Is Turkey Chicken?

By William Kevin Stoos —— Bio and Archives October 7, 2014

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Years ago, I deployed to Germany with the First Infantry Division and thousands of other troops from the United States and its European NATO allies to participate in REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany). These were war games designed to demonstrate to the Soviet Bloc that an invasion across the Fulda Gap would be met with a powerful response from the alliance and that the allies were prepared to commit substantial forces within a short time to repel such an invasion.

There were troops from many nations--in fact nearly all the NATO allies except one. France, it seemed, wanted the protection of the alliance but did not desire to participate in war games whatsoever. Too provocative to the Russians, they believed. The French were not willing to commit so much as a squad to the war games. In short, they wanted the protection of the alliance but none of the risk. Like others, I was underwhelmed by the French and did not like them much. But times have changed and this once-unreliable NATO partner has evolved into a far more reliable ally, and has not only directly participated in the War on Terror in Africa, but now in the Middle East as well. Amazingly it has even agreed to sanctions against Russia as a result of Putin's incursion into Ukraine. It now flies sorties against ISIS as part of Obama's so called grand alliance against these radical Islamist murderers. In short, even France is now stepping up and acting like an ally again. Viva la France! But Turkey, a supposed NATO ally with the one of the largest, best-equipped armies on earth and certainly the second largest in the alliance, has now occupied the position earlier held by the French--most reluctant and ineffectual ally. Not only has it been largely unwilling to support the United States' efforts to combat the War on Terror generally, but it sits idly by while tens of thousands of refugees cross its borders to escape the ISIS butchers and watches the carnage unfolding right across the border where the town of Kobani is about to be overrun and its citizens tortured and killed. And all President Erdogan can do is to say: "I told you so--you (the United States) should have imposed a no fly zone over Syria and you should have backed the moderate rebels against Assad long ago." But, other than second-guessing and whining, he does nothing. Turkey has long aspired to be the leader of the Muslim world and also longed for closer relations with Europe. But rather than act like the leader of the Muslim world and intervene to prevent the onslaught by the ISIL barbarians who threaten all countries in the region--including Turkey--it now sits on its hands and watches the carnage. While lesser countries in the region do their best to contribute to the cause, and its NATO allies bear the brunt of the effort against ISIS, Erdogan and his country have so far chosen to sit this one out. When ISIS grows bolder and evermore thousands of Islamist crazies overtake the entire region and establish an Islamic state on its border--eyeing Turkey next--will Turkey have the audacity to ask NATO to intervene? And will they expect NATO to do it?