The MetroPOLL survey, titled “Turkey Political Situation Research,” conducted between Sept. 14 – 19 among 1,275 individuals in 27 provinces across the country, shows 60.8 percent said Iran possessing nuclear weapons is a threat to Turkey, up from 56.7 percent in January 2010, when the question was phrased similarly, but down from 68.6 percent in December 2010, when the question was phrased to inquire whether Iran possessing nuclear weapons would “be a cause of worry” for the respondent. About 30 percent said Iran’s nuclear weapons would not be a threat.
Turks are also not satisfied with the government’s Syria policies, the survey finds. As the rebellion in Syria, which according to some is a full-blown civil war, still continues, countries such as Turkey that had hoped the Assad regime would fall swiftly are facing problems domestically. As the crisis lingers on, with added economic costs to Turkey due to the increasing number of refugees from that country, the public has been more critical of the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) foreign policy regarding Syria. Only 28 percent said the government has managed the crisis well. Even among AK Party voters, the support for the government’s Syria policy doesn’t move beyond 45 percent.
One of the aspects that disturbs Turks regarding the Syrian crisis is the country’s policies regarding Syrian refugees, which has won wide appreciation internationally. Fifty-two percent of the respondents said they did not approve of Turkey’s policy of accepting refugees from Syria and settling them in camps, while 42 percent agree that it is the right thing to do. Sixty-six percent of the respondents said they did not want any more refugees to come, while 26 percent said they did not have a problem with the influx of refugees continuing. Among AK Party voters, the percentage of those who want to see an end to the incoming refugees was 62 percent.
Relations with Israel
Turkey’s relations with Israel have been strained over the past few years. According to the survey, 36 percent of Turks want relations with Israel to normalize, while 51.3 percent said they did not necessarily think Turkey should work on repairing the relationship.
Relations between Turkey and Israel seriously deteriorated in May 2010 when Israeli commandoes raided the Turkish Mavi Marmara aid vessel — sailing in international waters with the target of breaking the blockade of the Gaza Strip — and left nine pro-Palestinian activists, eight Turks and one American citizen of Turkish origin, dead onboard the ship.
It should also be noted that Israel’s bilateral relations with Turkey, though extremely strained, have not broken down completely. According to exports data from May 2012, mutual trade significantly increased this year compared to 2011.
Low approval rating for Mideast policies
Forty-five percent of the respondents said they approved of the government’s foreign policy in general. That is less than the percentage of votes the AK Party received in the 2011 election, which was nearly 50 percent of the total. More interestingly, only 34 percent of those polled said they believed the AK Party’s Middle East policy was a success. This figure was 53 percent among those respondents who voted for the AK Party. These figures are in stark contrast with past polls, where the government’s approval rating on foreign policy issues has consistently been high.
In spite of the lower approval for the government’s foreign policy, the confidence the public has in Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu remains in place, with 48 percent saying they find him successful, compared to 32 percent who replied that Davutoğlu is unsuccessful.
(Today’s Zaman)
