VZCZCXRO7992
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #1695/01 3290718
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250718Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1322
INFO RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 6573
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 4291

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001695 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR S/P TANDREWS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON PREL SOCI TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: RESPONSE FOR GLOBAL CONTEXT SECTION OF THE 
QDDR 
 
REF: SECSTATE 120172 
 
¶1. (U) This cable responds to the information request in 
reftel.  This cable is sensitive but unclassified, please 
protect accordingly. 
 
¶2. (SBU) To what degree will/can technology empower 
individuals, or civil society in the host country, to 
exercise a more active role in public life?  Are host country 
officials and citizens attuned to (orindifferent) to this 
issue?  Is the host government supportive of or hostile to 
expansion of access to social networks or other similar 
tools?  What non-state actors will be playing critical roles 
over the next two decades? 
 
Turks, especially the younger generation, are 
enthusiastically embracing technology as a means to express 
themselves on everything, including international and 
national issues.  Physical infrastructure is not an 
impediment to Turks' access to the internet, cell phones or 
satellite television.  The Turkish government last year 
denied its citizenry access to YouTube when officials found 
film clips they deemed insulting to the founder of modern 
Turkey, Kemal Ataturk.  Turks are able to circumvent the 
restriction with little difficulty.  Ministries have been 
uneven in their willingness to use technology to encourage 
participatory government.  The major government initiative of 
the latter half of 2009, "the Democratic (Kurdish) Opening," 
has been presented to the population primarily through 
government statements, ministers' televised speeches and 
public appearances by the minister of interior throughout the 
country.  Turkey's EU Secretariat, however, is encouraging a 
nation-wide exchange of perspectives on Turkey's EU candidacy 
by inviting Turks to join its recently established chatroom. 
 
¶3. (SBU) What attitude do critical publics in the host 
country display toward the so-called rising powers - India, 
China, and Brazil, for example - and how do they perceive 
other important international players, including key 
international organizations? 
 
Critical publics generally admire the rise to prominence of 
India, China and Brazil.  Positive attitudes towards China 
are tempered by Beijing's perceived repression of the 
Turkic-speaking Uighurs, with whom many Turks feel an ethnic 
kinship.  Turks view India with tremendous respect, but have 
difficulty identifying an India model they can emulate. 
Physical distance from Brazil probably attenuates Turkish 
interest in that country.  Turks' attention to international 
organizations tends to focus on NATO, to which they look for 
their ultimate security guarantee, and the EU, which they 
seek to join as a validation of their European-ness. It 
should also be kept in mind that Turkey considers itself, 
with some justification, to be a rising power along the lines 
of the countries mentioned above. 
 
¶4. (SBU) What does the host country identify as the most 
important issues (both internal and external) critical to its 
own development and to international development writ large? 
 
As Turkey integrates ever more fully into the global 
marketplace with an export-led development model, it views 
continued access to existing markets and diversification into 
new markets (such as the Middle East, Africa, and Latin 
America) as essential to growth and development.  Integration 
of the less-developed eastern and southeastern regions of the 
country into the national economy is a priority for the 
government, and involves not only economic and infrastructure 
development but also cultural and political inclusion of 
minority populations.  Access to reliable sources of energy 
both for rapidly growing internal consumption and for transit 
will be a key determinant of future growth and is a focus of 
government attention.  Continued progress toward joining the 
EU will help spur new reforms, cement existing institutions, 
and potentially bring in new sources of development funds. 
Access to capital markets and the necessary financing to 
cover current account deficits will be vital to avoid 
disruptions to upward economic development. 
 
¶5. (SBU) What is the host country position on climate change 
issues, or on any resource conflict questions?  What steps is 
the host country government taking to deal with potential 
future demographic challenges? 
 
Turkey has shown a commitment to contributing to the global 
effort on climate change by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol and 
making renewable energy one of the main pillars of its energy 
strategy.  Turkey has set a goal of generating 30 percent of 
 
ANKARA 00001695  002 OF 002 
 
 
its power from renewable sources by 2023.  To help the 
country toward achieving that goal, the government is now 
amending the Renewable Energy Law to include stronger 
incentives for investment in power generation from 
renewables.  Efforts in this and other areas related to 
addressing climate change, however, are limited by Turkey's 
financial constraints.  The GoT has been clear that despite 
its inclusion among the Annex 1 industrialized countries of 
the Kyoto Protocol, its economy is less developed than other 
Annex 1 countries and it cannot afford the same level of 
commitments. 
 
¶6. (SBU) To what extent does "backsliding" pose a threat to 
local democratic movement (or to what degree does the country 
perceive this as a threat elsewhere)? 
 
The unparalleled success of the Justice and Development Party 
(AKP) has made Turkey subject, in recent years, to the 
democratic weaknesses of a one-party system.  The ruling 
party's tendency to abuse the tools of governmental power in 
pursuit of political and media enemies is infringing upon the 
professionalism of the civil service, the neutrality of the 
judiciary and the independence of the press.  The rampant use 
of wiretaps of dubious legality is chilling political 
discussions among individuals who take issue with government 
policies. 
 
JEFFREY 
 
           "Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s 
gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"