Category: America

Biden Asks Turkey to Join in New Sanctions Against Iran
By MARC CHAMPION in Istanbul and CAROL E. LEE in Ankara

Vice President Joe Biden called on Turkey to join new sanctions against Iran, testing the limits of a U.S.-Turkish alliance that has improved dramatically as fallout from the Arab Spring drives Ankara into growing competition with Tehran.

Arriving in Ankara from Iraq, Mr. Biden also thanked Turkey for what he described as its “real leadership” in applying pressure to Syria, just days after Ankara announced its own sanctions on the regime and called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

The vice president began his two-day visit at a time when Turkey has fallen in step with core U.S. foreign policies in the region—specifically toward Syria and Iran—and has become one of Washington’s most active foreign-policy allies, despite continued differences over Israel.

That is in stark contrast to last year, when Washington was gripped by debate over whether Turkey, a key North Atlantic Treaty Organization member, was turning east, away from its U.S. and European allies. Turkey triggered particular anger by voting in June 2010 against U.S.-backed sanctions on Iran at the United Nations Security Council.

In a question-and-answer interview published Friday in one of Turkey’s main daily newspapers, Hurriyet, Mr. Biden invited Turkey to join another round of sanctions aimed at Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Putting pressure on Iran’s leadership is necessary to secure a negotiated settlement, and that is why we encourage our partners, including Turkey, to take steps to impose new sanctions on Iran, as we have continued to do,” Mr. Biden told the newspaper.

There is little sign that Turkey is ready to join the U.S. and allies such as the U.K. in applying potentially crippling sanctions.

After meeting with Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul in Ankara on Friday, Mr. Biden flew to Istanbul. He was due to meet Saturday with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is recovering from an operation.

A senior U.S. administration official said the issue of Iranian sanctions didn’t come up in Mr. Biden’s two-hour meeting with President Gul. Neither did the two men discuss the possibility, floated by France, of creating an internationally protected buffer zone inside Syria along its border with Turkey.

Mr. Biden told Mr. Gul he believes Iran’s influence is declining across the region because of its nuclear ambitions, as well as other recent perceived missteps, such as Tuesday’s assault on the British Embassy in Tehran.

Analysts say Turkey’s increased cooperation with Washington is in large part due to fallout from the Arab Spring that continues to roil the Middle East and has pushed Ankara into increasingly open competition with Tehran.

Turkey and Iran have chosen opposite sides in Syria as the country has descended into violence, with Tehran continuing to back the Assad regime and Turkey, the opposition. At the same time, a tacit competition for markets and influence in common neighbor Iraq also threatens to become more acute as U.S. troops leave.
Related Video

Funerals, Protests in Syria (12/01/2011)

U.K. Orders Iranian Embassy Closed (11/30/2011)

U.S. Places New Sanctions on Iran (11/21/2011)

What Are U.S. Options on Iran? (11/10/2011)
“In a month’s time, the U.S. will leave Iraq. To have three of your neighbors as either Iran, or [in the case of Iraq and Syria] supported by Iran, should not be comforting for Turkey,” said Soli Ozel, professor of international relations and political science at Bilgi University, in Istanbul.

The U.S. administration official said Mr. Biden had said in his meeting with President Gul that he didn’t believe Iraq would fall under Iranian control once U.S. troops leave.

Iran was particularly angered—and the U.S. gratified—by Ankara’s decision in September to agree to host a radar for NATO’s anti-missile defense system, which is directed primarily at Iran. On Saturday, a general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, warned that should any military strike be made on Iran, Tehran would target Turkey’s NATO radar.

Turkey this week also appeared to choose sides in Iran’s dispute with Britain, condemning Tuesday’s semiofficial sacking of the British Embassy in Tehran by hard-line students.

But Turkey is wary of escalating actions against Tehran. It shares a long border with Iran and is potentially exposed to a revival of support, from Tehran and Damascus, for Kurdish rebels battling Turkish troops.

