Turkey's Strategic Geographical Location In The World of Geo-Politics The country of Turkey, slightly larger than Texas in size (780,580 sq km), lies on the southeastern side of Europe and the southwestern side of Asia.? It borders the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.? Land wise, Turkey is bordered to the northwest by Bulgaria and Greece, to the east by Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia (all three part of the former USSR) and Iran, and to the south by Iraq and Syria.? Strategically located, Turkey controls the Turkish straights including the Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara, and Dardanelles.? Because Turkey is positioned on an area where Europe meets Asia and is very close geographically to Africa, the country …show more content…
The 68,109,469 citizens of Turkey and the Turkish Parliament did not agree, however, and thus the United States army was not allowed to pass through Turkey.? Later, Turkey announced it would send a large detachment of troops into Iraq to handle the Turcoman minority which, due to its hostility to the Kurdish majority supported by the United States, had united itself with Iraqi resistance. The Turkish political opinion, on the other hand, was adamantly opposed to this plan so the project was abandoned (Gorce).? Fortunately for the United States a compromise was achieved.? Turkey, home to Incirlik Air Base, allowed the United States and British planes to fly from Turkey to monitor Iraq?s northern no-fly zone (Bender). Turkey?s Economic Future with its Neighboring Countries Turkey, a republican parliamentary democracy, in the past has suffered economic harm from having Iraq as a neighbor (through international embargoes) (?Turkey, Iraq, Sign Protocol to Boost Trade?) but can now play an important role in the rebuilding of Iraq (Larson). In fact, the Turkish Daily News writes, ?Turkey is committed to working closely with the United States, Iraqi people, and the international community to prepare the conditions for the Iraqi people to fully take charge of their country? (?Peace and Stability?).? Evidence of this statement can be seen in that Turkey and Iraq, on November 21st, 2003, signed a protocol to boost
Rather than fix the numerous problems, the KRG leaders utilize false rhetoric and fictitious scenarios to distract the Kurdish citizens from the struggles of their daily lives. Accordingly, the American public must employ its democratic power to compel the United States into using fiery propaganda and military strength to unite the Kurds and overthrow the KRG leaders. With the completion of the coup and the current officials replaced with active problem-solvers, the Kurds can fulfill their desire: a pillar of strength in a land of
The war in Iraq lasted for eight years and resulted in many casualties; the cost of the war was tremendous. The reason for the war changed as time went by, starting with getting rid of weapons of mass destruction and then, when the weapons of mass destruction were not found, the name changed to Iraqi Freedom. A debate between two writers that emerged of the war in Iraq shows different perspectives. Writer John Mueller, who holds the Woody Hayes Chair of National Security Studies at Ohio State University, makes the case against war on Iraq. Also, writer Brink Lindsey, who is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, is in favor of this war. This paper will examine the perspectives as reported by both John Mueller and Brink Lindsey as they argue about the case of the United States invading Iraq. I will conclude from the evidence that the war on Iraq was unnecessary and counterproductive because it increased not decreased the terrorism, refugee crises, cost lives and money without achieving any of its objectives.
Has Turkey adopted both Western and Islamic principles? Westernization is the social process of becoming familiar with or converting to the customs and practices of Western Civilization. It is the accepting of western ideas in the fields of science, technology, philosophy, and other social materialistic aspects of life. However, Islam is the submission to the will of God. Unlike westernization, Islam is a spiritual practice, therefore, has its own unique identity, culture, and principles of social life. Since the day of independence, Turkey has always aligned itself with the western world. Only until recently, under the Justice and development party led by Recep Erdogan Turkey is starting to practice and meddle in the affairs of the Middle East.
In the post -World War II era, the competition of global supremacy between the superpowers of the time, United States and the Soviet Union resulted in the Cold War. Many countries in the world were pulled into this rivalry including many of the states of the Middle East. Allies against the Soviet Union received substantial quantities of United States aid and were encouraged to purchase weapons of Western means. Those who were in opposition to the United States’ power received economic and military assistance from the Soviet Union. The United States were inclined to view the rivalry between them and the Soviet Union as a vie for global supremacy. The challenge of attaining democracy in the Middle East has been insufficient leadership specifically in those who shared a common border and were in proximity to the Soviet Union. The United States, in their determination to impede the threat of expansion of the borders of the Soviet Union as well as contain the spread of communion, provided economic and military assistance to keep Iran, Iraq and Turkey politically stable. Although this was the goal of the United States, they actually impeded the democracy and political stability of these countries through its persistent influence in government affairs, determining its future’s livelihood.
As years pass, Americans are becoming increasingly critical of the American invasion of Iraq following the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. As a result, many Americans are apprehensive in supporting another American intervention in a Middle Eastern country during the middle of an uprising. For years, politicians have echoed the same sentiment: “I will not create another ‘Iraq’ in the Middle East,” however, when faced with the opportunity to do exactly that, it seems the decision is not so simple. On one hand, a direct intervention would be extremely costly and very might well be unsuccessful entirely. On the other hand, taking a hands-off approach and instead opting to employ diplomacy and encourage American allies to
were willing to comply with the democratic and liberal U.S. ideals. Both Turkey and Greece are presently good allies with the United States because of the democratic relationship they were able to build. Again Owen states, that liberal peace is only possible if both states are liberal, which Turkey and Greece are, hence why their relations with the United States resulted in peace. Although, one can argue that despite Owen’s argument, both states can be liberal and still result in conflict.
