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Another Perspective
An Open Letter to the Turkish Embassy
A message from a former Arnold & Porter lawyer who represented the Turkish government in 1995.
Dear Embassy of Turkey —
In early 1995 as an associate lawyer at Arnold & Porter (I was later elected a partner, and eventually left practicing law in early 2006), I had the pleasure and honor of representing the Government of Turkey to defend against an effort by the Motion Picture Assn. of America to have certain U.S. government import and trade preferences taken away from Turkey to punish Turkey for alleged failures to enforce copyright protections over motion pictures — especially videotape sales. I had the pleasure of meeting two of your trade attachés in your embassy on Massachusetts Ave.
Shortly after I was brought into the case, your Prime Minister at the time, Ms. Tansu Çiller, visited Washington and met with President Clinton. President Clinton issued statements very supportive of Turkey, and I advised that in the trade dispute, our primary argument ought not to be on the complexities of the copyright law or on the details of video sales, but on the larger international political priorities of the U.S. government: that at a time when the President was praising Turkey and promoting close ties, his own Department of Commerce would be contradicting the President’s own broad policy if it were to take trade action against Turkey. It was at my initiative that we submitted and highlighted to the Commerce Dept. the President’s own official White House statement, which I obtained from the White House Press Office officially and authoritatively.
While I was not privy to the internal deliberations inside the Clinton Administration Commerce Dept., the fact is that the Commerce Dept. took no action against Turkey, denying the MPAA request.
Since that time I have always had fond feelings towards Turkey, although I cannot say that I have ever been there, nor have I ever represented any Turkish interest since then. Nor am I a Muslim (I am a mainstream U.S. Episcopalian). However, as a partner, on a pro bono basis, I represented the Boroumand Foundation (which you can find on-line) which provides educational resources for persons in (or interested in) Iran who wish to see that country become more democratic and peace-oriented.
I am contacting you today because the actions of the current Turkish government with respect to the Gaza fleet, and announced possible future actions of the current Turkish government, present the greatest threat of war in the Middle East since 1948. I hope that you can get my message through to the Ambassador and to proper persons in Ankara.
The entry of Turkey into the Palestine conflict is very significant — it is the first new open national ally that the proponents of violence have obtained since 1948 — in 62 years. This has happened for two major reasons, the loss of the Russian “stick” and of the European “carrot”:
(1) The weakness of Russia means that the Russian threat to Turkey, which is historical and based in geography (the Russian desire for warm-water ports) is the lowest it has been in about 150 years. Thus Turkey no longer feels the need to have a strong alliance with the U.S. This first manifested itself in the Iraq war when Turkey prevented transit of our planned northern invasion army. Russia no longer threatens Turkey with its “stick.”
(2) The rejection by the European Union of Turkey as a member. Turkey has been trying for many years to become a member, and Europe has always dallied and then said no. I do not say whether Europe had or had not good reasons for this; but it has become obvious that it will not allow Turkey in, for a good many years to come. This is the loss of the European “carrot.”
There is a third, more minor (at least I think more minor) reason, the loss of another “stick”:
(3) Greece has for centuries (ever since the Byzantine Empire) been the historic enemy of Turkey. But Greece today is very weak, wracked as it is by its debt crisis and the evident refusal of Germany, France, et al., to help Greece out of it. This is the loss of the Greek “stick.”
The Obama Administration’s anti-Jewish (and I do mean anti-Jewish, not just anti-Israel) words and policies (I would like to see President Obama bow to the Prime Minister of Israel to balance-out his bow to the King of Saudi Arabia) has given the religiously-oriented government of Turkey the opening that has released it to pursue openly a state anti-Israel policy.
Had the Obama opening not been given, Turkey would not have acted, despite all the other changes (items 1, 2, and 3 above) that made it easier for Turkey to act.
I have been following the Israel-Palestine issue since 1974 when as a student at Pomona College, I participated in the “Model United Nations – Far West” program. In 1973 the PLO had made a big push to be admitted to the UN as a member state, and the organizers of the Model UN Far West decided that to reflect this, a college participating in the Model UN Far West would be asked to “represent” the PLO. Pomona was the college chosen, and I volunteered to be a member of the PLO delegation, and was assigned as the PLO representative on the Special Committee for Refugees. It was in this context that I first undertook to research the political and sociological and legal and religious history of this dispute.
