BY SEDAT ERGIN
HURRIYET- Columnist Sedat Ergin comments on Washington’s stance towards the Turkish military. A summary of his column is as follows:
Last week I participated in a conference on Turkish-US relations in Washington. The visit showed me that the aftereffects of Ankara’s refusal of US troop deployments back in March won’t easily dissipate, because all the discussions on the future of bilateral relations came back to this refusal. In other words, we’re still facing a traumatic situation. It seems that without treating this trauma, mending relations will be difficult.
Interestingly, although there are varying views, there is a widespread opinion in Washington that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are responsible for the refusal of US troop deployments. There are many people who consider this refusal the military’s decision, instead of seeing it as a result of a democratic process within our Parliament.
However, this incident occurred after a very complicated process, but it’s understood that Washington has yet to grasp the facts within this process. A great many factors played a role in this situation. Firstly, the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) message sent by its special representatives to Washington stating, ‘If the military had helped us, the US troop deployment would have been accepted’ has had a great effect. Secondly, the Pentagon’s belief that ‘in any case the military wouldn’t leave us short’ has been left unaddressed, and this has caused great anger and even accusations against the TSK.
Then, too, there is the psychological dimension of the situation. Decision makers in Washington, who took a great risk by seeking to bring 60,000 soldiers to Turkey and then saw their plans go down in flames, don’t want to face up to their own mistakes. At this point, perhaps laying the blame at the feet of our military and muddling through somehow is the easiest way of escaping responsibility. In addition, one could claim that certain calculations towards reaching other tactical goals by taking advantage of the current situation are playing a role in this game. By limiting the TSK’s freedom of movement, Washington might be seeking to act just as it pleases in Iraq.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION