Turks lack trust in USA — with reason

USA Today ^ | 3/6/2003 | Deborah Mathis

[Defiant]

Don't be mad at the Turks for nixing the U.S. military's staging plans in their country. What else was their parliament to do, given that 90% of the people are opposed to war with Iraq and don't want their ground used as a launchpad for attack?

[Defiant]

This lady's gone native. Posted for a_Turk.

[nunya bidness]

Bump.

[HAL9000]

Deborah Mathis, a nationally syndicated columnist, lives part time in Istanbul.

Clinton bimbo alert.

[a_Turk]

Our general promises that his flunkie kids in the Turkish government will study harder next time..

[gcruse]

Hey, I'm not mad at the Turks. They have turned down billions of dollars we would have had to give them otherwise. The war is going on regardless, and Turkey will have to deal with strengthened Kurds as a result. That's the great thing about democracies, you get to go to hell in your own handbasket.

[Shermy]

The war didn't itself damage the trade between neighbors - 10+ years of sanctions did. Saudi benefitted, Turkey lost. US dupes.

[xm177e2]

Turkey, after all, is a secular democracy -- the only one in the Muslim world

What about our good friend and ally Kazakhstan?

[Tredge]

Dammit we talk all the time on this site about the capitalist system and the virtues of it...this case with Turkey makes me wonder if we really understand what we intend.

As far as I understand it Turkey is, among Middle-Eastern countries (is it one?) and Muslim-led countries (is it one?) the one nation that has conformed to what America has said is best for it.

Now hold on before you flame me, I'm a Freeper with credentials, and I want this to go somewhere. I intend to call us on some of our stances, so we can put our positions better forward.

I do not share the joy many here feel about Turkey's other-shoe-hitting-the-floor after they rescinded their consent for our troops to be stationed there. The other shoe dropping, the thud, was their market. There are likely many things about corruption and double-dealing about that country I don't know. That's the way it goes all over the place. (Funny thing, the exception has been our President, a most honest man - where you'd least expect to find that...but then I'm showing my age).

I get the sense that this internet community of ours, all of us free, think of our country as a juggernaut of justice, especially in these times. I submit to all readers, this is a mistake-ridden posture. It is as much borne of "feeling" as the posts of the people of DemocraticUnderground are. You're pissed off, but we have to think things through.

Turkey did not benefit from our last effort against Iraq, they suffered from it. They decided, given their past experience, that their long-term interests would not be served by serving us. They voted according to their wallets. That's an honest kind of vote, and one I thought would be appreciated. I thought the folks here would understand, but on a certain level I figured they would not.

Now their market took a big hit for their decision, so maybe their wallets weren't right. Or maybe they think in longer terms, like our wallets did when our market took a dump a couple of years ago. We're optimistic about our market, and I would grant the Turks are optimistic about theirs.

Turkey is far back compared to us in almost all categories you would define, but of all the nations in that region they're the closest we have to us. Their rejection of our soldiers speaks more than we've granted it. The offer wasn't rich enough - these are terms we should be used to dealing with.