Iraq is slowly disintegrating. When the U.S. pulls out, it is likely that chaos will ensue. Turkey shares borders with Iraq, has a strong military presence, and can provide a stabilizing force that will benefit its own citizens who live in border towns (who are now victimized by random PKK violence) and western nations that are too bored with the mess they’ve created to clean it up.

However, for Turkey to play a stabilizing role, it will need the backing and support of other players in the region. I think what we’re seeing here is an effort to establish that Turkey’s foreign relations’ policy is intended to benefit all players in the region and to garner support for any future involvement when Iraq falls apart. It’s not a question of if Iraq will fall apart, just when.

It was not my intention to be racist. I apologize if you genuinely feel that way.

Football and the mideast peace process can be in the same article because I was trying to give readers a sense of public and media interest here in Turkey. While I would never claim that my view is 100% accurate, I have observed that the middle east peace process is of little concern in comparison with football. So, in a sense, the article is meant to be a little absurd to reflect the scene here, which is also absurd.

It was also not my intention to consider whether or not Turkey *should* or *should not* join the EU. I was merely interested in trying to understand and identify the Turkish government’s motivations.