TURKEY: MUSLIM WORLD OUTREACH -- PCC REQUEST FOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004179 SIPDIS SENSITIVE FOR EUR/SE, EUR/PPD, EUR/PGI; R FOR ACTING UNDER SECRETARY PATRICIA HARRISON FROM CHARGE D'AFFAIRES ROBERT S. DEUTSCH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID KDEM KPAO OEXC OIIP OPRC PGOV PHUM PREL SUBJECT: TURKEY: MUSLIM WORLD OUTREACH -- PCC REQUEST FOR STRATEGIES REF: A. STATE 155954 ¶B. ANKARA 1007 ¶C. STATE 13711 ¶1. (SBU) Ref (B) details the context in which the Mission pursues outreach to Muslim audiences in Turkey. That information is excerpted, with minor updates, in para 2 and 3, while the rest of this message examines audiences and strategies for outreach. ¶2. (SBU) While Turkey's 20th century history is largely different from that of other countries in the Broader Middle East, the issues we are dealing with in this 99 percent Muslim country are at their root only different in degrees. Like the rest of the region, Turkey has been governed by an elite intent on pursuing self-serving policies while only grudgingly allowing the majority of the population to express its political will. With technology, the common citizen has increasing knowledge of global developments and a growing ability to make his voice of disaffection heard. In Turkey, as in the Broader Middle East, the U.S. has been associated with the rule of often-corrupted elites, and has come to be seen through a common prism with them. Strongly negative perceptions of our pro-Israel policies and, more recently, our actions in Iraq are another pillar of anti-Americanism in Turkey, as elsewhere in the region. ¶3. (SBU) In Turkey, the democratic institutions that have been created since the 1950s have, despite their imperfections, allowed the bulk of the population to gradually find a political voice. Turkey's current drive for EU membership has provided impetus to improve those institutions and advance the process of creating an open society. The ruling AK Party derives support from this base. For the U.S. to connect with the majority of the Turkish population and reduce its skepticism of our motives, we must be palpably supportive of democratization, of individual freedoms, and of social and economic justice. We must work to promote these shared values here as we did in central and eastern Europe. We are working to deliver messages of shared values despite the obstacles of a bureaucracy and military that often represent the past, an educational system designed to support the status quo, a media environment that propagates fiction and conspiracy theory, a business climate that stifles open markets and fair c ompetition, and an atmosphere that rejects personal responsibility. ¶4. (SBU) There is no audience in Turkey that we can afford to ignore. The balance of power between traditional elites and the heartland is slowly but perceptibly shifting, thanks in large measure to democratization. Clearly, we must do a better job of engaging non-elites, as well as youth. Turkey's population is younger and faster growing than that of any other European country. The complex status and role of religion in secular, yet 99 percent Muslim, Turkey serve as a constant reminder that there is no monolithic Muslim culture and there can be no single approach to engaging Muslim audiences. What works in Cairo or Riyadh will not necessarily succeed in Istanbul or Ankara. Turks are emphatic that their country, as a secular democracy populated by Muslims, is not a model for the Broader Middle East, although they accept that it may serve as an example of what can be accomplished by pursing reforms. ¶5. (SBU) Religion is an important factor in the worldview and lives of most Turks, even if many are not devout. In Turkey, it is imperative that we show respect for Islam. One of the best ways to show respect for Islam is to know as much about it as possible. A nuanced understanding of the history, culture, and diversity of views within Turkey is vital to the Mission's work, as is a reasonable knowledge of Islam. FSI can contribute by doing a better job of teaching about Islam in general, as well as about the complexities of Islam in Turkey. Our diplomats should learn not only about the history of Islam, but also about how Islam works, what its essential themes as well as its contradictions are, and how the Muslim world looks at us. ¶6. (SBU) We can be effective by promoting ecumenical conferences in support of greater interfaith understanding and tolerance. As President Bush said in his speech last month in Istanbul, "Whatever our cultural differences may be, there should be peace and respect in the House of Abraham." By bringing together top leaders of the three great monotheistic religions to stress the common roots of those religions and shared heritage of their followers, we could go a long way toward revealing terrorists as theological aberrations and