Tensions Between Turkey and the West Increase

ny times ^ | October 27, 2009 | By DAN BILEFSKY

[Flavius]

ith Turkey’s prospects for joining the European Union growing more elusive and the country reaching out to predominantly Muslim countries with a vigor not seen in years, a longstanding question is vexing the United States and Europe: Is this large, secular Muslim country turning East instead of West?

[Flavius]

[flowerplough]

Tensions between (insert name of almost any/every majority Muslim nation here) and the West increase.

[RC2]

I worry about the United States much more than I do about the Middle East. Especially during these times when we are looking a communism in Washington DC.

[Zhang Fei]

No real surprise here. The reason for the increase in Islamism in every Muslim country is simple - in the last century, the Islamists have consistently outbred the secularists. Muslim secularists had one or two kids - Islamists had six or seven. Multiply that by five generations, and it’s clear why Muslim secularists are literally a dying breed.

[gitmogrunt]

http://www.greek-genocide.org/press.html

[Flavius]

so Darwinism works fish has legs

[hinckley buzzard]

The dominance of the aggressive over the docile. No mystery. "The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity."

[mojito]

Turkey recently signed a military cooperation agreement with Syria.

Never mind the EU. Turkey needs to be removed from NATO.

[Thunder90]

Not a big deal. NATO is going to collapse anyway real soon. Many in Germany and France don’t want to be in it. And the Russians want their ex republics back.

[nkycincinnatikid]

I like Turkey and the Turks.
Turkey responded with utter conviction in adopting European values TOTALLY unlike any other mid eastern or even balkan people.
This even after the humiliation and losses suffered by aligning with Germany in WWI against the colonial powers of the day.
But Turkeys POLITICAL allignement with the west after WWII was due to the old fear of russia.
Russia is only a problem now, not a mortal threat,
The power to truly destabilize Turkey and the path it chose almost a century ago is now from the islamic states.
Turkey rationally, with extreme discomfort, did not see its interests futhered by the war in Iraq.
Now with Americas change of course they will probably be proven entirely correct.
Nations do not have friends, they have interests.

[Androcles]

Very true. Your last line especially is too oft forgotten, even though it applies equally to the west.

[Liz]

Isn't this odd? (/snic)? Tensions Between Turkey and the West Increase? Course the cynical among us see these developments as another way to extort US taxpayers for more and more foreign aid.

B/c let's not forget that, as a senior member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Cong Robert Wexler D-Fla has long been involved in issues involving Israel and Turkey.

Now Wexler just announced he is quitting Congress and will get Big Bucks to head The Middle East (gag) Peace Center------yet another Middle East Slush Fund---setup as a (gag) "foundation." The bilking of the US Treasury continues. An accounting of how many Wexler-types are getting wealthy off these peace scams is in order.

==================================================

NEED TO KNOW Did then-Cong Wexler vote for (or did he earmark) appropriations for The Middle East Peace Center--that included a hefty salary, expense account, travel allowance, and other perks, for himself?

BACKSTORY Wexler lived with his family in Maryland and calculatedly used his in-laws’ Palm Beach address to establish Florida residency — in overwhelmingly Democratic Palm Beach. Wexler was elected in 1996 and has NEVER faced a serious challenge. Wexler won a seventh term with 66.2 percent of the vote. So how did Wexler pull of a seventh term win with 66.2 percent? Luckily, Wexler's ardent supporters----"Democrats Living in Israel"----flew in to cast votes for him. Did the effort to keep Wexler in Congress by flying in planeloads of Democrats involve US tax dollars. Perish the thought (/snic).

I just hope Wexler's wealthy Palm Beach district is not the same wealthy Palm Beach affinity crowd that got wiped out "investing" with Madoff (/sniffle).

Course, Wexler's new job at The Middle East (gag) Peace Center DOES involve US tax dollars. Wexler's job will consist of negotiating a multi-billion dollar price tag on the inevitable photo-ops of Peace Pals---Obambi and Bimbiyahoo (in $3500 Armani suits)---shaking hands in the Rose Garden (yawn).

[Condor51]

*** Isn't this odd? (/snic)? Tensions Between Turkey and the West Increase? B/c let's not forget that, as a senior member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Cong Robert Wexler D-Fla has long been involved in issues involving Israel and Turkey. ***

Funny you should mention Wexler, he's in the article..

At a meeting in Istanbul last week about Turkey’s relations with its neighbors, Representative Robert Wexler, chairman of the European subcommittee in Congress, said: “You wonder why Turkey is curious about different avenues? Look at your own behavior and attitude, Europe.”

That guy pops up in the oddest places.
Too bad his 'home district' in FL wasn't one of them

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But 'series' Turkey is an odd bird (no pun intended). We need them more than they need us. And 'mo money can't buy them off. 'Colon Bowell' (sic) tried that when he was the SoS and they told him to pound sand. So thanks to Colon's arrogance and stupidity our 4th Infantry Division floated at sea for a month instead of attacking Iraq from the North, through Turkey, and meeting up with the 3rd ID in the middle of Iraq.

HE was the sole cause of the 'Sunni Triangle of Death'. Hope he sleeps well at night.