As Washington has increasingly been turning a blind eye to the red lines of Turkish foreign policy, pro-Turkish lobbies are looking for ways to strengthen their position in the United States. Gee, I wonder why Ankara might have less clout in DC since, oh, Mar 2003 or so?
I'll give them credit for their reported role in Israel's strike on Syria, tho: overflight permission and perhaps coordinates as well. | |
The American Turkish Society (ATS), one of the leading Turkish lobbies in the U.S., asked key businessmen to become members on its board. Muhtar Kent, the president and chief operating officer of The Coca-Cola Company, Murat Megalli, JP Morgan Turkey director and Haluk Dinçer, president of the Food and Retailing Group joined the ATS. With its new members the ATS is targeting to become more effective in better promoting Turkish-U.S. relations.
After Ahmet Ertegün, the founder of Atlantic Records and also long time president of the ATS passed away last year many were concerned that the Turkish community in the U.S. had lost an important voice. Ertegün successfully brought American and Turkish businessmen and politicians together and almost served as an unofficial ambassador for well over 20 years. Kent was one of the names being mentioned behind the scenes to take Ertegün's place to promote Turkish-American relations.
Like Ertegün, Kent is also the son of a diplomat. Ertegün's father Munir Ertegün was a prominent figure in Turkish-U.S. relations. In 1946 then President Truman ordered the battleship USS Missouri to return his body to Turkey as a demonstration of U.S. power opposing Russian demands on Turkey. Likewise Kent's father was also an interesting figure in Turkish diplomatic history. Ambassador Necdet Kent was posted as Consul General to Marseilles between 1941 and 1944, gave Turkish citizenship to dozens of Turkish Jews living in France who did not have proper identity papers to save them from deportation to the Nazi gas chambers. Thus the American Sephardic Federation and Raoul Wallenberg Committee awarded Necdet Kent.
Muhtar Kent's good relations with the Jewish community is accepted as an important asset for the Turkish lobbies. Especially after the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) acknowledged the “Armenian Genocide” in August. Although the ADL's statement reaffirmed that the legislation pending in Congress to recognize the genocide is "a counterproductive diversion" it created some concern in Ankara. Many Democrats think that those concerns are valid. Off the record some Democrats say that the Armenian Genocide Resolution will for sure pass sometime this fall. Political observers believe that as well as the Armenian Genocide issue, the outlawed Kurdistan workers' Party (PKK) is another problem that Washington and Ankara should find common ground on. Sources close to Democrats say a process is underway to prepare a report on the PKK. However many think that a report of this nature will be a “bitter pill” to swallow for Ankara.
Ankara will need a strong lobby in Washington in the meantime. Kent is seen as an important player in this picture. However it is still a question mark if Kent's busy schedule will allow him to play the role expected of him. |