Hours after the Turkish government said it would, under certain circumstances, allow the U.S. to use military bases and air space for a strike against Iraq, it appears to be revising its position, or hedging…reconsidering. Maybe all of the above.
Bottom line: officials in Ankara are now saying that Turkey has made no commitments to the U.S. The U.S. is well aware of how important Turkey, Iraq’s border to the north, is to a successful campaign against Baghdad.
But Ankara’s indecision may in part be due to its delicate political situation, a fledgling government, and its bid to join the European Union. Turkey: straddling the East and the West, and at a moment of great decision.
Guests:
Jenny White, Associate Professor of Anthropology at
Boston University and author of Islamist Mobilization in
Turkey: A study in Vernacular Politics;Johnny Dymond, BBC correspondent, Ankara.