Former United States Ambassador Robert P. Finn gave a lecture on U.S.-Turkish relations at the Buffett Center on Wednesday as part of a program co-sponsored by the Department of African Studies.
Finn, who served as ambassador to Afghanistan and Turkey among other countries and is now a lecturer in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, described the dynamic between the two nations as a “double helix.”
“The double helix of DNA winds and turns, sometimes narrowing and sometimes widening,” Finn said. “Long term irritancy, some insensitive behavior on perhaps both sides and some historical realities continue to influence the relationship.”
Finn began by recounting the political and diplomatic history between the two countries, referencing events ranging from the Barbary Wars to American attempts to transport coalition troops through Turkey en route to Iraq.
He followed with a brief discussion of Turkey’s role in Middle Eastern affairs, including its ties to Israel, one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East, and Iran, which Finn said has been “improving rapidly in recent years.”
“Both the United States and Turkey want democracy in the Middle East,” Finn said, “but sometimes the double helix of their relationship seems truly to be going in anti-parallel directions.”
A number of attendees reacted positively to the lecture, citing the educational value of studying the emerging Middle Eastern nation.
“Turkey is looking to the West but is still grounded in the Middle East,” said Weinberg junior William McLaughlin, who spent last summer studying in Turkey. “This lecture series helps bridge the gap between the two worlds.”
Finn then touched on what he saw as growing Turkish influence in the Middle East. He said this influence is based largely on Turkish industry and the outward stances of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“People turn on their Turkish television and see Erdogan giving the middle finger to the rest of the world,” Finn said, “and they think, ‘Yes! A powerful Muslim leader telling off the West.'”
The topic of anti-American sentiment in Turkey gradually became a focal point of the talk. Fatih YՆ
