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Turkey and the Baghdad Pact

Background

Turkey's role in the Baghdad Pact was one of a unique and elevated nature compared to other nations such as Iraq. It was given "special" attention by the West primarily due to their geopolitical importance. It was believed that they could draw other Arab countries, such as Iraq, closer to the projected anti-communist Arab alliance, as the former would have been of inspiration for other “like-minded” countries. It was also hoped that by agreeing to the Baghdad Pact the Turkish and the Iraqi relations would get their time in the sun. However, this optimism was not rewarded as Iraq was under constant threat of the infiltration of Turkish troops and Nuri was desperate to strike an agreementCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).. Finally, the Turkish courting by western nations, such as the USA, did not have the outcome that was desired as Arab countries, primarily Egypt, turned hostile to the pact.

Turkey and the West

To begin with, Moscow's calls for co-operation with Ankara were interpreted as an attempt by the Soviet Union to influence Turkish foreign policy^[1]. However, Turkey drew closer to the West and joined the anti-Soviet network, and the Baghdad Pact was deemed the right way forward. This made Turkey the main strategic ally for the US. Turkey was a gateway to the East and a key communist counter-propaganda tool which was utilised in the orchestration of the Baghdad pact.

Turkish relations with Pakistan

There was a strong case in building a Turko-Pakistan alliance as another powerful nation building ties with Pakistan would mean further bartering tools for ongoing disputes with India and Afghanistan.^[2] Turkey was rewarded by the US for this pact, but this new “friendship” was a cause of tension in the Turko-Arab relations. One important factor is that the US's offer to build an air base in Turkey came without any tied aid, unlike the offer that was given to Iraq by Britain. Furthermore, Turkey was one of the nations that was expected to join the Baghdad Pact at a later date, along with Pakistan, Britain, USA and possibly France^[1]. What this proves is that Turkey was treated differently as, they were seen as a middle ground between the West and the Middle East. Another reason that this treaty went ahead is that both nations sought the containment of Communism^[3] and with that the gaining of American support.

Arab League's retaliation

It was also crucial for Turkey to ameliorate its relationship with the other Arab states as well, primarily Iraq and Egypt, in order to divert from its isolation. However, Turkey's proximity to the West represented a cause for distrust for the other Arab states, which considered the Turkish alignment potentially damaging of their independence from colonial power. An important consequence of this was the reaction of Arab nations, primarily Egypt, who capitalised on this and pushed Arab nations to militarise further as a defence mechanism^[1]. Nasser manipulated this occurrence to further distance himself and other Arab countries from the pact as for him these agreements, especially the gains from the Turko-Pakistan agreement was translated as an attack on the Arab League with Turkey’s move closer to the USA. When Premier Menderes went to Baghdad, Nasser publicly denounced the pact and therefore acted in a defensive manner by increasing military support of the Arab nations. It can be understood that Turkey was the first brick in the wall of protecting the region from the Communist threat, and with the support of Turkey, a border could be drawn as it geographically linked the entire region to the Soviet Satellite states. There was a strong case in building a Turko-Pakistan alliance as another powerful nation building ties with Pakistan would mean further bartering tools for ongoing disputes with India and Afghanistan.^[2] Turkey was rewarded by the US for this pact, but this new “friendship” was a cause of tension in the Turko-Arab relations. One important factor is that the US's offer to build an air base in Turkey came without any tied aid, unlike the offer that was given to Iraq by Britain.

^ ^a ^b ^c Jasse, Richard (Winter 1991). "The Baghdad Pact: Cold War or Colonialism". Middle Eastern Studies. 27 No.1: 140–156 – via JSTOR.
^ ^a ^b Sanjian, Ara (Spring 1997). "The Formulation of the Baghdad Pact". Middle Eastern Studies. 33, No.2: 226–266 – via JSTOR.
^ Martin, Kevin (2008). Encyclopedia of the Cold War. New York: Routhledge. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-415-97515-5.

[:0-1] Jasse, Richard (Winter 1991). "The Baghdad Pact: Cold War or Colonialism". Middle Eastern Studies. 27 No.1: 140–156 – via JSTOR.

[:1-2] Sanjian, Ara (Spring 1997). "The Formulation of the Baghdad Pact". Middle Eastern Studies. 33, No.2: 226–266 – via JSTOR.

[3] Martin, Kevin (2008). Encyclopedia of the Cold War. New York: Routhledge. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-415-97515-5.

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