CLINTON, N.Y., Oct. 10 (AScribe Newswire) -- Following is an op-ed columun by Tolga Koker, professor of economics at Hamilton College. Dr. Koker focuses his research on national and international political economics, refugee studies, and Islam and secularism. Publication rights for this op-ed column are available from the Hamilton College News Office. For information on obtaining rights, contact Esena Doyle at 315-859-4681 or edoyle@hamilton.edu.

By Tolga Koker

Will Turkish involvement in Iraq introduce some semblance of stability or will it lead to more destabilization in the Middle East? Clearly Turkish support has significant symbolic value. As the first Muslim country to join the peacekeeping efforts in Iraq, Turkey offers credibility. Its involvement reinforces the U.S. contention that it is an opponent, not of Islam, as many in the Middle East now believe, but of terrorism.

Many pieces of an increasingly agitated Middle Eastern puzzle must fit into place, however, before any true stability is established. U.S. policy makers wishfully think that Sunni Turks will control Sunni Saddam supporters. This strategy may backfire. Does the U.S. not recognize that Turks and Arabs historically have disliked each other? Arabs have long been suspicious of Turkey's friendly relationship with Israel as well as its formal military alliance.

A primary motive in Turkey's decision to take an active role in Middle Eastern politics is self-protection. This major policy shift in its 80-year history of non-involvement in the region reflects its concern over the possible disintegration of Iraq and the establishment of an independent Kurdish state. The spread of Kurdish nationalism among Turkish Kurds could lead to dire internal consequences.

PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party, has used bases in northern Iraq to launch bloody campaigns against Turkey for Kurdish autonomy, claiming 37,000 lives, unofficially even more, throughout the 1990s. Regarded as a terrorist organization by the U.S., it now uses the name KADEK. It continues to harbor militia in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq.

Turkey fears that KADEK, with the support of the Iraqi Kurds, will reinitiate a war against Turkey. Any Turkish Kurdish clash will be detrimental to stabilization efforts, not only in Iraq, but throughout the entire Middle East.

Also threatening to future stability is the Iraqi Governing Council's opposition to Turkish involvement. The council feels that with additional foreign involvement, the establishment of an independent government will be further delayed.

Turkey's decision to send troops to Iraq will temporarily place a positive spin on U.S. involvement. But adding this additional piece to the Middle East puzzle ultimately only contributes to its complexity. Stability may prove elusive once the players discover that their puzzle pieces offer no easy fit.

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Hamilton College economist Tolga Koker has written many articles including "The Political Economy of Islam and Secularism in Turkey," "Responses to the Collision of Islamism and Secularism," "Lessons in Being Refugees: The Tale of Muhacirs in Turkey" and "An Anthology on Contending Theories of International Political Economy."