Ankara also doesn’t want to fuel a Shiite-Sunni confrontation on its borders. Iran and Iraq are majority Shiite, while Turkey is mainly Sunni. Syria, meanwhile, is governed by a minority elite of Alawites, a Shiite sect.

“There are limits to what Turkey can do,” said Mr. Ozel. “You still get 20% of gas from Iran, you still ship your goods to Central Asia through Iran and there are still about 1 million Iranian tourists coming over the border.”

The storming of the British embassy appears to have been triggered by Britain’s decision to ban U.K.-based banks from doing business with Iran’s central bank, creating potential difficulties for Tehran in financing energy exports. On Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of a ban that would penalize foreign banks operating in the U.S. that do business with Iran’s central bank.

Corrections & Amplifications
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of a ban involving foreign banks that do business with Iran’s central bank. An earlier version of the story said it was Tuesday.

Write to Marc Champion at [email protected] and Carol E. Lee at [email protected]
December 5, 2011
Turks in America

Turks in America

Unlike in Europe, there are more qualified Turkish citizens residing in the United States, even though they are lesser in overall number. These people are active in a number of fields, ranging from academia to business, yet have been unable to achieve various levels of success and make themselves noticeable.

However, I noticed this is changing during a trip to Los Angeles last fall, as well as a recent meeting sponsored by the Turkic-American Alliance held in Washington, D.C. last week. The alliance, which has six federations and 180 associations across the US, hosts federations founded by immigrants from Anatolia, Central Asia and the Balkans. The alliance has been fairly active and has managed to maintain close ties with a number of senators and members of the House of Representatives, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Dignitaries including Richard Lugar, Robert Casey, Frank Lautenberg, Jeff Bingaman, Roger Wicker, Mark Warner and Kay Hagan attended an alliance meeting last year in Washington. This year’s meeting, titled New Challenges and Opportunities, was attended by Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek as speaker; and frankly, he attracted a great deal of attention. A number of senators and representatives attended the closing gala Wednesday. How this came about is a question that needs to be considered.

This successful Turkish presence in the US is attributable to the influence and activities of various associations at a local level. They might have waited long time to get an appointment or attract support but they never give up. They created a network of contacts and ties and established friendships with lawmakers at the state level. They got in touch with politicians before elections and supported their campaigns. They expanded their sphere of activities to maintain direct ties with senators and representatives; their activities often become invaluable for the politicians, so valuable that they could not be ignored. That is, they do not limit their activities to lobbying in Washington; they reached out to the grassroots. And they also brought influential leaders on regular trips to Turkey and hosted them in lovely destinations such as Hatay, Konya, Cappadocia and İzmir.

The increased presence of Turkish Airlines (THY) in the US also served an important role in this success. For instance, THY will launch a new route between Houston and İstanbul in March 2012, in light of the activities of Turkish associations in Texas. The approach of direct contact and getting to know a culture allows obstacles to be overcome. Thousands of volunteers have tirelessly made an effort to better promote Turkey. Of course, an improved relationship between Washington and Ankara has also constructively contributed to the current atmosphere.

Washington realizes that Turkey has greater influence in the transformation efforts of the people in the region due to its soft power. Moves such as reduced tension with Israel, the creation of the UN radar system and secular messages to Arab nations were properly read in the US capitol. Reconciliation between the state and the Turkish people has also contributed to this process. Turkish Ambassador Namık Tan maintained constructive and influential ties with Turkish associations and extended his support for their activities. The outcome of this is now becoming visible with Turkey’s growing influence and its changing perception and image in the US.

via Turks in America.

Ergun Babahan

December 5, 2011
Turkey: Turks Discover They Are a (Sort of) Nuclear Power
December 1, 2011 – 4:08pm, by Yigal Schleifer
The Turko-file

Nuclear Security

Turkish Foreign Policy
The homepage of the (newly, and poorly, redesigned) Hurriyet Daily News features a fairly provocative headline today: “Turkey given possession of nuclear warheads, report says.” So has Turkey just become the Middle East’s newest nuclear power? The real story is a lot less sensational, yet also much more interesting, than that.

