HOUSTON CHRONICLE
June 12, 2010, 5:48PM
Turkey has been making major headlines lately for reasons that are causing major headaches for policy-makers in Washington and other Western capitals. This is uncharacteristic behavior for the Turks, long viewed as this country's most reliable allies in the Muslim world and considered a durable cultural bridge between the Mideast and Europe.
Times are changing. So, it seems, are the Turks. The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan first raised diplomatic eyebrows in mid-May when it joined Brazil in brokering a fuel-swap agreement with Iran as a way to address global concerns that the Tehran regime may be enriching uranium for nuclear weapons. That issue was resolved, at least for now, by Wednesday's welcome U.N. vote to bring economic sanctions against Tehran. Turkey and Brazil opposed the sanctions.
In late May the Ankara government caused more diplomatic heartburn when it gave unofficial backing to a six-ship flotilla seeking to break an Israeli naval blockade against the Hamas regime in Gaza. The result was an Israeli raid in international waters, in which nine were killed, followed immediately by a break in diplomatic relations between the Ankara and Tel Aviv governments. This is a serious blow to Israel, which is for all practical purposes left friendless in the region; but it is also a self-inflicted wound for the Turks, who benefited by the relationship.
Informed observers attribute the Erdogan government's controversial choices to its wish to strengthen relations with Arab nations in Turkey's near neighborhood. It's also a reflection of the country's growing sophistication and economic strength. If considered part of Europe, the Turkish economy would be the Continent's sixth largest. (Turkey continues to face opposition by some European Union members to its desired membership in the EU.)
Some of the Turks' recent decisions seem to us unworthy of either their history or their strong democratic traditions. We apply this judgment, in particular, to the Ankara government's decision to court Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Last week, Ahmadinejad was warmly welcomed at a regional security meeting in Istanbul also attended by Russia's Vladimir Putin. This is a poor choice. Ahmadinejad — the Holocaust denier committed to the destruction of Israel — is not worthy of Turkey's friendship. This relationship should be cooled, and the Obama administration should not hesitate to make that point with Ankara.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/7050059.html
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