Posted on 05/09/2006 6:45:24 AM PDT by Wiz
The surfacing last year in Turkey of virulent anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism raises the question of what should U.S. relations with Turkey be in the interests of the U.S.?
To answer this question we need to answer the following first
Is Turkey a reliable ally?
What is Turkey’s strategic, political and economic value to the U.S.?
Is Turkey a friend or a foe of the U.S. (or somewhere in-between)?
I submit that Turkey is not a friend of the U.S.; that Turkey’s interests basically are not compatible with U.S. interests; that Turkey is of minimal strategic value to the U.S. and that Turkey is clearly and fundamentally an unreliable ally.
Let’s look at the record.
Is Turkey a reliable ally?
The evidence is overwhelming that Turkey is an unreliable ally whose actions damaged the U.S. during the Cold War decades and more recently in the 21st century.
I have written previously regarding Turkey’s traitorous conduct during the Cold War when Turkey actively aided the Soviet military to the serious detriment of the U.S. Let me repeat three examples.
1. During the 1973 Mid-East War, Turkey refused the U.S. military overflight rights to resupply Israel and granted the U.S.S.R. overland military convoy rights to resupply Syria and Iraq, and military overflight permission to resupply Egypt. A member of the Turkish Foreign Policy Institute in Ankara wrote:
During the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, Moscow’s overflights of Turkish airspace were tolerated. On the other hand, during the same Middle East conflict, Turkey refused to allow the United States refueling and reconnaissance facilities during the American airlift to Israel. (Karaosmanoglu, “Turkey’s Security and the Middle East,” 52 Foreign Affairs 157, 163, Fall 1983.)
(Excerpt) Read more at kurdistanobserver.servehttp.com ...
ping
To the Turks, everything is "shurla burla", which means "like this, like that". You never know what will happen. All foreigners are "ayip", they're considered dirty. So is homosexuality, it's a big crime here, but most of them do it every chance they get. There are about thousand things that are "ayip", for instance, you can stab or shoot somebody below the waist but not above because that's intent to kill. So everyone runs around stabbing everyone else in the ass. That's what they call Turkish revenge. I know it must all sound crazy to you, but this place is crazy.
Regardless of whether they are allies or not, how biased is this op ed coming from the kurdistan observer?!?
Read that as mr. rossides is pro-greek, pro-kurd and anti-turk. No bias here.
Remember our victories during the Siege of Malta in 1565 and Lepanto in 1571.
We have been fighting the Turks from the time of the 1st Crusade through the Renaissance, Tripoli, and World War I. They have been causing us trouble in Iraq recently. They are no friends of ours.
Biased no doubt. But it can still be true.
It's from Kurdistan observer, but not written by them. Did you really read the whole thing?
The "cool down" was named Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
In every case, the description of fear and intimidation in the cult was right on with the description of Islam...
But the uncurious media didn't make the connection.
Without a doubt...Islam is a cult and an evil one!!
Turkey is neither a friend or a foe, but nation pursuing its own interests. We should let them know that we respect their interests, but if they run counter to ours, they might not like the outcome...
Saladin was a Kurd, you know...
And I submit that Turkey is a NATO ally (and all that implies), that the US still has huge RADAR and listening posts in country, that Turkey controls the Tigris, and Euphrates rivers flowing into the entire mid-east, that they are allied closely with Israel.....and that this guy is a paid shill that knows nothing about which he speaks.
Except as allies to keep Russia from gaining warm water ports.
Being half Bulgarian, I say no, don't trust them. Believe me.
Bulgarians of all people would know how brutal Turkish rule in the Balkans was!
Yes, we believe in our Bulgarian friends that have sent troops to Iraq for a better world.
|
Israel, Turkey Join Forces Against Al Qaeda By Joel Leyden Jerusalem----January 10......Israel's external intelligence agency, the Mossad, is now working with Turkey to track down al Qaeda agents in the region.
The extraordinary alliance between security officials in Muslim Turkey and the Jewish state illustrates how seriously the world's intelligence agencies are taking the continuing threat from Osama bin Laden terror network. Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, confirmed the ties to Mossad in a recent interview with Israeli TV. Erdogan admitted Turkey had misread the al Qaeda threat before homicide bombers struck twice in Istanbul last November. "That's the nature of terrorism," he said. "It is toying with the different intelligence agencies around the world." In November Islamic terrorists first attacked two synagogues and less than a week later suicide truck bombs exploded at a London-based bank and the British consulate, murdering 27 people and wounding nearly 450. The worst terrorist bombings in Turkey's history coincided with President Bush 's trip to Britain and were blamed on al-Qaida. Among the dead was British Consul-General Roger Short, London's highest-ranking diplomat in Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said. "What hurt me deeply," said Erdogan, a proud Muslim, "is that the attacks on the synagogues took place during the prayers of innocent people." Turkey quickly launched a massive hunt for the bombers' accomplices. Sources said one of the arrested suspects admitted: "We wanted to attack American targets in Ankara and Istanbul. But they're so tightly guarded even birds can't fly over them." So, he said, the terrorists chose the second-best targets. More than 50 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in the bombings. Another man, a major suspect in the attacks, was arrested within two weeks of the bombings when he tried to flee to Iran with false ID. But still safe and in hiding is the mastermind of the attacks, a Jordanian named Abu Musab al-Zarkawi, according to the Turkish newspaper Huriyet. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and told him that international terrorism is the main threat to the peace and stability of the free world, and that an uncompromising war against it is necessary. This was the first time the two men had spoken since the recent wave of terrorism in Turkey. They did not talk following the terror bombings at two Istanbul synagogues. Sharon emphasized to Erdogan, leader of the Islamic AKP Party, that this "is not a war against Islam, but against terrorist elements" being led by Muslim extremists. Sharon conveyed his condolences for the "tragedies that hit Turkey in November," and said that Israel well understands Turkey's pain. Israel and Turkey have become extremely close friends in both government to government and people to people relations. Turkey is a favorite resort area for many Israelis and commercial trade between the two countries is substantial In August 2002 Israel agreed to buy about 1.75 billion cubic feet of water from Turkey annually for the next 20 years to alleviate the nation's growing water shortage and ensure the success of an arms deal with Ankara, Israeli officials said. The quantity was believed to be enough to satisfy about 7 percent of Israel's annual needs for potable water. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Turkey's Energy Minister Zeki Cakan reached the deal at a meeting in Jerusalem. While the price was not agreed, a joint committee was set up "to discuss and finalize the issue," according to a joint statement released after the talks. Sharon senior spokesman Raanan Gissin said the water deal was tied to the sale of a big package of Israeli weapons to Turkey, including tanks and air force technology. In August 1999 after a severe earthquake killed thousands in Turkey, Israel Air Force planes airlifted an Israeli IDF search and rescue team, comprising 250 persons, as well as sophisticated rescue equipment and rescue dogs. The Israeli team began almost immediately to work at several locations, in coordination with the Turkish government. In September 1999, Israel Television's Channel 1 in coordination with the Israel Foreign Ministry conducted a "Teletrom" (telethon) fund-raising campaign on behalf of the victims of the earthquake in Turkey. The six-hour broadcast featured appearances by leading Israeli performers as well as interviews with Israeli survivors of the earthquake and members of the Israeli rescue and relief efforts, as coordinated by the Israel Foreign Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces.
|
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