Turkey, as a member of NATO, has in fact hosted tactical nuclear weapons since the 1950’s. Today, NATO keeps an estimated stockpile of 60-70 nuclear bombs at the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, down from 90 in 2001. Most of these (some 50) are designed to be delivered by United States aircraft (which are not housed at Incirlik and would have to be flown in and armed for any mission). The rest are earmarked for Turkish fighter jets, although it appears that Turkish pilots are currently not being trained for nuclear missions. (Hurriyet’s sloppy story follows up on a more carefully written one that appeared the day before in the Vatan newspaper, written by Washington correspondent Ilhan Tanir.)

From an interesting report published at the end of last year by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which looked at the status of the the US’s tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, especially in light of NATO’s newly-developed “Strategic Concept,” which places less importance on these weapons:

There are conflicting reports about the status of the Turkish nuclear mission. Gen. Ergin Celasin, former commander (until 2001) of the Turkish Air Force, is on record stating that Turkey’s role in the NATO nuclear strike mission ended in the 1990s with the withdrawal of weapons from the national Turkish bases (Kibaroglu, 2010). In contrast, according to Pentagon sources, Turkey currently uses its F-16s to execute the nuclear mission. Moreover, until Turkey acquires a sufficient number of nuclear-capable JSFs over the 15 years, its F-16s are scheduled to receive a “stop-gap” upgrade to make them capable of carrying the new B61-12 bomb that will replace the B61-3/4 beginning in 2017.
The confusion about Turkey’s status may have to do with the aircraft’s degree of nuclear readiness, which has changed over time, ranging from full alert in the 1980s, to withdrawal from national bases in the 1990s, to today’s “pick up the weapons at Incirlik if needed” posture. During these phases, the aircraft status changed from nuclear-capable, certified, and loaded, to nuclear-capable and certified, to nuclear-capable. Today, the Turkish aircraft are nuclear-capable (according to US sources) but neither loaded nor certified. This, combined with the absence of a US wing at Incirlik AB, underscores the special status of the Turkish posture.

The subject of the nukes at Incirlik is not widely discussed in Turkey and most Turks are probably not aware of the weapons’ existence on their soil (take a look at this other report from the Bulletin for more on the specific case of Turkey’s nukes). It appears, though, that Ankara enjoys being under NATO’s nuclear umbrella (even if it’s a mostly closed one). For example, while Germany has pushed for the removal of the NATO nukes stored at one of its airbases, there has been little talk in Ankara about getting rid of the nuclear bombs at Incirlik. “Turkey has stressed that any decision to removal of NATO’s forward deployed nuclear weapons must be an alliance-wide decision and it does not seem that anyone in Ankara is excited by the idea of their removal,” says Aaron Stein, a a nonproliferation expert based in Turkey.

“Any talk of removing these weapons is premature and should be viewed within the greater context of US-Russian nuclear arms negotiations. The Russians still maintain thousands of tactical nuclear weapons as a hedge against NATO’s growing conventional military superiority. The US could remove these weapons and still fulfill its nuclear obligations by using other delivery vehicles, but it chooses not to do so. In other word, their deployment is not critical for the US or NATO’s nuclear deterrent,” Stein says.

Still, the presence of nuclear weapons on Turkish soil and under Turkish supervision does pose some interesting questions for Turkey, particularly regarding Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s frequent calls in recent years, as part of his stated desire to see the Middle East as a nuclear-free region, for Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal to also be examined by those who criticize Iran’s nuclear program. Mustafa Kibaroglu, a professor at Istanbul’s Okan University and one of Turkey’s leading nonproliferation experts, suggests that getting rid of the bombs under its watch could allow Ankara to make an important statement in terms of ridding the region of nuclear weapons.

