Impressions from Washington, D.C.

It is time for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. In 1912, 3,000 cherry trees were sent from Tokyo to the US capital as gifts. This year, the cherry blossoms are celebrated by a festival that lasts three weeks. More than 1 million school kids and families pour into the capital city to see the trees blossom, national symbols and museums. Obama has made an indelible mark on Washington, D.C. There are pictures and traces of Obama all around the city.
 
Obama has redefined the foreign policy priorities of the US. The Far East-Pacific region holds priority in this strategy. China in particular has a special place in this setting. China's rise and its ability to generate advanced technology is one of the most extensively discussed issues in the US. The US wants to industrialize again to create more jobs. Industrial production was once the main engine behind US power and economic might. For this reason, Obama now wants to bring high-tech production to the US.
 
To this end, by reducing costs and utilizing cheap and high-quality advanced technology, production is sought by a reliance on the 3D production model. These represent the footsteps of the new industrial revolution. Obama, in addition to creating new jobs, is also considering recognizing the undocumented immigrants in the country as citizens for the sake of social harmony. There are nearly 20 million such immigrants and workers in the US. The Democrats now have self-confidence thanks to these constructive steps. And the Republicans now face the possibility that they may not be able to come to power for a long time.
 
Discussions over North Korea have been added to concerns over China in Obama's second term. The attempts by the young leader of North Korea to prove his strength and power determine the American agenda toward the peninsula. The Middle East, including the Syrian issue, is of secondary importance. Iran is the critical and most important Middle Eastern country for the US, followed by Iraq. The latter is important because of the perspective of American oil companies. In other words, the US currently holds that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki should remain in power -- and not be bothered -- because he protects American oil interests. Of course, Israel preserves its privileged position in American foreign policy because it is seen as part of the West, not the Middle East. Washington's vision on Syria is limited to how the country should be redesigned so that it does not pose a threat to Israel in the next decade. The US now views the Syrian crisis as a matter of its friends in the region. It is known that the Arab Spring will cause turmoil for many years.
 
Washington, D.C., will host Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 16. This visit was expected to take place at the start of Obama's second term. The bilateral relations between Turkey and the US are not comparable to any other set of bilateral relations. It is stressed in particular that they are as important as bilateral relations between the US and Germany or France. They are defined as relations between two close friends. For this reason, Prime Minister Erdoğan's visit is seen as particularly important.
 
Turkey has a successful ambassador, Namık Tan, in Washington. By his initiative, the third of the Ertegün Jazz Series was held in Turkey's embassy in Washington this year. These jazz concerts hold social, political and historical importance. They are a symbol against racial discrimination in the US. It is one of the primary sources of love for Turkey and the Turks among African Americans. After being appointed as Washington envoy in 1934, Mehmet Münir Ertegün started hosting famous jazz artists, including Benny Carter and Lester Young, in the Turkish Embassy. Special jazz concert events were held in Washington despite racial discrimination in the city. Envoy Ertegün was strongly criticized for hosting African Americans in the Turkish Embassy.
 
In a letter to Ambassador Ertegün, a congressman from a southern state said he was shocked to see African Americans going in and out of the Turkish Embassy gate. In response, Ertegün wrote to the congressman: “We always admit our friends through the front gate. These people are our friends. If you come to our home, you will be our guest -- but we will take you in through the rear gate.”