European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 4, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes sunday november 4,1990 William Safi re Turkey could be a 2nd front against Iraq what european member of nato has the largest standing army what nato nation Borders on Iraq the answer to both Turkey. That nation of 55 million people has armed forces including gendarmerie of 750,000 Iraq by contrast Nas a population base of 13 million not counting its persecuted kurd and an army of 550,000 three fourths now in Kuwait with reserves of another 500,000. Saddam Hussein contemplating the next phase of his War against the world is willing to Gamble that he could endure sustained bombardment from the air and he Hopes to bog Down the combined Western Arab armies moving up from the South into Kuwait a at least Long enough to let cries of Compromise Rise in the West. But what if there were a second front that a what Defeated Adolf Hitler. Turkey lies to the North its fighting men proud of their reputation for being what Douglas Macarthur in Korea called a the bravest of the brave.�?�. The turks with 15 percent of their forces now on Iran a Border have not been Friendly to Saddam Hussein. When the world looked away Turkey took in 100,000 kurdish refugees from iraqi Poi son Gas attacks. Turkey was the first nation in the Region to denounce the invasion of Kuwait first to support . Sanctions and first to make the blockade count by shutting Down iraqis pipeline. When James Baker travels to the Region this week Why do we Send a professional Deal Cutter on a Mission to avoid cutting a Deal his most important Stop will be in Ankara. President Turgut Ozal has already welcomed . Full fighter bombers and f-16 fighters to his in Ciurlik air base As the front line state in the world squeeze on Iraq he expects reimbursement from the saudi kuwaiti War Kitty of $7 billion for one years loss of Trade. Turkey deserves that As Well As consideration of Ozalis request made in the White House last month for financing and Sale of 120 f-16s to give some punch to turkeys antiquated air Force. That Lack of sophisticated weaponry a Many of its tanks Are korean War Vintage a has caused some . Strate its to Dow Mouth turkeys capacity to come a second front. They say Ozal is not too popular at Home and claim that turkish generals a who do not control him a Are wary of displaying technological weakness in combat. This overlooks turkish concern with having a messianic nuclear aggressor to its South. It completely misses what the historian Thomas Kuhn called a Quot paradigm shift Quot in explaining the Force of scientific change. When the Model of perception shifts amazing inventive changes take place All along the line. Turkey s paradigm was the a bulwark blocking Access to the Mediterranean by the soviet Black sea Fleet a and its Border with the soviet Union made it a frontline state in any attack on nato by the Warsaw pact. After the fall of Iran a Shah it became our intelligence window on the East. That concept of turkeys role bought it a ticket to Western defences and markets even though europeans treated turks with cultural scorn. But the old Model of turkeys place in the world is obviously crumbling. Turkish workers Are being kicked out of Germany and Bulgaria the european Community is closing its doors. What a to replace the old paradigm with the russians not coming who needs the turks their future is in their other front line not the one bordering the i Plosive soviet Union and Asia minor but the one bordering explosive Iraq and the Middle East. Turkey is Muslim but secular a developing democracy with women emancipated a free Market Economy and a Friend to both palestinians and israelis. Despite its unproductive enmity with Greece Turkey could be a Bridge Between West and Middle East. That a where the world will need the turks. In this new Light rethink the military possibilities. With Allied aircraft using turkeys airfields to provide tactical support turkish infantrymen driving on Baghdad would be More than a match for the divided iraqi army its most modern elements trapped in Kuwait. When the War begun on aug. 2 is Over new boundaries will be drawn As usual to penalize the aggressor. Oil reserves should be shared among an Independent Kurdistan a helpful Turkey a free Iraq and those nations that sacrificed most. C new York times Barry sch Weidbush rhetoric May be intended to confuse president Bush evidently set out last week to rattle Iraq but he May have wound up rattling everyone a including himself a on whether he is about to go to War against Saddam Hussein. As a result Bush toned Down the rhetoric a Little bit thursday As he came to a news conference equipped with past statements that matched his recent Bellico sity. Quot some Are saying there is a shift Here a dramatic shift Quot Bush said denying any inconsistency on his part. Indeed he had called the iraqi president Barbaric in the past a i am not trying to sound the Tocsin of War Quot he said casing off slightly. Bush explained he was just trying to get the focus Back where it belonged a on iraqis unacceptable invasion of Kuwait a after some digression Over the budget and his dealings with Congress. A i am not going to discuss what or will not trigger an armed conflict Quot he said. There is no denying however that the United states is experiencing a siege of War nerves and it extends to Capitol Hill. House speaker Thomas Foley and Senate majority Leader George Mitchell said tuesday they were worried that a growing number of people feel War is unavoidable. At the very least Congress wants to exercise what Many members perceive to be its constitutional right to decide whether to declare War. But Bush told the leaders tuesday that while he would continue to seek their advice and support in shaping . Policy they must understand a that any such commitment must be hedged Given the unpredictable and dynamic circumstances of this  indeed the rattling rhetoric one Day and the pm Hasis in seeking a peaceful solution another Day could c calculated to confuse Saddam. If that is Bush a purpose he obviously cannot admit it. Nor Cun he explain the shifts of emphasis to the american people without giving his strategy away. And yet an argument can be made that the president has an obligation to explain to Congress and the american people what would trigger an armed conflict. It is hard to say whether that would provide Baghdad with critical information to help prepare for War but it probably would enhance Bush a chances of getting support at Home once an attack was launched. Explaining Why he had taken a hard line of late Bush said thursday he wanted the american people to know How strongly he Felt about the plight of the nine diplomats and others holding out in the . Embassy in Kuwait and americans detained in Iraq. Some Are being used As human Shields at strategic installations to deter . Attack. Bush said relatives of the hostages would be disc our t a a a it Krc a Why was Israel right in blasting iraqis nuclear Bofty Plant in the 1980s? to pre empt nuclear warheads in the 1q9qs aged from accepting an iraqi offer to make Holiday visits. And he called the iraqi invitation a a  the emphasis Bush placed on the plight of the hostages and the diplomats could be evidence that he indeed is now More inclined to use Force and that he has begun to justify a War to the american people. And yet in late August the president said the hostages would not affect his policy toward Iraq. That is he said he would not be deterred from taking military action by threats to the americans. A i will not change the policy of the United states to pay homage or to give credibility to this brutal move of staking out citizens and a brutal move of holding people against their will Quot he said on aug. 30. At this Point however their situation could be to very reason Bush uses Force. He said wednesday he had a had it with iraqis trea ment of the hostages and the diplomats. He accuse Iraq of trying to starve out ambassador Nathaniel Hov Ell and the other besieged americans at the embassy a i must keep this in focus for the american people he said. 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