[Ophiucus]

Possibly. Turkey got caught between a rock and hard place and made the worst of two bad choices, from their viewpoint.

Turkey has been an important "friendly" (can't really use "ally") to the US for a long time. Our relationship scared the **** out of the USSR and still makes the Russians nervous - and Syria, Jordan, Iran, et al. That's why Powell is having talks with them. He's not really pandering. Bush made it clear that the US was not happy with them and gave Powell his marching orders. EU or no, we need Turkey for a chance to foster democracies in the Midlle-East.

[AFPhys]

Turkey is one of the most important "strategic" countries in the world. Personally, I would love to make a move to locate major US forces there rather than other Western Europe countries, since the demise of the Soviet Union. I was really hoping there would be a strong alliance with them for the WASH, but that didn't work out, largely due to the timing of their internal politics.

[Straight Vermonter]

Turkey has been an important "friendly" (can't really use "ally") to the US for a long time.

Not an ally? Turkey has fought along side the US in every conflict since WWII, up until this one. They are a member of NATO. They staged American nuclear weapons on their soil. They were in Korea, Vietnam, GWI, & Afghanistan, why would you say they are not an ally? Because their own interests in this case were not the same as ours? You do not want an ally you want a toadie.