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Tarnished Turkey.(A)(EDITORIALS)
Middle East: Turkey's decision to not let U.S. troops attack Iraq from Turkish soil may have been popular, but it was a huge mistake -- one that may cost it dearly.
The surprise decision by Turkey's Parliament over the weekend comes amid signs of growing opposition among Turkey's mostly Muslim population to a war of any kind against Iraq.
Some opinion polls put public opposition as high as 95%. As pollsters note, it's hard to get that many people to agree on anything.
So in one sense, Turkey's decision to not let the U.S. attack Iraq from Turkish soil must be respected. After all, Turkey made its decision for impeccably democratic reasons. Yet it's already hinted it may reconsider.
One of the privileges of a democracy is the right to say no. The U.S. will respect that. But Turkey will also learn a painful lesson: Sometimes short-term gain means long-term pain.
Because with or without Turkey, the U.S. and Britain will still attack Iraq. The "coalition of the willing" already has enough forces in place to do the job. And Kuwait has offered to let more U.S. troops operate from its territory.
As such, Turkey's rejection of the 62,000 U.S. troops makes it one of the biggest losers in the war with Iraq. Letting the U.S. use bases in the eastern Turkish desert would have been a boon.
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