“Realist” İdealizm? 1977-1978 Senelerinde ABD-Suudi Arabistan İlişkileri Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme

Realizm-İdealizm gelgiti, ABD’nin kuruluşundan bu yana dış politikası hakkında yapılan tartışmaların başında gelmektedir. Başta Thomas Jefferson olmak üzere, ABD’nin kurucu babalarının savunduğu insan hakları ve demokrasi gibi ideal değerlerin, dış politikada rehberlik etmekten çok, ABD karar alıcıları tarafından ABD’nin çıkarları uğuruna feda edildiği ve/veya araç olarak kullanıldığı ve bu sebeple de ABD’nin kendi kimliğinden/özünden uzaklaştığı fikri, söz konusu tartışmaların çoğunda bulunmaktadır. Tüm bu tartışmalar içerisinde, Soğuk Savaş’ın en hararetli dönemlerinden birinde başkanlık yapmış olan Jimmy Carter’ın, idealist duruşu nedeniyle, istisnai bir konuma sahip olduğunu söylemek yanlış olmayacaktır. Böyle olmakla birlikte, 1979 senesinin meydan okumaları nedeniyle, Carter’ın bu idealizminin zayıfladığını ve hatta yok olduğunu söylemek mümkündür. Bu çalışma, Carter döneminin idealist seneleri olarak bilinen 1977-1978 döneminde ABD - Suudi Arabistan ilişkilerini inceleyecektir. Çalışmanın amacı, söz konusu idealizmin sınırlarını görebilmek ve bu sınırların arkasındaki nedenleri ABD yönetiminin iç yazışmalarında aramak ve ortaya koymaktır. Çalışmanın temel argümanı, ABD dış politikasında salt idealizm veya realizmin tek hâkim yaklaşım olmadığı, bu iki akımın çoğu zaman birbirinin içine geçtiği ve hatta birinin diğerinin aracı olarak kullanıldığı fikridir. Carter döneminin “en idealist” olarak bilinen 1977-1978 senelerinde dahi ABD’nin Suudi Arabistan ile olan ilişkilerinde var olan realist motifler, ABD’nin idealizminin sınırlarını gözler önüne sermektedir. Buna karşılık, Başkan Carter’ın Ortadoğu’da adil bir düzen ve Arap-İsrail barışı gibi idealist amaçları için realist adımlar attığı da ayrı bir gerçeklik olarak ortaya çıkmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Realizm, İdealizm, ABD Dış Politikası, Soğuk Savaş, Jimmy Carter, Suudi Arabistan

The “Realist” Idealism? An Evaluation on the USA-Saudi Arabia Relations in 1977-1978

The idealism/realism dilemma has been one of the leading issues of discussion on the US foreign policy since its foundation. It is generally argued in these discussions that ideal values such as democracy and human rights, launched by the founding fathers of the US- particularly by Thomas Jefferson- have been used as means to achieve American interests, rather than being guiding principles of foreign policy; and that the US has been therefore alienated from its identity. Amid all these discussions, it would not be wrong to mention that Jimmy Carter, who became the US President in one of the harshest periods of Cold War, constitutes an exceptional case due to his idealist stance vis-à-vis world politics. Notwithstanding this, one should notice that his idealism had to wane and even totally disappear because of the challenges of 1979. This study is going to analyze the US-Saudi Arabia relations in 1977-1978, notably known as the idealist years of Carter. The goal of the study is to reveal the limits of the afore-mentioned idealism and explore the reasons behind through the declassified documents within the Carter Administration. The main arguments of the study are that neither realism nor idealism is the only approach dominating the US foreign policy; and that each one is usually embedded in the other and even each one is used as a mean to other. It seems right to mention that the realist motives being present in the American-Saudi relations in the most “idealist” years of Carter that are 1977-1978, reveals the limits of the US’ idealism. In return, the fact of Carter having taken realist steps to reach his idealist goals such as a just order and Arab-Israeli peace in the Middle East, comes to surface as another reality.

Keywords:

Realism, Idealism, US Foreign Policy, Cold War, Jimmy Carter, Saudi Arabia,

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