Erdogan Speaks to the WSJ 10/05/2009
Watch the interview here- on Iran, Israel, and Armenia.
Depressingly, Erdogan still talks about Iran as if its program is peaceful, and keeps changing the subject from Iran to Gaza.
For those who are seduced by such facile slights of hand, Gaza has as much to do with Iran's nuclear program as it does with North Korea's. Since Israel attacked Gaza Iran should be allowed to pursue nuclear weapons? If you have a functioning prefrontal cortex, then you realize that this leap of logic makes zero sense.
For those who then continue to complain about Israel's nukes (the more common complaint), why not complain about Pakistan's nukes? Or India's? If you are against all nukes- then that's a rational reason to be against Israel's program. But then you have to be against Iran's too.
One day, Erdogan will wake up next to a nuclear-armed Iran, and suddenly realize that Turkey just lost a ton of (relative) regional power. But, as one American diplomat who worked with Turkey once complained to me, the Turks are experts at cutting off the nose to spite the face. Erdogan's Gaza outburst at Davos made sense politically- it radically improved Turkey's image on the coveted "Arab street" without substantially damaging Israeli ties. But sitting on his hands while Iran gets a bomb- that will have much more serious ramifications.
- Jon
Depressingly, Erdogan still talks about Iran as if its program is peaceful, and keeps changing the subject from Iran to Gaza.
For those who are seduced by such facile slights of hand, Gaza has as much to do with Iran's nuclear program as it does with North Korea's. Since Israel attacked Gaza Iran should be allowed to pursue nuclear weapons? If you have a functioning prefrontal cortex, then you realize that this leap of logic makes zero sense.
For those who then continue to complain about Israel's nukes (the more common complaint), why not complain about Pakistan's nukes? Or India's? If you are against all nukes- then that's a rational reason to be against Israel's program. But then you have to be against Iran's too.
One day, Erdogan will wake up next to a nuclear-armed Iran, and suddenly realize that Turkey just lost a ton of (relative) regional power. But, as one American diplomat who worked with Turkey once complained to me, the Turks are experts at cutting off the nose to spite the face. Erdogan's Gaza outburst at Davos made sense politically- it radically improved Turkey's image on the coveted "Arab street" without substantially damaging Israeli ties. But sitting on his hands while Iran gets a bomb- that will have much more serious ramifications.
- Jon
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