NATO’s reliance on Turkey
Turkey joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1952. Although the NATO member has occasionally presented obstacles for the alliance, it plays an irreplaceable role in NATO’s stature. Here’s why.
The second-largest military in NATO
Turkey has roughly 425,000 active-duty military personnel, compared to nearly 1.4 million for the U.S. France has NATO’s third-largest military with some 205,000 personnel.
The (Turkey-)Cuban missile crisis
Turkey’s location made it a strategic host of U.S. nuclear weapons during the Cold War, and those nukes became a Soviet grievance during the Cuban missile crisis. President John F. Kennedy agreed to remove intermediate-range missiles from Turkish soil, but Turkey still hosts dozens of short-range U.S. nukes today.
Control of the Black Sea Straits
In accordance with the Montreux Convention (1936), Turkey can control movement into and out of the Black Sea during wartime. The convention was invoked in February 2022 to limit the passage of Russian warships.
The Turkish check on Russia
In recent conflicts and crises across the Middle East and Central Asia, Turkey has served as the main counterweight to Russian intervention and influence.
Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha, one of the two major Muslim festivals, takes place this weekend. The festival coincides with the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
This Symbolic Stoning of the Devil Is a Hajj Ritual that Co-occurs with Eid al-Adha
article / Philosophy & Religion
Amellie
As Part of the Pilgrimage, Muslims Circumambulate Around this Structure
article / Philosophy & Religion
© ayazad/stock.adobe.com
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