Soner Cagaptay: NATO’s Turkey Problem

BY SONER CAGAPTAY

The quarrel between Ankara and NATO over the proposed missile-defense initiative suggests that Turkey is becoming the Alliance’s “opt-out” member in operations in Muslim countries. The governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) has so far refused to host the missile shield because it is directed against potential threats from two fellow Muslim countries—Syria and Iran. The AKP considers itself the defender of a politically defined “Islamic civilization” and has recently moved closer to Damascus and Tehran.

Having already provoked a crisis with Washington when it voted against Iran sanctions at the United Nations Security Council in June, the AKP will …

via Soner Cagaptay: NATO’s Turkey Problem – WSJ.com.