NATO: It was Turkey which offered to host radars

[RedBeard]

Ankara offered to host an early warning radar system to be placed on its soil, NATO Secretary General Ander Fogh Rasmussen said today during an interview with broadcaster NTV in Brussels.

Turkey had drawn Iran and Russia's ire by agreeing to host a NATO radar system in the eastern province of Malatya.

Rasmussen said Turkey offered to have the radar system built on its soil, and the installation of the radar base in Turkey stood as an example of solidarity among NATO members.

The NATO chief said an alliance base in İzmir on Turkey's Aegean coast would be turned into a NATO Land Forces Headquarters "which will prove to be an important base both for Turkey and NATO."

POLITICS - NATO: It was Turkey which offered to host radars

 

[Armstrong]

Sorry to sound callous but what does Turkey have to gain by earning the ire of Russia and/or Iran ? I can understand that being a part of NATO may extend a lot of benefits to Turkey but Russia is on her way back to returning to her former glory and Iran is on its way towards becoming a major regional power, whereas most of Europe has shot its self in the foot with the financial crisis and seems to be on a downward spiral. In the East both China, India and other Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia etc.) are up and coming powers, shouldn't a redress in policy with regards to all these emerging powers be a better bet than siding with a spent Europe that doesn't seem to be bouncing back ? Which is not to say that you cut off all relations with other European nations or even put them on the back burner but simply that a more emerging power centric policy be adopted - antagonizing Russia on the missile defense issue and China on the Uygur issue is not, in my opinion, a good move.

 

[yahya07]

No one believes it. It's clearly obvious Turkey just want to make it sound like they won't being pushed around by NATO. Turkey is still NATO's b****.

 

[Oldman1]

Sorry to sound callous but what does Turkey have to gain by earning the ire of Russia and/or Iran ? I can understand that being a part of NATO may extend a lot of benefits to Turkey but Russia is on her way back to returning to her former glory and Iran is on its way towards becoming a major regional power, whereas most of Europe has shot its self in the foot with the financial crisis and seems to be on a downward spiral. In the East both China, India and other Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia etc.) are up and coming powers, shouldn't a redress in policy with regards to all these emerging powers be a better bet than siding with a spent Europe that doesn't seem to be bouncing back ? Which is not to say that you cut off all relations with other European nations or even put them on the back burner but simply that a more emerging power centric policy be adopted - antagonizing Russia on the missile defense issue and China on the Uygur issue is not, in my opinion, a good move.

Antagonize them to do what exactly? Preemptive attack on Turkey?

 

[RedBeard]

No one believes it. It's clearly obvious Turkey just want to make it sound like they won't being pushed around by NATO. Turkey is still NATO's b****.

Easyboy don't get excited..goodboy

 

[Armstrong]

Antagonize them to do what exactly? Preemptive attack on Turkey?

No, antagonizing them into not forming a meaningful relationship with Turkey. Neither China nor Russia are going to engage in a d**k measuring contest with the United States but make no mistake they are up and coming superpowers who are very quickly catching up with the West. In such a scenario it would make more sense, in my humble opinion, if Turkey were to reorient her foreign policy towards the East. She is a shinning example for the Muslim World to follow in many things and many in the Muslim World do feel a deep sense of affinity for Turkey - she could well use this to her advantage because no where in the world is the United States more despised than in the Muslim World due to its apparent duplicity and war-mongering and even if that assertion is incorrect, its the perception that counts. Turkey's, could be, a calming influence on the Muslim World and allow saner minds to prevail when most of us would like little more than to go to War for all the Wars.

Furthermore both China and Russia along with a whole host of other Asian and Latin American countries are fiercely independent in their foreign policy formulations and perhaps after the financial crisis and the regressive wars, perhaps Europe too would assert a greater degree of independence in their stance; perhaps Iran would be a litmus test in this - how long are you willing to f**k up your economy for someone else's conflict. In such a case, I believe, Turkey could do well to be more neutral in its approach to both China and Russia, perhaps even be a type of an interlocutor between the United States and whosoever is in their group and Russia and China.

 

[silko]

we have gained a better friendship with USA with this early warning system.

our relation hasn't been better...

and to all the idiots saying we are a puppy of USA go read some history or look up some news. this is a radar that is supposed to warn us against incoming threat to our country. it isn't a rocket launching system.

 

[Armstrong]

we have gained a better friendship with USA with this early warning system.

our relation hasn't been better...

and to all the idiots saying we are a puppy of USA go read some history or look up some news. this is a radar that is supposed to warn us against incoming threat to our country. it isn't a rocket launching system.

Firstly, there isn't any need for calling anyone that.

And Secondly, as far as I've been able to piece together what this move is about: it appears to be part of a wider missile defense shield for Europe (and by extension the United States) for any attacks by Iran, however, as Russia is clearly perturbed by this and Iran neither possess the will nor the missiles to pose a significant threat to Europe, the Russian concerns cannot be completely ignored. Plus, the few analysts I have listened to (Russians, Europeans and Americans) - the missile defense system is more about preemptive striking than an Patriot System like defense.

 

[amalakas]

Sorry to sound callous but what does Turkey have to gain by earning the ire of Russia and/or Iran ? I can understand that being a part of NATO may extend a lot of benefits to Turkey but Russia is on her way back to returning to her former glory and Iran is on its way towards becoming a major regional power, whereas most of Europe has shot its self in the foot with the financial crisis and seems to be on a downward spiral. In the East both China, India and other Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia etc.) are up and coming powers, shouldn't a redress in policy with regards to all these emerging powers be a better bet than siding with a spent Europe that doesn't seem to be bouncing back ? Which is not to say that you cut off all relations with other European nations or even put them on the back burner but simply that a more emerging power centric policy be adopted - antagonizing Russia on the missile defense issue and China on the Uygur issue is not, in my opinion, a good move.

Turkey will always be willing to please the americans.

Actually to be honest with you, maybe it is for the best. When Greece made separate agreements with Russia for a natural gas pipeline and arms deals, the Prime minister was threatened with assassination and Greece was driven bankrupt.

So Turkey is making the smart choice.

 

[what]

In moments like this even the most delusional people should realize that Turkey will always be with the west, no matter what. And that's a good think.

 

[KRAIT]

In moments like this even the most delusional people should realize that Turkey will always be with the west, no matter what. And that's a good think.

Of course it is, you are developing faster than any islamic nation...

 

[Ottoman-Turk]

how does greeks feel by being ruled for 400 years by ottomans?

 

[Ottoman-Turk]

america is by far still the strongest country and the strongest country by far ever their military budget is 700billion chinas is like 80-90 billion so more than 7 times they have like 11 aircraft carriers they are ordering more than 2000 f-35s did you see that figure more than 2000- f35s alone plus f22s etc , they are still very very strong for a 300million population

people get gassed when they hear a few new headlines about china

 

[Zulkarneyn]

how does greeks feel by being ruled for 400 years by ottomans?

This is totally uncalled for by the way.

 

[Ottoman-Turk]

what? zulkarneyn are you turkish? please remove the turkey flag , sen turk olamassin