Anger in Turkey over NATO missiles deployment /Turkey at the crossroads

Turkey at the crossroads
In late January American PATRIOT systems were deployed in Turkey in order to protect its territory from Syrian missile attacks. Service support is provided by four hundreds of German and Dutch soldiers.
International experts disagree as placing of NATO’s air defense systems on the Syrian-Turkish border will help to improve the security in turkish southern provinces. However, everyone is agreeing that the arrival of foreign troops to Turkey is a significant factor for military and political situation in the country.
Frequent protests take place in the city of Kahramanmaras, where the PATRIOT systems are deployed. Also protests are held in the port of Iskenderun which is the significant transit point for NATO. There are various incidents involving foreign troops.
Situation deteriorated so much that the German Foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said: "We came to Turkey as friends and we want you to meet us friendly." This tricky situation has come under close attention to the German press. German military do not like everything in Turkey. They don’t like health conditions. Turkish military authorities limit the freedom of movement of German troops. They are allowed to promenade in city only in daytime within the limited area. German soldiers are not allowed to carry weapons and hang national flags in the Turkish military facility.
Here we have to know the situation in the Turkish army. Despite years of membership in NATO, the military in Turkey do not like Americans and those who lick Washington’s boots. Such an attitude is formed over decades, so the desire of Prime Minister Erdogan to act in the Syria issue like an American slave finds no support in the army. The independent position of the officer corps was the main reason of large-scale dismissal of Turkish general officers in recent years.
The Idea of Kemalism is very popular in Turkish armed forces. The main issue is to become as powerful as The Ottoman Empire had been for a long time. Since the late 1990s, Turkey step by step moved towards to that goal. The process turned back after the moderate islamist Justice and Development Party came to power. Within a few years, Turkey has lost all its influence in the region. Syria is the neighbor, with whom relations for decades were friendly, became the enemy number one.
But this position is not shared by all in the Turkish Republic. Turkish Youth Union initiated protests in Kahramanmaraş. The organization was established in the early 2000s. TYU includes students of Turkish universities, and has offices in all major Turkish cities. The basis of their political platform is the same Kemalism. Youth is against EU integration, against any form of cooperation with NATO, against "American imperialism". Turkish Youth Union is familiar with the U.S. In July 2012 the activists attacked the U.S. Marines in Antalya. Apparently, the students will go on to success.

A wave of youth protest movement in case of war with Syria will form the backbone for the anti-war actions in the country, which may lead to another military coup in Turkey. All revolutions are accomplished by young people in major cities and capitals.
The attempt of the Turkish authorities to protect the German military can be a catalyst of protest actions in border areas. The situation there is already strained to the limit under the influence of the flow of Turkish refugees, the spread of radical Islam, which is emitted by the numerous training camps for militants of Free Syrian army. The situation is deadlocked. And only withdrawal of NATO PATRIOT from Turkish territory may reduce the passions in the region.

reply to post by mikado23


Good for Turkey! Maybe this starts a new "peace movement" ala 1960's-70's

reply to post by mikado23


why turkey allows the training of rebels on it's soil is the question.

another failed state on it's border would not seem desirable.

they already have iraq, which looks like a disaster waiting to blow up.

have they deluded themselves into thinking that nato knows what it's doing?

after afganistan and iraq, one would think they would question the wisdom of those making the plans.

reply to post by Guenter

they are serious guys))

reply to post by citizen6511

turkish military hate everything connected with NATO
i'm sure it's Erdogan's desire to deploy missiles

reply to post by citizen6511

moreover i don't understand why turkish government supports Free Syrian Army
if they want US money i'm not sure Washington have some for Turkey

Good on them. How strange would it be seeing foreign hardware moving through your country to attack what some may call close friends.

reply to post by mikado23


Now if Germany would leave NATO and again align itself with Turkey, then they could stay. NATO was meant to deter the USSR/WARPAC threat. The USSR is no longer. Why has NATO not been dissolved? Good for Turkey. Just beat the hell out of them foreigners in uniforms.

reply to post by DarknStormy


i would like to throw eggs, tomatoes and something heavier. I support Turkish youth in their struggle and I'm sure they are on the right way

reply to post by Guenter

that's paradox:
Turkey is an old NATO member but they hate everything western.
Protest mood and youth activity can correct somehow government's external policy

This has never been my experience with the Turks. And the people I know stationed their love it and the people. Also NATO has surged in the polls in last year or so to a 66% approval rating the best in decades in Turkey. This of couse allowed the US to broker the Turks getting back together with Israel. Of course the fact that NATO has backed Turkey 100% with whatever it wanted during the Syrian crisis no doubt has played into NATOs new found popularity.

Turkey has designs on Cyprus gas fields....
they are extensive, and worth a lot to a nation like turkey.
The Turks see themselves as a counterbalance to the Iranian influence in the Med.
I am sure a destabilised Syria is of benefit to them....perhaps they want to move all the Kurds there?

Originally posted by MrSpad
This has never been my experience with the Turks. And the people I know stationed their love it and the people. Also NATO has surged in the polls in last year or so to a 66% approval rating the best in decades in Turkey. This of couse allowed the US to broker the Turks getting back together with Israel. Of course the fact that NATO has backed Turkey 100% with whatever it wanted during the Syrian crisis no doubt has played into NATOs new found popularity.

This of couse allowed the US to broker the Turks getting back together with Israel.

With the price of Syria sounds like that you haven't being following very well.

And the people I know stationed their love it and the people. Also NATO has surged in the polls in last year or so to a 66% approval rating the best in decades in Turkey.

Sounds like you have being watching to much of CNN lately 66%?

Turkey still aspires to join the European Union, but that once-strong vision appears to have faded. The poll shows that 52 percent of respondents want Turkey to stay in NATO, and 50 percent want to join the European Union. Yet 42 percent have an unfavorable view of the EU, reflecting frustration with a process that has stalled partly because of European opposition and the slow pace of Turkish reform. ...

Even though these polls arent very reliable.