While We Were Boasting, the U.S. Settled in the Middle East

The AKP administration is getting carried away by the “Welcome, Sultan” exclamations rising from the Arab streets; however, the regional political and military truths are not being considered very much in Turkey.

As Ankara’s relationship with Washington deteriorates, we see that some are interpreting the AKP’s ventures in the Middle East as a “response” to “the Israel-supporting U.S.” The truth is that the U.S. is forming important military relationships in the Middle East that would provide alternatives to Turkey. Before the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen visited Turkey in September, our media was covered in commentary that alleged that the U.S., which was pulling out of Iraq, had become needy of Turkey. Mullen, on the other hand, put an end to these commentaries by stating the following:

“We have moved almost 100,000 troops out of Iraq, we’ve moved over 38,000 pieces of rolling stock and over 2 million other pieces of equipment. We’ve done this quietly and without incident. And we’ve done it through essentially very robust lines of communication. None of the military equipment and none of people have come through Turkey.” After that day, the topic was dropped from the agenda. Meanwhile, no one wondered what Mullen meant by “robust lines of communication.” However, the U.S. had succeeded in this through developing military collaboration with Middle Eastern countries.

The country that helped the most was none other than that of the Qatari Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser, who attended the openings of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University and the Civilizations Alliance Institute, and who dubbed Prime Minister Erdoğan the “hope of the international community.”

The modern Al Udeid air base in Qatar, along with having the capability to host any kind of aircraft thanks to its 4,500-meter-long runway, also accommodates about 100-120 American war planes. In Qatar’s As Sayliyah air base, there is the U.S.’ biggest pre-positioning facilities in the world.

It is important to note that the Al Udeid air base, which can house 10,000 American troops at any given time, began to be developed with a $1.4 billion investment in 2003. As you may remember, the Turkish parliament had refused to allow Washington passage into Iraq in March of that same year.

Not Giving the Wahabis Ammunition

Qatar is not the only country in the region that is cooperating with the U.S. Despite moving the war planes from the Prince Sultan air base to Qatar in 2003 in order to “not give the Wahabis ammunition,” military collaboration between the two countries is increasing.

According to the U.S. Congress Research Service, Washington, which has transferred arms and military equipment worth $63 billion between 1950 and 2006, plans to transfer arms and military equipment worth $60 million in the next 15 to 20 years. If we take a look at the other countries in the region, the U.S. keeps 15,000 troops at the Arifjan base in Kuwait at all times. In addition, the American military is preparing to build the world’s safest and most modern storage facility in Kuwait to be able to keep arms and sensitive materials there. Other facilities that help the U.S. keep the Persian Gulf under control against Iran are in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Washington constantly reinforces its military presence in these countries.

Due to limited space, we will not discuss the military cooperation the U.S. has been developing with Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, along with the Gulf countries. However, like the information provided above, information regarding these is not classified. People who know where to look can easily access it.

In short, the AKP administration’s Middle East policy may be touted on the street level; however, the U.S. is rapidly developing military projects that are alternatives to Turkey in the region and yield concrete results. All the regional nations that see Iran as a threat seem satisfied with this current situation.

During these times when the prominent opinion is that Turkey is becoming more dominant in the Middle East, we think it would be beneficial to keep these fundamental realities — of which we were only able to touch on in part for the sake of a “wholesome” appearance — in mind.