Turkey wants Iraq disarmed

Washington Times ^ | 2/3/2003 | O. Faruk Logoglu

[a_Turk]

Much has been written in recent weeks about what level of support Turkey might provide in the event of a war in Iraq. The Turkish government's deliberation over how best to contribute to the U.S.-led international effort to disarm Iraq has been construed as an indication of uncertainty, or even weakness, in our countries' long-standing alliance. Worse still, some have suggested that Turkey is attaching a dollar value to its support for the United States.

[a_Turk]

O. Faruk Logoglu is Turkey's ambassador to the United States.

[a_Turk]

ping.

[perfect stranger]

I'm still confused. Are they gonna help us or what? IIRC Canada seems to be of two minds as well.

[Sparta]

Turkey is a good ally of the United States. Turkey has been there for us, unlike some "allies" in Old Europe.

[Allan]

Bump

[Dog Gone]

This is the best possible spin that can be put on the situation. The truth is that Turkish support for military pressure has been less than enthusiastic and late in the game. It's still not a done deal until the Parliament approves it.

However, it is true that Turkey is facing many internal distractions and we greatly appreciate the assistance we are receiving.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[NeonKnight]

Turkey and the US are not allied because the Turks are great 'yes' men. We are allied because we have many mutually beneficial interests. Turkey has more to fear from a militarily powerful Sadam than we do.

The US, Israeli, Turkish -axis of sanity- stands strong, just not real public.

[xzins]

Turkey has long been a willing partner, permitting the U.S. to base troops there all through the Cold War and afterwards. Among the Mid-East countries, they clearly are the most democratic and the most advanced.

I don't think they want a nuclear, biologic, chemical capable military to their south.

I think the idea of a new Federal Iraq, after the war, has appeal to Turkey. The northern kurdish state, the middle sunni state, and the southern shi-ite state, combined in one nation will provide all those groups some degree of self-determination.

[Torie]

Did you notice our Freeper friend's post that suggested that Turkey be dismembered, and given back to the Greeks, Armenians, etc.? There is just something in the water over there. Most everyone seems absolutely mad at times, and of course, totally ethnocentric.

[a_Turk]

It ain't in the water, I assure you, but hidden deep where the sun don't shine..

[pkpjamestown]

"And also, our new government has placed a high priority on seeking a resolution to the question of Cyprus."

The resolution of "Turkey's Identity" question is much more important, than the Cyprus issue. Solve Turkey's internal problems first, and if you have any energy left over, try to solve the Cyprus issue.

My observations lead me to believe that neither will be settled, in the near future.

[Dubya]

bump

[Robert_Paulson2]

the articles are great turk...

I need a program however to distinquish all the players at times....

a primer on your countrymen's form of government might be enlightening as well.

you have parliament right?

[Momaw Nadon]

Attack on Iraq Betting Pool

[a_Turk]

>>you have parliament right?

Yup..

[BlackJack]

The army is committed to a secular government but there
is a growing islamic political movement. This movement is
not so hot on being pro US...correct? They just won big in the last election.

Question a_Turk : Is Turkey headed towards a fundamentalist type
of government? Hard economic times may put hard liners
in power? What does the future look like?

[foreign policy wonk]

The Turkish-Israeli-US Axis is a mutually beneficial one, and has been quite successful.

Turkey has an immense amount of pressure from within thanks to Islamic radicals and Kurdish separatists.

However, the Turks are strong and play realpolitik well.

This triple alliance will not allow an independent Kurdish state around Kirkuk and Mosul to be established as it would threaten Turkish interests and therefore the triple alliance.

The War on Iraq is a fait accompli and the Turks, who will be onside, need to be rewarded.

A larger alliance of the future will hopefully encompass Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Croatia, and Persia.

Turkey has been a valuable ally, both to the US and Israel, and a bulwark against Islamic radicalism.

be seeing you,

foreign policy wonk

post 0040

[Torie]

You might check out this book, The Two Faces of Islam. The thesis is that the Saudi branch of Islam, Wahhabism, is a virulent offshoot of Islam, to which no more than 10% of the Islamic world subscibes, and is basically heretical vis a vis the Islamic tradition. The US in its ignorance and desire to appease the Saudis has given this offshoot largely carte blanche here as the face of Islam. The author also stated that most of the Islamic organizations in the US are Wahhabi, and funded by the Saudis.

I listened to the guy on booknotes on Span last night. He is not intellectual genius, but has an interesting background. He has a Jewish heritage, was a beat poet in San Francisco, then a reporter for the Chronicle for a decade, and then moved to Bosnia for a couple of years in 1999, where he listened to Muslims there say what they thought about Wahhabism. He has been interested in Sufi Islam since he was a teenager, and is a Sufi Muslim. Sufis are those that believe that there is some grand unified theory that brings together in a larger whole the three religions of Abraham, and seek and savor those connections.

The point of all this is that Turkish Islam, or Indonesian Islam, etc. has a very different tradition from Wahhabism, and Ottoman Islam in particular was much more pluralistic in outlook, even though the Ottoman empire was well, yes, imperialistic.

Folks here at FR have a very poor record when it comes to saying much that is at all helpful or intelligent about Islam. We need to do better. So says this particular near atheist agnostic WASP.

[foreign policy wonk]

Hi Torie,

I assume you're referring to Stephen Schwartz.

He was in favour of intervention in Bosnia and Kosovo.

He also sees the Wahhabists for what they really are, and how they don't reflect the whole of Islam.

Make no doubt about it, the Wahhabists are the real danger, yet they've managed to wiggle away while we focus on Iraq.

Hopefully a reckoning will soon come.



be seeing you,

foreign policy wonk


post 0041