A Turkish Bridge Between Iran and America?
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s Prime Minister, volunteered today to mediate the extremely hostile relationship between the United States and Iran. Erdogan offered his services to President-Elect Barack Obama, stating that Turkey’s relationship with Iran could prove to be beneficial to the United States, as well as all parties involved. The Turkish Prime Minister asserts that the deteriorating relationship between Turkey and the United States is dangerous to parties of NATO and the Western allies, and that Barack Obama should work immediately to fix the relationship between Turkey and the United States. Obama promised a shift in diplomacy during his campaign, and Turkey is afraid of becoming another Iraq.
Bridging the gap between Iran and the United States is an imperative beacon of diplomacy that will ignite the 21st Century. Although there is a lot of speculation about Iran’s nuclear programs, to assume to that Iran is being deceitful is not the best approach. Turkey may not be the best country to do it (with its contentious relationship with Iran), there needs to be an immediate step towards diplomacy. The fact that Turkey volunteered is a monumental step for all parties involved.
Olurunbunmi Hambolu