In my opinion we are now on the verge of the most dangerous threat of war in that region since 1948. Turkey’s open entry, combined with the development of nuclear weapons by Iran and with Iran under a violence-oriented government as it is, present a far greater threat than ever before, even if Egypt sits on the sidelines — and it probably will not just sit, as things heat up.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (32) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Edward Sisson
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Ret. Marine| 6.9.10 @ 7:42AM
Mr. Sisson, your thought on the latest installment of concerns are spot on. Looking through history shows any of concern that some days are not just considered disasters but, can affect others and their interest of keeping peace to a region with a violatel mix of the enemy of my enemy is my friend mentality. Shooting wars have been started by less. However, be careful and mindful of just what you expect from the current leadership in Turkey, we do have forces in the mix do we not, and if memory serves me correctly, we do depend upon these routes for re-supplying our forces don't we. Some one explain to me how this does any good to mingle, or interfere with this secular nation, also a NATO alllie. Another question eating away at me these days is the fact that an allie, Turkey, has just completed an act of war (trying to influence a peace process by trying to break an international law governing a legal blockade which it's sole purpose is and was to rearm the terrorist with munitions) against another allie, Israel, and the best this administration, and dear reader can do is chase Gen. Jones to the region to scold their behaviour. Is this the "change" the great reader is talking about when dealing among allies? Or is this the "hope" of turning allies against each other he seems quite capable of, even here at the front door of our Republic. This is where your thoughts and concerns should be directed.
Rodney T. Walton| 6.10.10 @ 12:51AM
I do find the actions of the current Islamist government in Turkey more and more disturbing. Ataturk did his best to create a modern Turkish nation after the fall of the Ottoman Empire during the Great War in 1918. The current Islamist government seems bent on reasserting their role as a leader in the Middle East and using the Isreal vs Palestinian conflict to this end. I have had many pleasant vacations in Turkey but I'm not sure I will be visiting there again. The hypocracy of Prime Minister Ergodan is just getting to be too much. Turkey was a great secular Muslim country and strong NATO ally. No more it seems so. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the secular elites in Turkey are looking for way to leave & immigrate to the USA. These are difficult times & the current Turkish government has a new Islamic agenda that our own administration probably doesn't have a clue how to deal with it.
martin j smith| 6.9.10 @ 7:59AM
I suspect that the government of Turkey does not care about such a letter--for they have big goals and ideas and what is to stop them now ? This the greatest problem in attempting to comprehend the mind of Islamic radicals. Life to them is meaningless--except perhaps their own.
This is a thought that I had about Iran and Israel. It would not surprise me to learn that Israelis have special forces if not in Iran, very close nearby along the Iraqi border. If military action is needed against Iran, long distance bomings alone will be in effectual. Penetration of Iran in Iran will be needed. This occurred to be because of Turkey. Iraq I am sure is uneasy about Irand and now with a militant Turkish government joining forces with Iran--this is a very big threat to them.
Ryan| 6.9.10 @ 8:05AM
Another current problem with Turkey is the Islamicization of its government - it's being increasingly more fundamentalist/extremist-Islam influenced.
Also, let's see if their blame-others propagandists show up...
Dave| 6.9.10 @ 8:52AM
Mr. Sisson,
I appreciate your ancestors service. But try to be consistent throughout your article. The Obama administration is definitely anti-jewish in it's action. Why would you then conclude that Turkey would be fighting the U.S. Navy. Obama will treat Turkey like he does the oil slick. Which would be to sit like the bumbling fool he is and wish Turkey would go away. He wouldn't actually order any ships into action to protect a country he obviously doesn't care for.
Sean| 6.9.10 @ 8:52AM
What about a letter to Israel on shooting an American citizen in the head 4 times in international waters? What about a letter to Israel regarding their constant spying and theft of military secrets from the US? What about a letter to Israel regarding their attack on a NATO ally?
Au Contraire| 6.9.10 @ 9:08AM
That would be anti-semitic.
Cpm| 6.9.10 @ 9:14AM
Wow. Just further proof that you can't fix stupid.
DonDuke | 6.9.10 @ 9:25AM
What about a letter to Sean about keeping to the facts and about the politics of bigotry?
Sean| 6.9.10 @ 10:00AM
What in my post isn't fact? Yesterday was the anniversary of Israel's deliberate attack on the USS Liberty a US Navy ship. If anything the US Navy should be angry at Israel and not Turkey.
dl| 6.11.10 @ 7:42PM
I agree Sean, and apparently so does U.S. Brigadier General James J. David (Ret.),
"Is there any criminal act that Israel can do without being protected from criticism from the United States? If there is, I haven't seen it. And I haven't seen it from the Bush Administration or from the Clinton Administration or from any administration before them. But when you consider the influence of Israel's lobby and its political action committees and the more than $41 million they've given to Congress and the White House, is it any wonder Israel is shielded from any shame? For more than 54 years the Israelis have committed acts that no other nations would dare get away with. But even here in America, where it is not yet illegal to publicly ask the wrong questions, any public figure that does so is subjected to smears, intimidation, and the attempted destruction of his career and reputation by Jewish organizations, and by the very cooperative news media."- "A Passionate Attachment to Israel", Dec. 2002
When people have enough, this is what happens,
Testimony of FBI Special Agent Fitzgerald before the 911 Commissioners as to the main motive of the 911 attacks,
"I believe they feel a sense of outrage against the United States. They identify with the Palestinian problem, they identify with people who oppose repressive regimes and I believe they tend to focus their anger on the United States."
dl| 6.11.10 @ 7:45PM
Testimony by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's animus toward the United States stemmed "not from his experiences there as a student, but rather from his violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel."
