategist George Friedman’s suggestion that "Turkey should turn its back to Europe and claim the Ottoman heritage. Then it is possible for Turkey to become the leader of the Islamic world." What could be the cost of such a role for a country in the process of gaining EU membership? This is another question.