Turkey: The Forgotten American Ally

By Preston Cooper

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The Middle East is in flames. Fighting in Syria grows bloodier by the day. Conflicts between Israel and Palestine look likely to break open again. Tensions regarding Iran are escalating, and Afghanistan persists as the war that won't end. Despite all the violence, all the anti-American sentiment, we do have allies in the region. And it's important that we don't forget them.

Two years ago today, a chasm opened between our two closest allies in the region, a chasm that never really closed. When pro-Palestinian activists attempted to sail an aid flotilla into the impoverished Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers boarded the boats and killed nine Turkish activists. Plenty of harsh condemnations and severed diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey followed the incident. And the US did relatively little to mediate the conflict or mend the damage.

If anything, we took Israel's side - and taking sides is a big no-no when settling disputes between allies. Rick Perry went so far as to call Turkey's Prime Minister an "Islamic terrorist" for his spirited language against Israel. All in all, we left Turkey alone and stewing.

This egregious lapse of foreign policy judgment has gone unnoticed and unfixed. In many ways, Turkey is a more important ally than Israel. It is a large country with a strong economy, a big influence in the region. It is one of few stable, democratic governments in the Middle East. And unlike Israel, it has the respect of neighbors who may be less friendly to the United States, with the ability to serve as a mediator. Most importantly, it is tolerant of both Western and Arabic cultures, a paragon of progressivity for the rest of the Middle East to follow.

It is high time that the American government started paying more attention to Turkey. I hope that Secretary of State Clinton and the Obama Administration will reach out to our Anatolian friends and let them know that like Israel, they have our full support. We can start by pressuring Israel to mend relations with Turkey, and request that Turkey do the same.

If the conflict in Syria explodes beyond its borders to neighboring countries, as many experts fear, Turkey must know that the United States will provide support if requested. We are a nation that stands behind its allies, and Turkey is no exception.