“Logic suggests that Turkey should drawdown the U.S. nuclear weapons that are deployed on its territory. However, Turkish governments have so far been cool to this idea and have taken no concrete steps that would suggest otherwise. The U.S. nuclear weapons will most likely be sent back sooner than most people might expect under the current circumstances,” he writes in an email.

“It is, however, in Turkey’s responsibility to take a decision in this respect before developments in other political and military forums dictate such a policy. By taking a decision to drawdown these weapons, Turkey may set a very valuable and meaningful precedent for the countries in its neighborhood. Turkey’s profile, which is increasing in the Middle Eastern public domain as well as among the political and military authorities may help enhance its image in the region that was not, however, a very positive one until recently stemming from history.”
December 2, 2011
The Manchurian President

By LINDA SUNKLE-PIERUCKI

This review is from: The Manchurian President: Barack Obama’s Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists Hardcover) The Obama Administration’s core beliefs cannot be denied after reading this well-documented book.

Aaron Klein traces each one of Obama’s mentors and political advisers back to their common roots: not just Socialism, not just small-m marxism but full-blown communism! If Obama appears disconnected from the plight of the average middle-class American, foreign countries and governance in the democratic republic, this book makes it clear that he has almost no experience in the reality most Americans and other democratic countries incorporate into their daily lives-and possibly could personally care less.

A large number of his appointments are traced back to the same roots, making frightening sense of the decisions these advisers formulate in the face of overwhelming evidence of opposite pathways indicated and legally required. The poorly-defined disease so many Americans feel with this administration is given substance by the carefully documented connections leading to completely un-American political movements.

In an earlier day, the majority of these advisers would have been indicted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The American voters, under-educated as to the true intentions of the political ‘isms’ did not recognize the intent to radically change our society within Obama’s “Hope and Change” campaigning. Only by understanding the international scope of such political plots, the huge amounts of money and influence wielded by international financiers such as George Soros, and the failure of the existing Congress and courts to uphold the law does one come to the inescapable conclusion that the United States has been co-opted by a wide-ranging coup generated through deception. This administration’s machinations are even too radically totalitarian for socialist Europe to stomach. Read the book-you will be enlightened!

December 1, 2011
Iran would attack Turkey if U.S. or Israel go after their nuclear weapons

‘We will target NATO’s missile shields in Turky,’ says Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander

BY Bloomberg News

Sunday, November 27 2011, 2:27 PM

Iranian sodiers march past President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C) and military officials during the Army Day military parade in Tehran on April 18, 2011. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian soldiers march past President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and military officials during the Army Day military parade in Tehran in April.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander said Iran will target a North Atlantic Treaty Organization defense system in Turkey if its nuclear program is attacked by the U.S. or Israel.

“If there is a threat we will target NATO’s missile shields in Turkey and will then go after the next targets,” Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of the air defense division of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. said yesterday.

The warning is part of a new strategy devised by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that consists of responding “to threats with threats,” Hajizadeh said according to the state-run Mehr news agency. Iran’s new stance is the result of increased threats by the U.S. and Israel, he said.

Tensions between Iran and Western countries have increased after the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report on Nov. 8 suggesting Iran was seeking to develop nuclear weapons. The report was followed by additional sanctions imposed last week by the U.S. and U.K. against the Persian Gulf country, which target its central bank and oil industry.

Iran says the IAEA report was politically motivated and insists its program is civilian and needed for power generation and medical research.

U.S. president Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have said military force against Iran is not off the table and Israeli President Shimon Peres said Nov. 4. the possibility of using force through “serious sanctions” or “a military operation,” to halt Iran’s nuclear program was drawing nearer.

Turkey will host an early warning radar as part of a NATO defense system, which will help protect against ballistic missile threats and is part of a strategic initiative agreed upon last year, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Sept. 2

A military installation in the Turkish town of Kurecik, about 700 kilometers west of the border with Iran, has been chosen as the radar site, Associated Press said, citing Turkish officials.

via Iran would attack Turkey if U.S. or Israel go after their nuclear weapons – NY Daily News.

