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How WikiLeaks Influence Turkey and the Middle East

(Hudson Institute-New York) Harold Rhode - People in the Middle East believe the U.S. is all-powerful, and when it chooses to, enforces order as it sees fit. To them, the release of the WikiLeaks classified documents was intentional. Among the leaked documents is one in which the U.S. Embassy in Turkey writes about rumors that Erdogan has multiple Swiss bank accounts in which he has more the $1 billion. A large number of Middle Easterners believe the Jews run America and the world. By this logic, the best way for Erdogan to redeem himself was to find a way to ingratiate himself to the Americans and Israelis. Erdogan jumped at the opportunity to send two Turkish planes to help the Israelis put out the fire in the Carmel Mountains, a humanitarian gesture that would help Erdogan back into the good graces of the Americans and the Jews. By personally calling Erdogan and thanking him for sending the planes, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu got credit for decency in the eyes of the world, and the Turkish nation in particular. Netanyahu also personally shook the hands of the Turkish pilots who came to Israel's rescue. Pictures of the Israeli prime minister were printed in newspapers and shown on Turkish television, demonstrating to the Turks that Netanyahu is a decent man, not the "killer" that Erdogan and his colleagues have claimed the past few years. There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity behind the scenes between the Israelis and the Turks - seeking ways to patch up their differences. We should not be surprised if Turkish-Israeli relations markedly improve in the coming months. By "intentionally" leaking documents about Erdogan, the U.S. has, from a Middle Eastern point of view, warned him that he had better find a way to step in line. The writer, a senior advisor at the Hudson Institute-New York, served from 1994 until his recent retirement in the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment.
2010-12-10 08:21:34
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