U.S. Prefers to Leave Iraq Through Jordan and Kuwait, Rather than Turkey

Ever since Pres. Obama declared that he would end America's military presence in Iraq, Turkish officials have been salivating at the opportunity of presenting the United States with a series of demands in return for allowing U.S. troops to leave through Turkey.

As a NATO ally and staunch opponent of the war in Iraq, one would have expected that the Turkish government would extend all necessary logistical assistance to the United States to withdraw its troops from the region in a safe, orderly and expeditious manner. Instead, Turkey's leaders are viewing the U.S. departure as a golden opportunity to exploit to the hilt for their own benefit.

Even before anyone from the U.S. government mentioned the possibility of American troops leaving Iraq through Turkey, Ankara officials volunteered to support such an idea, of course, subject to negotiations and eventual approval by the Turkish Parliament. In other words, if the price was right, and if all Turkish demands were met, Turkey would be more than happy to give its blessing.

Turkish leaders are also pleased that Pres. Obama is going to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, in addition to seeking soldiers from other countries. This is yet another opportunity for Turks to fleece the U.S. Today's Zaman newspaper quoted unnamed Ankara officials as stating that Turkey is opposed to sending troops to Afghanistan, beyond its 800 non-combat soldiers already there. However, since the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is approaching and both Pres. Obama and the Congress are expected to take a stand on this issue, Turkey may change its mind and decide to contribute troops to Afghanistan, after all!

This is the same kind of horse-trading that went on in 2003, when Washington asked for permission to enter Northern Iraq through Turkey. After lengthy bargaining on how many billions of dollars the U.S. would offer Ankara to allow such passage, the Turkish Parliament voted down the American request. This rejection delayed the start of the war, forcing U.S. troops to travel from the Mediterranean to Iraq through the Persian Gulf, and resulted in more casualties among American troops who had to fight their way from Southern Iraq to the North.

One wonders what demands the Turks would make this time around to allow U.S. troops to leave Iraq through Turkey and to send more Turkish soldiers to Afghanistan. How many billions of dollars would Turkish leaders ask for and which U.S. policies, in addition to genocide recognition, they would seek to influence?

One would hope that Pres. Obama draws valuable lessons from the experience of previous administrations -- that Turkey is not a reliable ally -- a lesson also learned by Israel during the recent Gaza conflict.

It appears that some U.S. military officials have already concluded that they cannot place the fate of American soldiers in the hands of capricious Turkish leaders. U.S. troops are expected to be evacuated from Iraq through neighboring Jordan and Kuwait, which have never put any conditions nor made any demands on the U.S. government! Given the attractiveness of the withdrawal route through these two friendly Arab countries, the American military may completely ignore the Turkish transit option. The traditional Turkish practice of making excessive demands may have finally backfired.

The Associated Press (AP) released a report last week, disclosing that U.S. troops will "shift" to the South (Kuwaiti border) and "exit" through the desert, meaning Jordan. The AP quoted Terry Moores, deputy assistant chief of staff for logistics for Marine Corps Central Command, as stating: "The Marines have already tested exit routes through Jordan with plans for a full-scale exodus" in 2010.

One would hope that at long last, U.S. appeasement of Turkey might be coming to an end. The mistake made by previous U.S. administrations as well as Israeli governments is that the more they cave in to Turkish blackmail, the more demanding the Turks become.

Due to Turkey's persistent use of bullying tactics in the past, U.S. commanders have good reason to be concerned with choosing the Turkish option out of Iraq. What would happen, if in the midst of the troop pullout, Turkish leaders object to a particular U.S. policy? What if the Turks threaten to block the transit of U.S. troops unless the State Department revises its latest human rights report which accuses Turkey of torture, unlawful killings, limited freedom of expression, and restrictions on minorities?

The wisest approach is to eliminate all such demands and threats once and for all, by telling Turkey that unless it cooperates fully with the U.S., it will receive no further economic or military aid. After all, Turkey needs the United States much more than the U.S. needs Turkey. The tail should not be allowed to wag the dog!

Comments

[PlaceboStudman]

Like the author says, Turkey needs us more than we need Turkey. That being said, I do hope that some kind of political agreement and negotiations can continue with Turkey, and that we will hold them up for their issues in human rights, while making sure we take responsibility for our human rights issues

[nefertiti]

Bravo Alexa07 Yes he did deserve the Lashing and More . that guy is capable of lying with a straight face, criminals do that with no problem . he was the guy behind Qana 1 of 1996 and other victims of grapes of wrath .

[nefertiti]

i dont agree with the first Comment , we did not suffer under the Ottoman Empire , we actually prospere and we had a great civilisation that spread all over spain , and the ottoman empire did not kill Arabs nor destroyed their citiies , on the contrary . Sure independence was a lot better from the turks , and the Arabs were Promised a free Palestine from the British rule , if they helped the British fight the Turks , but they were conned big time .

[Harut Sassounian - Huffpost Blogger]

Alexa,

For your information, Arabs suffered tremendously under the Ottoman yoke for centuries. There is no love lost bewteen Arabs and Turks. The reason I am critical of Erdogan is that his apparent sympathy for Arabs in Gaza is not sincere. He is purely motivated by political interests on the eve of critical local elections in Turkey. Besides talking a good game -- "tongue-lashing," -- what has Erdogan done to defend the people of Gaza? Turkey is still a military ally of Israel and has billions of dollars of trade, including military hardware, with Israel. Erdogan allows Israeli Air Force jets to make bombing practice runs in its air space. Turkey has not even recalled its ambassador from Israel! That's how much Erdogan cares about the suffering Palestinians!
By the way, 1915 was not a "tragedy!" It was "Genocide!" Furthermore, I don't want you to "lament the past." I don't lament the past myself. I want justice done to all victims of crimes against humanity and genocide.

[alexa07]

I would like to thank you for taking the time to respond to my comments and to express your feelings.

[alexa07]

Not a reliable ally of Israel? Blame for Turkey at Davos? So the tragedies of 1915 close your eyes to those in Lebanon & Gaza today? You want us to lament the past, but not take actions in the present to prevent killing? My understanding is that many Armenians sought shelter in Lebanon & other nearby countries. Your double standard is shameful! Peres deserved the tongue-lashing he received in Davos.

[S1m0n]

Refusing to assist the United States' invasion of Iraq was the responsible thing to do; it's a pity more nations didn't join in.