"Allah knows it did not cross our minds to attack the towers but after the situation became unbearable and we witnessed the injustice and tyranny of the American-Israeli alliance against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, I thought about it. And the events that affected me directly were that of 1982 and the events that followed -- when America allowed the Israelis to invade Lebanon, helped by the U.S. Sixth Fleet. As I watched the destroyed towers in Lebanon, it occurred to me punish the unjust the same way (and) to destroy towers in America so it could taste some of what we are tasting and to stop killing our children and women."– Osama bin Laden
A two-state solution should have happened a looong time ago.
Tim*| 6.9.10 @ 10:40AM
The deliberate IDF attack on The U.S.S. Liberty need to be exposed and resolved.
United States National Interests trump The National Intersts of Israel ,or Turkey or The Palestinians.
martin j smith| 6.9.10 @ 11:46AM
The trolls are out huraaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy
Israel has a right ( not by me or amnyone else's say so ) to self defense and the blockade is legit.
The flotilla was stunt concocted by radical leftists I believe from the US and abroad. It was hollywood production. Everyone knew that radicals on the baot would die. But, what they forgot was video footage relased by IDF forces
showing clearly the premediated attack by so called activists. Of course the French, showing how early they knew what was happending ( even before it happened ) dumped Israel before any kind of response was possible. The Turkish government was involved as well of course. I believe Obama knew in advance of this operation.
Now as to anti-Semitism ( meaning anti-Jewish descriptions of opponents of Israe. Thanks in good measure to Helen Thomas and others it is clear as day that the radical Left and others who agree with them are in fact anti-Jewish not just anti-Israe. So we have some racists in our midst. Lets all clap for them..
ojo grande| 6.9.10 @ 1:08PM
Mr. Sisson,
Thank you for your very insightful letter that you shared with us. You are right, all of your points, point to a middle eastern war.
I just recently returned from a two week trip to Turkey and I saw a split country. You have the secular, prosperous western part and the poor, religiously strict conservative eastern part of the country. The politicians who with the help of the Islamic Imans have wrested the power away for the more reasonable leaders.
In the 1920s, Ataturk founded a modern Democractic, secular Turkey that thrived. But, unfortunately, militant Islamists are now in the process of turning Turkey into a theocracy just like what happened in Iran.
It's a real shame for the Turks and for the world...the only way out, is for Turkey to have a revolution and push back the Imans who are now in control...but I don't see it happening.
Margie| 6.9.10 @ 1:25PM
I like your posts. ojo grande. Reasoned and therefore quite refreshing, I enjoy reading them. Thank you.
ojo grande| 6.9.10 @ 1:16PM
Retired Marine,
Do you really believe that Obama would do anything to dissuade Turkey from going ahead with its Islamic mischief? I think not.
We have a traitor in the White House.
Occam's Tool| 6.9.10 @ 2:02PM
Well put, ojo grande. The Leader of the Free World is Benjamin Netanyahu. That is unfortunate, as it should be held by the POTUS.
Ret. Marine| 6.10.10 @ 7:39AM
No he will not do anything to disrupt the process, he has neither the will to act against his brothers nor the courage to do what is right for this Nation. First and foremost, he has to consider the situation of our troops in the arena and his stated position of getting them back home by mid-summer 2011, secondly, he is too much of an idiot to understand just how the American Patriots feel about a CnC offering up a surrender to our enemies. He also understands the admin is in serious trouble with the electorate, they are getting their asses handed back to them in the primaries and elections, ( obummer-0 electorate-4) and for good reason, he is the opposite of our values, common sense, and priorities. He is also a, as you clearly stated, traitor to the oath he took, to defend and protect.
dcd| 6.9.10 @ 2:10PM
This letter makes the two normal mistakes fo american forign policy: 1) other nations want what's best for the US, 2) other nations are cowards.
It is in Turkey's interest to achieve regional if not gloabal dominance and Turkey is willing to take risks and suffer losses to achieve this.
And face it the risks are minor. The Afghanistan and Iraq situations for example show that if you win a conflict you get power and influence; if you lose you get wads of money and infrastructure while weakening the US in preperation for the next conflict.
There aren't any consquences to fighting the US, Israel on the other hand is known to seize land after a war (traditional spoils), that constittues a substantial risk.
