The Middle East issue and the question of Iraq have increasing been the focus of attention in the international arena. In Turkey, the debate is even more relevant and intense because we happen to be in the immediate vicinity of these problems. Whatever course of action is taken on either issue, Turkey will be significantly affected. Turkey has been seriously victimized by events and circumstances beyond its control over the past decade. During the same period, no other country in the world has had to cope with so many internal and external challenges in so many different directions. If the past ten-year period can be characterized as one of conflicts, the opening years of the new millennium have been no less troubling. The tectonic shift in the geopolitical landscape caused by the September 11 attacks has led many other countries to reevaluate their priorities and revisit their strategies for dealing with the common challenges faced by the humanrace. The growing awareness of asymmetrical threats like terrorism, transnational crime of all types and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is, in itself, very important. An equally important fact is that humanity can only be effective in dealing with these problems if it responds to them in a cooperative spirit and collectively. If we hope to deal a decisive blow to forces of evil, remedy the ills that afflict our societies and resolve the conflicts that threaten our own well-being, we must act together, try to forge coalitions and build as strong a consensus as possible about how to tackle such issues. The same approach should also prevail with regard to the complex problems of the Middle East...Please click here to read the text in full.