About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (October 31, 2002)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthaaavg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS21336 Updated October 31, 2002 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Iraq: The Turkish Factor Carol Migdalovitz Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary Turkey will likely be pivotal to any U.S. military operation against Iraq, but it has many concerns. Foremost, it seeks to preserve Iraq's territorial integrity and prevent the emergence of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. It wants its linguistic/ethnic kin in that region, the Iraqi Turkomans, to be fairly represented in a future government. Turkey also is worried about the economic consequences of a war, especially since it is just recovering from a devastating recession. Finally, it is concerned about the possibilities for a humanitarian refugee crisis and regional instability. The Bush Administration is consulting closely with Turkish officials to assuage their concerns and has provided increased economic assistance while attempting to enhance trade through (free trade) qualified industrial zones in H.R. 5385. Turkey expects still greater rewards for its support. See also CRS Report RL31429, Turkey: Issues for U.S. Policy and CRS Report RL31339, Iraq: U.S. Efforts to Change the Regime. This report will be updated if developments warrant. Introduction Turkey, a long time NATO ally of the United States which borders on Iraq, will likely be pivotal to any U.S. military operation against Iraq. It is assumed that the United States would like to use Turkey's air space, the large air base at Incirlik in southeast Turkey, and probably other airbases at Batman, Diyarbakir, or Malatya that are closer to the Iraqi border. Additionally, access to the Mediterranean port of Mersin and the sharing of intelligence may be on the U.S. wish list. For its part, the Turkish government is uneasy about U.S. plans. Turks argue that theirs is the country that will be most affected by a war and oppose it for a variety of reasons. (See the following section.) Turkish officials have pressed Saddam Hussein to implement U.N. resolutions and readmit weapons inspectors in order to prevent a military intervention. They also have urged the United States to obtain what they view as international legitimacy through a resolution authorizing the use of force from the United Nations Security Council. Despite misgivings, some Turks appear increasingly reconciled to a U.S. military campaign and advocate exacting a high price from the United States in exchange for support. A few suggest that Turkey's armed forces participate actively alongside Americans to ensure that Turkey has a determining say about northern Iraq's future. Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most