November 28, 2011
Turkey Seeks to Monopolize Investments In American Indian Tribal Lands

Publisher, The California Courier

In a few weeks, when high-priced Turkish lobbying firms file their mandatory reports with the Justice Department, important revelations will emerge about their behind the scenes role in pushing through Congress a bill which would give Turkish companies a monopoly for investments in American Indian tribal lands.

These reports would disclose the chain of contacts leading to the approval of Resolution 2362, the “Indian Tribal Trade and Investment Demonstration Project Act of 2011,” by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources by a vote of 27 to 15, on November 17.

One should not be surprised to learn that this innocent sounding resolution, meant to “facilitate economic development by Indian tribes and encourage investment by Turkish enterprises,” was gliding through Congress helped by the lavish flow of funds — the mother’s milk of politics — to some House members.

Of course, there is nothing wrong in helping Native Americans to attract foreign investments, except that Congress was being asked to give preferential treatment to a single country — Turkey! Strangely, majority of the Committee members were willing to go along with this unusual and illegal request, ignoring strong warnings from the Congressional Research Service that extending special privileges to only one country would violate provisions of major U.S. trade agreements — Most Favored Nation (MFN), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and World Trade Organization (WTO).

Moreover, there was no need whatsoever for Congress to approve a pilot program for any one country, when the same Committee was simultaneously considering a more inclusive bill — House Resolution 205 — which would provide to all countries an equal opportunity to trade with and invest in Indian tribal lands. In fact, the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs testified that he had serious reservations about Resolution 2362. That is why he preferred to support Resolution 205 which would “foster the same goals…on a broader scale.” When Cong. John Sarbanes (Dem.-Maryland) tried to introduce an amendment to expand the scope of Resolution 2362 beyond Turkey, it was ruled out of order due to a technicality.

Before the vote, several Armenian-American and Greek-American organizations submitted to the House Committee letters in opposition to Resolution 2362, pointing out the impropriety and illegality of giving Turkey a monopolistic access to Indian tribal lands. These organizations raised five key objections to Congress extending special privileges to Turkey because that country:

1) Remains an unrepentant perpetrator of genocide against millions of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.

2) Continues to blockade Armenia, occupy Cyprus, confront Israel, attack Kurds, and undermine U.S. regional interests.

3) Threatens U.S. commercial interests in the Mediterranean region.

4) Is linked to American Turkish entities suspected of involvement in illegal activities.

5) Supports Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

The possible aim of the proponents of Resolution 2362 is to pass this particular bill before the more inclusive Resolution 205 is approved, in order to give Turkey a head start and undeserved advantage over all other nations. Turkey could then strike exclusive trade deals with Indian tribes for up to 25 years, renewable for two additional terms of 25 years each, for a total of 75 years. This means that by the time companies from other countries have a chance to sign contracts with Indian tribes, Turkish firms would have snatched up the most lucrative deals, leaving the others empty-handed.

Immediately after the Committee’s adoption of Resolution 2362, Turkish Americans and the Turkish Embassy in Washington rushed to celebrate a premature victory. The Turkish Coalition of America issued a press releaseon November 17, expressing its joy that the Resolution was approved by the Committee, and would soon be adopted by the full House. That same night, the Turkish Embassy hosted a reception in Washington “to mark American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month and celebrate the successful passage of H.R. 2362 out of the House Natural Resources Committee.” Turkey’s illustrious Ambassador Namik Tan was personally tweeting pictures of American Indians in their native costumes as the festivities were taking place at the Embassy.

The Ambassador should be reminded that a victory celebration is premature because there are no guarantees that this defective bill would ever reach the House floor, let alone the Senate, since it grossly violates a number of U.S. trade agreements. Even if the bill receives Congressional approval, American civic organizations and many countries would file lawsuits to block this discriminatory piece of legislation.

November 22, 2011