Obama's Turkey Policy Is Proving to Be a Turkey

By Shoshana Bryen

President Obama has held Turkey up as a model of a moderate, democratic Muslim country. He even made Ankara his first stop in the Muslim world after taking office. The State Department welcomed Turkey's decision to host a NATO missile defense radar and "appreciates this significant Turkish contribution to a vital NATO mission. We are proud to work with Turkey on the deployment of this important asset." Turkey is supplied by the United States with F-35 jets, Predator drones, and now Super Cobra helicopters -- front-line, first-class military equipment. But America's NATO ally Turkey has also announced open military cooperation with America's adversary Iran against America's friends the Kurds of northern Iraq. After a period of side-by-side and sequential operations inside Iraq, Prime Minister Erdoğan announced a joint offensive against Kurdish rebels. "Turkey and Iran are working together" and are "determined." Even before, but especially since the demise of Saddam, the Kurds of northern Iraq have been American allies despite the fact that the Kurdistan Regional Government has been unable.... (Read Full Article)