Number: RL31794
Title: Iraq: Turkey, the Deployment of U.S. Forces, and Related Issues
Authors: Carol Migdalovitz, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: On March 1, 2003, the Turkish parliament failed to pass a resolution authorizing the United States to deploy troops to Turkish territory to open a northern front in a war against Iraq. This report focuses on that political scene, Turkish concerns about an Iraq conflict, the tentative, but unfulfilled, bargain struck between the U.S. and Turkish governments to authorize the U.S. deployment, the final arrangements for U.S. access to Turkish airspace, and attendant issues. This report also reviews the implications of parliaments actions for the bilateral U.S.-Turkish relationship, regional relations, Turkeys domestic politics, its economy, and broader issues.
Pages: 26
Date: Updated May 2, 2003