Friday, March 25, 2005

Places East of Incirlik

Instapundit notes that Austin Bay has noted this article about the US and Turkey repairing our relations and essentially reactivating the important air base at Incirlik, which is along the Mediterranean across from Syria.

The article states:

Turkey is planning to accept “very soon” a U.S. request to use the critical air base at Incirlik in southern Turkey as a logistical hub for operations east of the country, a Turkish official said late March 23.

The purpose?

[Murat] Mercan[, deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling party] did not elaborate, but other Turkish officials in Washington said that Ankara was preparing to accept Incirlik’s use as a logistical hub for U.S. missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You don't need to go as far east as Afghanistan or even Iraq to see a country that might be nervous about this development.

More pressure on Syria even if no American airplanes or American ground forces ever land there in large numbers. Assad has to look over so many shoulders that his head must be spinning.

Oh, and Iran is east of Incirlik, too. Just so you know. You know, in case the Gulf Arab states are too uneasy about a regime change in Iran it would be nice to have another staging area into Iraq and then on into Iran.

I'm just pointing out the geography.