Threats to Turkey

Re “‘Time to Stop Arming the Wrong Regimes,” Column Left, by William D. Hartung and Erica Weinberg, Aug. 30:

Turkey and Israel are the only democratic states in the Middle East. They are surrounded by dictatorships, which are not members of any multilateral structure with a democratic code of conduct. There are no established mechanisms of conflict management or resolution. All these countries are in a relentless race to acquire more sophisticated arms. They use terrorism as a foreign policy tool. The situation is further exacerbated by the direct and indirect support terrorist organizations receive from Western countries where they openly seek and get financial support. Add to this distressing picture the prevailing Christian prejudice that Muslim nations cannot govern themselves democratically and naivete regarding defense, Turkey is faced not only with real threats to its democratic institutions, economy and most important of all, its national security, but also has to endure unjustified liberal criticism.

Hartung and Weinberg would like to see the Turkish government face this challenge with no means to protect its people. The memories of the bloody partition of the Ottoman Empire with total disregard for majority rule, the occupation of our Anatolian homeland with a Crusader spirit and the enormous suffering of our people are still very fresh. The Turkish people are determined not to let that happen again. The same is also true for the Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin. They are determined not to become tools of foreign powers that want to impose their wills on Turkey.

H. HAYRET YALAV

Consul General of Turkey

Los Angeles