October 2, 2014
The Turkish parliament (click here) is debating a motion to allow its military to enter Iraq and Syria and foreign troops to use its territory for the operation.
The Turkish parliament (click here) is debating a motion to allow its military to enter Iraq and Syria and foreign troops to use its territory for the operation.
Turkey had been unwilling to fight Islamic State (IS) militants because they were holding 46 Turkish hostages but they were released last month.
Parliament is expected to back the motion.
However Turkey is wary of retaliation by IS and protesters demonstrated outside parliament as the debate began.
The government in Ankara also fears helping the Kurds who are fighting the militants.
Turkey has a porous and vulnerable border with Syria, more than 900km (560 miles) long....
It was always possible for the Syrian civil war to spill over into Turkey. If it has and the government believes troops are necessary to return border security, then it is a matter for NATO. End of discussion.
Turkey doesn't want it's land turned into a war zone and that is what would happen should they declare war that brings them into Syria to stop any infiltration of the country. Turkey would become a staging ground for NATO and the people would suffer changes in their economic focus. Forget tourism because there will be war.
That is what Turkey has to decide. Is the spill over from Syria and Iraq for that matter enough to move Turkey to commit to troops and war. It is a huge decision and best made by the Turkish government. But, once Turkey commits, if it commits, the picture expands with involvement of NATO. That is a given. That is somewhat the very essence Turkey wants to avoid.
Turkey doesn't want it's land turned into a war zone and that is what would happen should they declare war that brings them into Syria to stop any infiltration of the country. Turkey would become a staging ground for NATO and the people would suffer changes in their economic focus. Forget tourism because there will be war.
That is what Turkey has to decide. Is the spill over from Syria and Iraq for that matter enough to move Turkey to commit to troops and war. It is a huge decision and best made by the Turkish government. But, once Turkey commits, if it commits, the picture expands with involvement of NATO. That is a given. That is somewhat the very essence Turkey wants to avoid.