Rich Rostrom| 6.9.10 @ 2:42PM
I don't think these arguments will have any weight with the Erdogan government. AK has seen its poll numbers plunge in the last year. Like the bankrupt Argentine junta in 1983, or the Milosevic gang in Serbia, Erdogan hopes to keep power by picking a fight with an external enemy. This is a deliberate choice, and the ground has been prepared by years of anti-Israeli and and anti-Jewish propaganda in Turkish mass media.
That the fight will be a disaster for Turkey and Islam doesn't matter - it will be better for Erdogan than losing power. And given the weakness shown by the U.S. and the West in recent years, Erdogan probably thinks that West will back down as usual, or collapse at the first real shock.
As Mark Steyn has noted, Anatolia (rural, Islamist) has displaced Rumelia (urban, secular) in Turkish demography. And even secularist Turks area nationalist, and have been carried away by the hysteria.
The Turkish armed forces will not intervene against Erdogan. The Erdogan government has arrested and prosecuted dozens of senior military figures for alleged membership in the Kemalist "shadow government". Junior officers now mix their vehement nationalism with Islamism and anti-semitism. See this post (http://snipurl.com/x96qw) at NRO's Corner: at a recent Turkish General Staff conference, speakers "[accused] the United States and Israel of the most base conspiracies" and the TGS ruled that flags of all attending nations except Israel would be flown.
ojo grande| 6.9.10 @ 10:11PM
Thanks Margie,
Its hard to be reasonable in today's world...but I've found that raving doesn't help either. I've just recently started reading the postings here...there are a lot of smart people in the world that I can learn from.
ojo grande| 6.9.10 @ 10:55PM
Rich,
Great insights into Turkey's political climate.
Didn't Bush intervene to try to help Turkey join the EU? Why are we the enemy all of a sudden?
It seems that Obama has emboldened all of the middle eastern countries with his weak stance toward Israel. Today, he met with, was photographed smiling, and shaking hands with Palestinian President Abbas while gifting him with 400 million American tax dollars while, last month, he refused to be photographed with Netanyahu and was insulting of his treatment of the Israeli PM.
What Mark Steyn (who I think is brilliant) noted is exactly what I saw happening there. It's a real shame. Turkey was much more prosperous than I expected. The Turks work hard and have a rich, productive land. And most of them live good lives. I hope Erdogan doesn't do anything foolish on behalf of the Palestinians for his own political life that would undo everything the Turks have accomplished in the past 85 years.
I don't see the Obama administration coming to Israel's aid or perhaps waiting too long to help, should a war start...but I also don't see Israel's Jews behaving as they did in the 1930s-40s....this time, they will fight . It will be complete devastation if these middle eastern countries join together to try to destroy Israel....I can't help but believe that Israel's more shophisticated weaponry will fare better than countries like Turkey, but maybe that is just wishful thinking.
ACynic| 6.9.10 @ 11:01PM
The Turks could give a s^^t what Sisson or King Barry Hussein say.
The Turks have zero intention of sitting on their thumbs while the Persians obtain nukes and as the Persians seek to dominate the Middle East. The Turks have by far the most powerful military in that region, have a history of seeking domination of that region (and more), and have decidely moved to a more militant Islamic stance. There is a power vacuum there and either Turkey and Iran will fill it.
The Turks will NOT let Iran fill it and the Turks have the wherewithal to prevail here.
Ataturk's secular Turkey is dead. Accept this fact and move on.
Israel is now totally alone in the region. King Barry Hussein hates Israel, hates Jews and hates the USA. Israel had better act real fast to neutralize Iran, because no one else will.
Yosemeti Sam| 6.10.10 @ 2:34AM
" ... because it will trigger the entire billion-plus
worldwide population of Muslims to take an
open religious stand in favor of armed
conquest of territory ...."
To which Israel would respond:
Life for life,
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Exodus ch. 21, v. 23
ojo grande| 6.10.10 @ 8:04AM
ACynic,
I don't get some of your reasoning.
What about having the bomb? Iran will have one or two nukes soon because of past and present US dithering . The UN has been no help. It is a bad anti-US joke that we pour billions into each and every year...but don't get me started there.
I can't help but believe that both Bush and Obama have refused to give Israel the go-ahead and aid to bomb Iran's nuclear sites...that's why nothing has been done with a nuclear Iran on the Middle East's horizon. Israel is not the only Middle Eastern country that will pay dearly for the US's poor judgement and weak stance with Iran...They've let the evil genie out of his bottle.
Everything I see Turkey doing is right in step with Iran, not against it. In fact, they are following in Iran's footsteps except that they are more moderate Sunni while Iran is wacko Shia...which could cause Iran to nuke them someday too.
ojo grande| 6.10.10 @ 8:16AM
Yosemitie Sam,
It could be a bloodbath.
But what I see about the psycology of the Muslim mind is that they are overly emotional and like to vent a lot. Let's hope this is all just saber rattling.
I see them all buying nukes since they don't trust each other...they, of all people, know what it is to be a Muslim.