The Foreign Service Journal, March 2003

M A R C H 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 41 F O C U S O N P O W E L L first encountered the name of Colin Powell as a journalism student at Gazi University in Ankara in 1990 when the Gulf crisis erupted with Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. He was the first black top commander of U.S. armed forces. My impression then was that he was a cautious soldier seeking to give a chance to every effort for a peaceful solution before committing U.S. forces to a military intervention. Many observers, including myself, were certain in the summer of 2000 that Colin Powell would become the U.S. secretary of State under the Bush administra- tion. His inclusion on the team was such a huge boost to Bush’s election campaign that given his reluctance to accept the post of defense secretary, only the State Department’s control by this veteran commander would meet public expectations for Colin Powell to take over a top govern- ment responsibility. During his first two years as secretary of State, Secretary Powell has had to deal with several emer- gency situations, includ- ing the response to the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, the Afghanistan campaign and the “war on terror- ism,” the Israel-Palestine dispute, and the nuclear standoff with North Korea. The destruc- tion of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the wrecking of al-Qaida’s terrorist network in that country can be seen as a tri- umph for the Bush administra- tion. Powell’s skillful diplomacy in gathering a huge international coalition to support the campaign was critical to that tri- umph. The creation of a new strategic relationship with Russia, improved ties with China, and a new and promis- ing opening to Central and South Asia also are major pluses for Powell. But in my opinion, Secretary Powell’s most signifi- cant contribution so far has been in the handling of Iraq — a matter of grave and immediate concern to my home country, Turkey. Iraq: A Test of Diplomacy A few characteristics have dominated Powell’s approach on Iraq as well as other issues: his insistence on the need for a strong political cause, international support and an exit strategy. Despite Washington’s 1991 decision to leave Saddam in power, which Powell supported at the time, the secretary of State was aware from the beginning that U.N.-sponsored sanc- tions would not work against Saddam, and has said so publicly. Secretary Powell shares the view with other lead- ers in the Bush adminis- tration that Saddam must go, but he possibly differed on the method and timing, and has con- sistently sought wide interna- tional support and insisted on the need to work with the United Nations. I had the opportunity to interview Secretary Powell in late November 2001, a time when people in Turkey were seeing increased signs that Iraq I A MERICA N EEDS P OWELL ’ S M ODERATION S ECRETARY OF S TATE C OLIN P OWELL ’ S INSISTENCE ON THE PRIORITY OF DIPLOMACY IS APPRECIATED IN T URKEY . B Y D ENIZ A RSLAN E NGINSOY