I've Been Thinking:
Hillary Clinton is traveling to Europe this week. Her first stop is
Prague where the Secretary of State will discuss their energy problems.
The most important leg of this trip will be Brussels where Clinton will
join with the other NATO foreign ministers.
The most significant issue on the agenda in Brussels will be Turkey's
request for Patriot missiles. The Patriot is an American made
anti-surface-to-surface missile battery.
Turkey has fears that Syria will launch chemical weapons at the
rebels and may - either accidentally or deliberately, strike Turkey.
The Turks say that they have intelligence to that effect and they point to several Syrian rockets that have already gone awry.
There is no doubt that Syria has at least several hundred ballistic
missiles with chemical warhead capability. The chemicals Syria is
thought to have are mustard gas, a form of sulfur that burns the skin
terribly, and the nerve agents sarin and vx.
In 2003, during the Gulf War, Turkey received two sets of Patriots
batteries. They were Dutch and German manned and in place to protect
Turkey. That is their hope once again.
It is very unlikely that Syria will launch such weapons. And even
less likely that they will use them to attack Turkey. But Turkey is
correct in wanting to be prepared for all contingencies and if the Dutch
and the Germans agree, there should be no significant reason to deny
the request.
The discussion in and of itself is significant because it shows us
that, finally, NATO is starting to take a real interest in Syria and the
Middle East.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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