DISADVANTAGE/PROLIFERATION

TURKEY SCENARIO: GOOD RELATIONS WITH TURKEY ARE ESSENTIAL

BETTER RELATIONS WITH TURKEY ARE ESSENTIAL TO MULTIPLE SCENARIOS

Bob Deans, Cox Washington Bureau, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, November 16, 1999, SECTION: News; Pg. 11A HEADLINE: Clinton criticizes abuses in Turkey; But he praises signs of recent progress // ln-acs 12/18/99

For the most part, Clinton accented the growing U.S. stakes in its relationship with Turkey, a NATO ally. A country of 65.5 million people, Turkey has emerged as a key partner in a broad range of U.S. aims. Those include U.S. efforts to:

Tap into the oil riches of the nearby Caspian Sea;

Build peace in the Balkans;

Resolve disputes in the Middle East and on Cyprus;

Contain neighboring Iraq;

Help manage the economic and political transition under way across the former Soviet Union;

Counter terrorism;

Combat the global drug trade;

Bridge the gulf between the Islamic world and the West.

TURKEY PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN PROVIDING STABILITY IN MANY REGIONS - BALKANS, MIDDLE EAST, CASPIAN, ETC.

Amberin Zaman, The Washington Post, December 18, 1999; Pg. A20 HEADLINE: Turkey Pledges To Meet EU Terms; Premier Vows to EaseTensions With Greece // ln-acs 12/18/99

Turkey is playing a growing strategic role as a bridge between Europe and the oil-rich Caspian Sea region, as a bulwark against hostile regimes in Iran and Iraq and as a stabilizing force in the Balkans. Many officials wonder whether Turkey will be prepared to yield huge chunks of its sovereignty to a supra-national body in Brussels.

A STRONG AND INFLUENTIAL TURKEY PROVIDES STABILITY FOR THE CAUCASUS, THE BALKANS, AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Saleh Bashir, writing for pan-Arab al-Hayat, Mideast Mirror November 24, 1999 SECTION: TURKEY; Vol. 13, No. 227 HEADLINE: U.S. is shaping a new regional order to Turkey's benefit and Russia's detriment // ln-acs 12/18/99

Post-Cold War Turkey is the ideal vantage point from which the U.S. can observe three important potential foci of conflict: the Caucasus, the Balkans, and the Middle East. This makes Turkey even more of an important U.S. ally -- what with its geographic, cultural, ethnic, religious, and economic ties to countries in the three aforementioned regions -- than it was in the days of confrontation with the Soviet Union.