Chancellor Merkel's Turkish Realpolitik

"Realpolitik" is a German word coined by a German politician in 1853 to refer to politics or diplomacy based on considerations of power, and practical and material factors, rather than ideological, moral or ethical premises. Often, it's referred to as political "pragmatism." Realpolitik is also used negatively to imply politics that are coercive, amoral, or Machiavellian. ~~~~~ German politics in the last half of the 19th century was dominated by Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg (b.1815, d.1898) known as Otto von Bismarck, whose political policies and tactics came to epitomize Realpolitik so fully that the word has become inextricably associated with him. He was a conservative Prussian statesman who controlled German and European affairs from the 1860s until 1890. In the 1860s, he engineered a series of wars that unified the German states (excluding Austria) into a powerful German Empire under Prussian leadership. From that base, he skillfully used balance of power diplomacy to preserve German hegemony in a Europe which, despite recurring disputes and war scares, he kept at peace. ~~~~~ Why should we care about 19th century German Realpolitick? Because now, as then, Germany is holding Europe together politically, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the modern personification of German Realpolitik. She forms political goals and finds practical means to achieve them. She then pronounces, not expecting or tolerating dissent. As Bismarck, she is honored because she alone has mastered the art of Realpolitik required in Europe. And she is feared because she has the German popular support and money needed to hold the EU together. ~~~~~ Chancellor Merkel on Sunday offered Turkey her support for faster progress on its bid to join the European Union in return for cooperation in halting the flow of migrants and taking back those rejected by Europe. Speaking in Istanbul at a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Merkel said Germany could help accelerate the path to visa-free travel to the EU for Turks and push forward Turkey's longstanding EU membership bid. In return, she said she expects Turkey to agree more quickly to take in migrants sent back by the EU, so-called "readmission agreements" that Davutoglu has said he will agree to only if there is progress on liberalizing the visa regime. After meeting the Turkish premier, Merkel said : "I think we have used the crisis we are experiencing, through a very disorderly and uncontrolled movement of refugees, to again achieve closer cooperation on many issues, both between the European Union and Turkey, and between Germany and Turkey." Merkel, who only 10 days ago said again she is opposed to Turkey joining the EU, said on Sunday the talks were "very promising." ~~~~~ Faster Turkish accession may be a bitter pill for some in her conservative party, strongly opposed to Turkish EU membership. Criticized by them and some German media because of their frustrations over the refugee crisis, she has resisted pressure to close Germany's borders and refuse refugees arriving from Austria, although Germany expects 1 million new refugees this year. Merkel wants to cement a European deal with Turkey in return for help in encouraging refugees in Turkey to stay there. But Davutoglu said several issues remained to be resolved, including : "...sharing of the refugee burden should be fair. The amount of aid...is secondary." He wants Turk visa-free travel to the EU to begin in July 2016 instead of 2017. He also wants a Turkish seat at EU summits. Merkel's answer was clear : "Germany is ready to offer support. If we take the question of visa liberalization, we can talk in the German-Turkish working group ...about specific possibilities to push through visa facilitation." ~~~~~ Dear readers, that is Realpolitik at work -- practicality over hidebound policy. America has not been good at Realpolitik, seeing it as a denial of principle. But Realpolitik could seek common interests - in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine. Kissinger understood Realpolitik. Kerry doesn't.