used to enforce a no-fly zone; a highly unlikely scenario due to the
contingent of these batteries and has been frequently at odds with
specific role of this system as an anti-ballistic weapon. Since the
Ankara over the Syrian crisis, Washington may have to pull its
range of these Patriot missiles is only 20 kilometers, the possibility
weight. This is not only for the sake of the Alliance but also for
of chemical dispersion over Turkish soil or Syrian territory under
the protection of the Turkish people.
rebel command is increased, limiting the value of these batteries significantly.
About the author
It is key to remember that while the success rate of interception is roughly 95%, this does not account for remnants of the rocket
Alexander Corbeil is a Senior Research Analyst at The Atlantic
landing in populated areas, or worse, leakage of the sarin gas over
Council of Canada focusing on the Middle East and North Africa.
densely populated areas. While Russia’s “near abroad” must be re-
He holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the Universi-
spected, given the need for future good will, fears of the system
ty of Toronto with a focus on conflict management, post-conflict
being utilized for offensive purposes are largely unfounded. A fur-
resolution, and authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. Alexan-
ther issue which must be dealt with is the minute number of batter-
der has also studied conflict management in Arab-Israeli relations
ies that are scheduled to be deployed. Turkey shares a 900 kilome-
at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.
ter long border with Syria; with six batteries capable of covering only 20 kilometers each there is a significant gap in the protection of Turkish soil. Furthermore, it has been pointed out by military experts that Patriots are designed for protecting specific sites and can-
With six batteries capable of covering only 20 kilometers each there is a significant gap in the protection of Turkish soil. not be utilized to cover an entire area. The team of NATO experts which have surveyed military bases in the southern provinces of Turkey in recent days will be hard pressed to find a suitable deployment pattern necessary to ensure the protection of the highest number of civilian lives. According to the Associated Foreign Press, possible sites for Patriot deployment include the cities of Malatya, Sanliurfa and Diyabakir. Room to Maneuver? The deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey is not just a military issue. Over the course of the Syrian uprising Ankara has called for a variety of measures to deal with instability on its southern border. For a large part, many of Turkey`s requests have been brushed aside by Alliance members. This month`s agreement to protect Turkish soil from Syrian ballistic and chemical missiles is a step in the right direction, but largely symbolic given the small number of Patriot systems promised. To rectify the situation and to remedy the previous unwillingness of Member States to intervene on behalf of Turkey, it would be wise for the Alliance to increase the number of Patriot systems in order to thoroughly cover the country`s territory. Given that the United States has the largest Atlantic Voices, Volume 2, Issue 12
1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO Ministers agree to boost cooperation with Russia, Georgia, back Turkish request for air defence. December 5, 2012. http :// www.na to.in t/ cp s/ en/ SID- A847 0E7D- BBED11 DB/n atolive/ news_92979.htm (accessed December 5, 2012). 2. Hurriyet Daily News. Syrian refugees in Turkey exceed 137,000: Minister . December 12, 2012. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-refugees-in-turkeyexceed-137000-minister.aspx?pageID=238&nID=36678&NewsCatID=359 (accessed December 12, 2012). 3. Eline Gordts. Sarin Gas: Syria's Deadly Chemical Weapon. December 6, 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/sarin-gas-syria_n_2251919.html (accessed December 6, 2012). 4. Aron Lund. Chemical Weapons in Syria: Fact, Fiction, and Fib. December 8, 2012. http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=16906 (accessed December 8, 2012). 5. Joshua Landis. Chemical Weapons; Jabhat al-Nusra; The End Game; Recognizing National Coalition. December 7, 2012. http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/? p=16861 (accessed December 7, 2012). 6. Nuclear Threat Initiative . Syria Weapons Capacities . 2012. http://www.nti.org/ gmap/?country=syria&layers=biological,chemical,missile,nuclear (accessed December 1, 2012). 7. Dan Murphy. US designates Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra front a 'terrorist' group at lightning speed. December 11, 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/us-designates-syriasjabhat-al-nusra-front-terrorist-222557608.html (accessed December 11, 2012). 8. Oren Kessler. Syria tests Scud B missiles. December 5, 2011. http:// www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=248110 (accessed December 6, 2012) 9. Nuclear Threat Initiative . Syria Country Profile . December 2012. http:// www.nti.org/country-profiles/syria/delivery-systems/ (accessed December 5, 2012). 10. National Post . Syria has fired Scud missiles at rebels: U.S. official. December 12, 2012. http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/12/12/syria-has-fired-scud-missiles-atrebels-u-s-official/ (accessed December 12, 2012). 11. For a complete list and attributes see: http://www.nti.org/media/pdfs/ syria_missiles_table.pdf?_=1344557599&_=1344557599. 12. Mary Beth Nikitin, Andrew Feickert, and Paul K Kerr. "Syria's Chemical Weapons: Issues for Congress." Congressional Research Service. December 5, 2012. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/R42848.pdf (accessed December 6, 2012). 13. Mark Thompson. Bashar Assad's Chemical-Weapons' Calculus . December 4, 2012. http://nation.time.com/2012/12/04/bashar-assads-chemical-weaponscalculus/ (accessed December 4, 2012). 14. Council on Foreign Relations. Sarin. January 2006. http://www.cfr.org/ weapons-of-terrorism/sarin/p9553 (accessed December 5, 2012). 15. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1988: Thousands die in Halabja gas attack. March 16 , 2012. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/16/ newsid_4304000/4304853.stm (accessed December 5, 2012). 16. Elise Labott. Sources: U.S. helping underwrite Syrian rebel training on securing chemical weapons. December 9, 2012. http:// security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/09/sources-defense-contractors-training-syrianrebels-in-chemical-weapons/?hpt=hp_t3 (accessed December 9, 2012). 17. Spiegel Online International. Berlin Approves Patriots for Turkey-Syria Border. December 6, 2012. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-cabinet -authorizes-sending-patriots-to-turkey-with-nato-a-871378.html (accessed December 6, 2012). 19. Aeroweb. MIM-104F Patriot PAC-3. June 7, 2012. http://www.bgaaeroweb.com/Defense/Patriot-PAC-3.html (accessed December 3 , 2012). 20. Fulya Ozerkan. Turkey assures Russia Patriot missiles for defense: diplomat. December 10, 2012. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Dec10/197957-turkey-assures-russia-patriot-missiles-for-defensediplomat.ashx#axzz2EoJxeE6F (accessed December 10 , 2012).
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