Deep Throat Returns: Insider Notes from the Pentagon
05-08-2003
Those Awful Turks
The Early Bird reports that Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz criticized Turkey this week -- specifically the Turkish military – saying “"I think for whatever reason, they did not play the strong leadership role that we would have expected…”
Well, Paul, there’s a reason for that.
Unlike in America, Turkey is a democracy and has a governing body of elected representatives – a Parliament – that actually has a controlling role in major national decisions like whether to go to war, or to support an ill-thought out invasion of a neighbor.
Unlike in America, where the civilian leadership in the Pentagon is ascendant and controls foreign policy, the Turkish parliament has a powerful voice in whether to commit the nation’s resources. This is a break from Turkey’s past – apparently one Wolfowitz cherishes – where the Turkish military controlled all domestic and foreign politics.
Unlike in America, these parliamentarians couldn’t be bought, even though Mr. Wolfowitz himself, and other Pentagon civilian neo-cons like Feith and Luti, traveled to Ankara promising billions and billions of U.S. taxpayer freebies to the Turks.
Wolfowitz says, by way of warning, "Let's have a Turkey that steps up and says: `We made a mistake. We should have known how bad things were in Iraq, but we know now. Let's figure out how we can be as helpful as possible to the Americans’.”
This is a warning not only to Turks, but to Americans and anyone else who opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
In today’s same Early Bird, a “senior Pentagon official” is quoted in another article discussing the "tectonic shift" of decision-making power on foreign policy from State to the Defense Department. This official agrees that foreign policy power has shifted, and defends the shift with "Anyone who thinks that you can conveniently separate foreign policy, diplomacy, national security and war-fighting is clueless about the realities of global affairs, power politics and modern" war.
Some people may be clueless, but many are not. The Turks are not clueless. Not in the least. Don’t kid yourself that the average Turkish citizen, military officer and parliamentarian understood last year, last month and understands today what is at stake with the U.S. war in and occupation of Iraq.
The rest of the world is not clueless. They witness each day the rise of a Napoleonic empire, complete with strutting Napoleonic figures (take your pick from Bush the Younger, Don the anti-diplomat elder, Cheney the mysterious, or Caesar Wolfowitz). They see this and shudder – not in fear of our great strength, but of our strength combined with our fantastically arrogant stupidity.
Even our British allies understand the sorry historical direction our young Republic is taking. They’ve been there, with militaristic and property-hungry kings sending their young off to kill for the crown.
American foreign policy -- and some domestic policy -- is currently under the grip of empire-envying, force-loving radicals brought in not by elections, but through appointment. Remember George Bush’s campaign pledge of a foreign policy of humility?
Yeah, me neither.
Secretary of State Powell has a tough job to do. As a retired four star general, I have full faith in his abilities to succeed in the face of the largely draft-dodging, military service-avoiding neo-conservative crowd.
But just in case he doesn’t, perhaps we should all brush up on the oath of office we once swore. Especially the part where we said “I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…”
Actually, Wolfowitz has the right idea, at heart. Militaries have an important leadership role to play in foreign policy decision-making and defense of a nation’s ideals.
It’s just too bad ours hasn’t.
Mitayo Potosi
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