Turkey
must support America
By Barlas F. Esin
On-line Forty-Niner
My
home country, Turkey, is a longtime ally
of the United States. It has fought with
America in conflicts as distant as the Korean
War, and supported every American military
action since then. But opposition to the
war now runs more than 90 percent there.
Despite Washington’s offers of billions
of dollars in economic assistance and promises
of espousal in political affairs, the government
cannot get parliamentary support to allow
American troops to move into Iraq from Turkish
bases.
Turkey was hardly generous enough to let
the United States employ its airspace. Turkish
politicians fear that supporting America
in its war efforts will cause internal resentment
from the public and external pressure from
the United Nations. They are also hoping
to negotiate for a bigger aid package. But
the time is running out for Turkey. The
war has begun, and America will increasingly
carry out its military operations, regardless
of Turkey’s help or not.
It is true that 90 percent of Turkish people
oppose war (I’d also oppose it if asked
in a poll), but this simple statistic doesn’t
accurately convey the entire picture there.
Ideally speaking, we all know that war is
bad and should never occur. The reality,
however, is much more different than the
ideal, meaning that the actual situation
in Turkey is rather complex. You see, Turkey’s
national interests are like a double-edged
sword — they might either pose a threat
or an opportunity.
Turkish politicians, and the public alike,
need to wake up from their pacifistic dreams
thinking that they are living in a postmodern
paradise, and ask themselves: “Should we
not be on the side of America simply because
we are against war?” For a variety of strategic
reasons, I believe that granting the wishes
of the United States will be to the benefit
of Turkey in the long run. Let me now explain
briefly why, I think, Turkey must support
America.
America handed out weapons to Kurds living
in northern Iraq so that they can fight
against the troops of Saddam Hussein. But,
what is going to happen to these weapons
after the war ends? Kurds may use them to
retaliate against Turks, both in Iraq and
in Turkey. Only the United States can guarantee
that the weapons will be collected later
on. That is why Turkey must support America.
Kurds in northern Iraq, following the war,
will rightly want to form their own country.
But Turkey has to expect the worst — what
if Kurds demand that Turkey gives up part
of its land in southeast? This would be
a historic disaster, bringing about an armed
conflict between Turks and Kurds similar
to that between Israelis and Palestinians.
Only the United States can assure that such
a scenario will not occur. That’s why Turkey
must support America.
There are a little over 2 million Turkmen
people — descendants of Turkish ancestry
— living in Kirkuk, Iraq. These people are
in danger of being killed by Iraqis during
the war and by Kurds afterwards. Who is
responsible for protecting them? Quite frankly,
the United States doesn’t care much, so
the responsibility falls on to the shoulders
of Turkey. But, the only way the Turkish
government can defend the safety of Turkmen
people is by getting the approval and backing
of the Bush administration. That’s why Turkey
must support America.
Last but not least, Turkey has a national
debt of $87 billion that has to be paid
strictly in currency. But, how can the government
pay off such a large debt if it doesn’t
have that much money? The worst scenario
would be the Turkish economy going bankrupt,
a condition that may even lead to the collapse
of the republic. The only way Turkey can
overcome its economic hardships is by acquiring
assistance from the United States. That’s
why Turkey must support America.
International policy, like any form of politics,
is an illogical venture. Surely war is awful,
but if the most dominant, most powerful
nation in the world has already waged it
against Iraq (and will not stop), what can
a struggling nation like Turkey do? Turkish
politicians need to think pragmatically
and set their priorities straight. In this
case, the most pragmatic approach to maximizing
the national interests of Turkey is to minimize
its prospective threats. Washington has
answers. That is why, my dear country Turkey,
must support America!
Barlas F. Esin is a journalism major and
a philosophy minor at Cal State Long Beach.
He can be reached at besin@csulb.edu.
|