false prophets. ¶7. (SBU) Our single most important outreach tool is positive, personal contact between Americans and Turks. In Turkey personal relationships are fundamental to communication and establishing trust. We need to staff our missions sufficiently with language capable officers so that more people can get out of the office, travel, and put a human face on the U.S. Since Ref (B) was sent, a new Assistant Information Officer position, which will be an important asset in outreach to the media, has been approved for FY-05. We are making a concerted effort to get our officers from several sections and agencies out to visit schools, universities, civic and business groups, and other organizations. Often we speak about policy, but it is important that we also engage Turkish audiences on social issues, culture, literature, and other topics that are not overtly political. In addition, greater engagement with the business community, particularly associations of small-medium sized companies, helps build proponets for free markets and economic reform. ¶8. (SBU) Ref (B) detailed a wide range of programs utilized by post to reach Turkish audiences. We urgently require more funding for exchanges activities, particularly the IV program, Fulbright, and youth exchanges. We need to support Turkey's democratic reforms in education. In FY-03, the Mission received $315,000 in R Bureau Muslim outreach funding to support the placement of English Language Fellows throughout Turkey to teach, train teachers, and develop curricula. These talented young Americans tangibly improved the quality of English language instruction while building ties between Turks and the United States. Although the same source of funding was not available in FY-04, we have utilized post, ECA, and EUR/PPD funding, as well as micro scholarship monies from R, to maintain the program at nearly the same level. Since Ref (B) was sent, post has also obtained nearly $800,000 for important Citizen Exchange programs in judicial reform, media training, and women's leadership. ¶9. (SBU) Our American Corners provide program platforms in the culturally conservative cities of Gaziantep and Kayseri, as well as Bursa. A fourth American Corner will be opened later this year in Izmir. While the Corners serve a very useful purpose, they are no substitute for the American Center libraries that for decades served throughout the Muslim world, including in Turkey, as popular meeting places for students, professionals, and intellectuals. While a return of libraries appears not to be in the cards, post applauds the Department for bringing culture back through such programs as Culture Connect and Jazz Ambassadors. The value of exchanges, cultural programming, and other forms of people-to-people diplomacy in engaging Muslim audiences who may fundamentally disagree with our policies but nevertheless want to more fully understand and experience American culture and society cannot be overstated. Our daily bread-and-butter is and should be policy, but to succeed we must communicate with audiences in the Muslim world, as around the world, about the sum total of our national experience. ¶10. (SBU) The media are an essential point of engagement in Turkey. The Islamist and mainstream press alike are often virulent in their anti-Americanism. They miss no opportunity to distort the truth and completely invent fraudulent, damaging claims. If unchallenged, this bogus reporting is quickly accepted as fact. Post devotes significant time and resources to refuting disinformation as a means by which to counter anti-Americanism. In addition, we have proposed and received funding for Citizen Exchange programs on media training and journalistic ethics for both working level and senior journalists. With newspaper and television reporting in Turkey strongly influenced by the business interests and political views of media owners, we recognize that change will come slowly, but this exchange initiative is at least a step in the right direction. Since more Turks get their news from television than newspapers, we should place greater emphasis on appearances by U.S. officials and experts on Turkish television. ¶11. (SBU) Our assessment in Ref (B) of the prognosis for engaging Muslim audiences in Turkey has not changed. The President has given us a challenge for the next generation. Developing open societies in the Broader Middle East that are joined to the modern world politically through democratic institutions and respect for individual freedoms (including religion) and economically through the prosperity of open markets is a challenge that begins by securing the success of reform in Turkey. We need resources and political will to do the job, but we don't need to reinvent the wheel. The tools are familiar. Reaching out in Turkey and in the Broader Middle East requires understanding and flexibility, but we can succeed. DEUTSCH