Just like Jordan, the Turkish government also in support of the Syrian rebellions to President Al-Assad. As a result, the American government sent about 400 troops and two batteries of Loyalist missiles to Turkey to avert any missile attacks from Syria. In fact, scud missiles were thrown at some agitators, which demonstrated that, the government of President Assad does not fear using force against humanity for personal interests. As a result, the American batteries would form part of the wider push to reinforce the Turkish defense, which will also include the deployment of additional loyalist including two from the Netherlands and two from Germany (Herring, 28). This clearly shows that policing role of the United
Summary: A closed think-tank meeting held JUL17 in German, has identified the Western Balkans as the next crisis area as Turkey and Russia continue to promote instability within the region. The group identified three areas, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Macedonia, as potential targets of Russian and Turkish supported annexation by Serbia and Albania. Despite Turkey’s suspicions of Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is cooperating more closely with President Vladimir Putin and is now seen by many NATO members as becoming a NINO (NATO in Name Only) power.
Throughout history, many nations have undergone the laborious task of nation building. Whether it was the Egyptians during the ancient period or the Germans during the modern period, many nations that exist today are the result of nation building. However, Iraq has faced many obstacles that has averted its valiant efforts in nation building. Some of the main obstacles include the extension of ethnonational and sectarian borders beyond the nation state, U.S. intervention in Iraq and the presence of ISIS. In any event, the situation in Iraq is still unstable and must be looked at with close
US support and agendas within the Middle East have been extremely complicated in the last century. Starting with the backing of the Shah of Iran in the early 1950s to the present-day conflict in Syria, there appears to be no decision without adverse secondary and tertiary effects. Since the Persian Gulf War, US policy has been fully supportive of the Arabs and Turks while limiting official support for the Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Nevertheless, unofficially, the US has fully supported the Kurds militarily through the establishment of long-term partnerships between military forces. While always a point of contention with Turkey and the Government of Iraq (GOI), the recent increase in support for Kurdish forces in Syria to oppose the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) brought the issue to the forefront. The time for US policy to withhold support for the Kurds is past due to their critical role in the campaign against ISIL. The US attempted to establish a coalition amongst the Turks and the Arabs but this has largely failed to turn the tide of ISIL’s advance. However, following the consistent successes of the Kurds advance wresting control of northeastern Syria away from ISIL, it is a foregone conclusion that the US requires an alliance with the Kurds if they wish to establish some semblance of stability in the Middle East. In the end, can the US ethically and morally provide support to the Kurds, ignoring requests from US allies in the region?
As of present, the state of Iraq is plagued with a myriad of problems, each of which must be taken into consideration when determining the best possible course of action for the United States. First, previous interventions, particularly those conducted by the United States, in Iraq must be considered in order to understand how a particular course of action in the current dilemma might play out. While the United States has played a role in Iraqi coups throughout the 20th century and assisting the Kurdish population in the north, the most decisive interventions began with the Persian Gulf War. The second is the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the third is the American-led intervention in Iraq against ISIS which is ongoing.
With the benefit of hindsight, many people consider the invasion of Iraq a failure. After the initial invasion of Iraq, things go worse instead of better within the country. Ultimately both the United States and Iraq payed a heavy cost due to Western intervention, which this paper will later discuss. The purpose of this research paper is to the Iraq invasion which includes the events leading to the invasion, the invasion itself, and the consequences. The purpose of examining the Iraq invasion as a whole is because a proper understanding of the event cannot be achieved without proper context. Actions have consequences, which this paper will explore. Although the invasion of Iraq took place in 2003, the first paragraph will discuss the country
The Middle East is a region of Western Asia and Egypt; some of the countries in this region are Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq. According to Anderson, Seibert & Wagner (2006), this region is of vast geo-economic importance and since ancient times, it has been a center of world affairs. This part matters to almost all superpowers. The geographic factors that contribute to the strategic importance of the Middle East are; trade routes, oil, terrain or geography, ideology, and faith. The Middle East has always been a destination for both tourists and entrepreneurs.
The relationship between the United States and Turkey since the 1991 Gulf War can be described as a ?you scratch my back I?ll scratch yours? situation.? Turkey still plays a crucial role in U.S. foreign policy; however, the relationship has been strained during the interwar years.? According to Michelle Ciarrocca, the U.S. needs to treat modern Turkey as a part of the ?New Europe? (ibid).? ?New Europe? includes the members of NATO in the eastern parts of Europe (ibid).? This area is becoming increasingly important to the U.S. because of its strategic location near both the Middle East and Russia (ibid).? For this reason, The United States has struggled to build a working relationship with Turkey.? However, this relationship is not always ideal for both
In recent years, the Iraqi nation has endured a crisis that will forever remain in the hearts and minds of the Middle Eastern culture. However, the outcomes of the War on Iraq will not change the long-lasting and passionate traditions and memories that have been held in the country for decades. One major event that happened in Iraq’s history is that on October 3, 1932 Iraq was established as an independent nation. Iraq has always been a country in which respect and generosity have been highly valued and play an important cultural role in everyday life. Additionally, approximately ninety-five percent of Iraqis are Muslim, and therefore Islam is the official religion of this nation (Gutierrez 1). Furthermore, Iraq is a