Posted on 03/03/2003 8:04:12 AM PST by SJackson
The Turkish parliament's failure this weekend to approve the basing of U.S. troops made headlines around the world, but the unreported backstory is how officials at the U.S. State Department have their fingerprints all over the mess in Ankara. With the margin of defeat so narrow — a mere four votes shy of a simple majority — State's unfortunate diplomacy in the past few months likely made the difference.
Winning the support of Turkey for any Iraq invasion was the State Department's job and now many in the White House are wondering what went wrong. Turkey has been a reluctant, but willing, partner during four months of negotiations. Media reports, however, pegged Turkey as attempting to be bought off by the U.S. for supporting an Iraqi invasion. That was one of the key problems.
News accounts airing details of the supposedly secret negotiations made Turkey's leadership look driven almost solely by money. "The leaks made Turkey look like a prostitute," complains one Turkish official. Part of this anger stems from the fact that the leaks claiming Turkey was still shaking down the U.S. for more money continued even after the economic issues had been agreed upon and taken off the table.
While the source of leaks can never be known for certain, but officials at both State and the Pentagon insist that the leaks were part of a coordinated campaign by State to strong-arm Turkey. If so, the tactic backfired.
But the leaks were only part of the problem. People familiar with the political scene in Turkey — as much as 90 percent of the public opposes war with Iraq — knew for months before Saturday that the vote in the parliament would be tight. In an effort to build more support among the Turkish military, the Pentagon wanted to send a delegation to Turkey in November. State refused. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was adamant that the Pentagon not encroach on State's turf, and the military meeting was scuttled.
In fairness to the State Department, dealing with the Turkish leadership is not an easy task. Most of the members of the ruling Justice and Development Party lack the sophistication found in more seasoned governments. One Defense Department official who is an avid supporter of Turkey comments that Saturday's vote is a sign that it is "amateur hour" in the Turkish government. Further complicating matters, the top spot in the Turkish government is likely changing hands in a week, when the head of the Justice and Development Party, Tayyip Erdogan, becomes eligible for the prime-minister slot (which he will likely move into).
Erdogan supported the failed resolution, but changing leadership is a process that can take up to two weeks. Although some wire stories Sunday indicated that the Turkish parliament would not take up the resolution when it reconvenes Tuesday, Turkish officials insist that it could be voted on again this week. If that doesn't happen, though, the timetable could stretch out for an extra week or two as the new leadership is installed.
Discussions about a follow-up vote in parliament might have been moot if State had handled itself differently — in Iraq. According to a Turkish official, one of the items that members of the parliament were angriest about was the exclusion of Turkish-backed individuals from the leadership of the Iraqi opposition.
In a meeting Friday in Northern Iraq, six leaders were selected — including one backed by Iran and another who is popular with Saudi Arabia — but the leader of the group representing Iraq's sizeable Turkoman population was merely promised a position on some unspecified committee. The move puzzled many in the Bush administration. "State warmly embraced the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution (backed by Tehran) and went out of its way to keep Saudi Arabia happy, but then they decided to screw our ally," complains a Defense Department official.
It is unclear exactly how many votes were swayed by the previous day's snub in northern Iraq, but considering the resolution only failed by four votes out of 534 members present, State's actions there could have been the difference. Either way, it is a sore spot for many in the Bush administration — some of whom think the State Department angering Turkey was no accident. Notes a Defense Department official familiar with the Iraqi opposition groups: "Many top officials at State don't want to go to war in Iraq. State knew the politics of the situation, yet they excluded the group backed by Turkey right as the Turkish parliament was voting on the resolution. It makes you wonder: Is State trying to undermine the president?"
— Joel Mowbray is an NRO contributor and a Townhall.com columnist.
Fortunately America is 12,000 miles upwind.
Oh please!
Northern Iraq just became an American vital interest. Your government just showed that its interests and America's are incompatable.
Being the more powerful party, American interests in Northern Iraq will trump Turkey's.
Turkey will not get an apology from America. It will not get money from America. It will get nothing from America.
Allah is on the side of the bigger battalion, and Turkey isn't.
Obviously they feel otherwise about President Bush.
For the Strong Do What They Will
And the Weak Endure What They Must
That's why I've been using an analogy of a blind giant who likes to tap dance. Subtlety has never been an American style. We go for brute force. The conscience which inhibited excesses is now merely a policy choice of the current administration rather than an enforceable requirement of the American people.
I fear what we will do to ourselves in our wrath, not what our enemies might do to us. Or we'll do to them.
The Turks are merely clueless by-standers who can't conceive of how things have changed and what will happen in their area. They, and the South Koreans will find out right quick if the North Koreans attack any of our aircraft.
Asinine, this whole thing. Someone is trying to screw both of us...
I have been following your recent "rants" about the situation, and was setting myself to flame you...
Then I read this article, and your response. I am glad I listen to my instincts and did not flame away!
This has State's stench from Foggy Bottom all over it, and mark my words it will be traced back to some NWO-Type Clintonista/Mad Maddi Halfwit holdover...or some career Hack with an axe to grind agains GWB or the US in general.
We are pissed at the Muslim world in it's current state, but we should remember our Allies and alliances. We also will not let another Muja Hadeen situation get out of hand with the Kurds! If they can't play by Human rules, they will end up like the vermin at Tora Bora!
My gut tells me this pooch was screwed on purpose. We need to know who and why!
If only we had some chaps here who could act so forthrightly in their country's best interests.
Dude, it ain't rocket science. The Turks want an oil field (or two) of their very own. Kirkuk and Mosul would do nicely. And I totally concur! The entire faux-country, "Iraq," would, IMNSVHO, be better off as as a vilayet of Turkey than as a rump convenience of the defunct Foreign Office of the British Empire.
As far as our overly picturesque quondam allies, the Kurds go, well, so be it. They need clean drinking water and fast horses, and their bandit culture and all-too-numerous-progeny are secure. The Turks won't treat'em much worse than the Maine state police would. And one whole hell of a lot better than the deal they are getting from Saddam Hussein. (Let the Swedish Highway Patrol deal with the rest of them...."so how are you liking this diversity crap, Sven?")
Very mysterious of Allah to place these lucrative deposits under the posteriors of the Kurds. Have at them. These quaint and colorful natives are about as capable of running a country (or a church picnic) as Bruce Springsteen is of playing the guitar!
The State Department has long had a reputation as being pro-Arab and anti-Israeli. If they are admireres of Turkey, there's little evidence of it. And it has been Congress who has blocked arms sales to Arab countries at times, such as the AWACS sales to Saudi Arabia, over the protestations of various administrations. I don't doubt that there are far-seeing officers in the State Department, but the Arabists are known to control it.
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