An Arms Transfer Case Study: Weapons Sales to Turkey

Turkey occupies a strategic geographic location. It links Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region of Russia, and the Middle East. For this reason, the U.S. considers Turkey to be an important ally.

Turkey was admitted to membership in NATO in 1952. In 1980, the U.S. and Turkey signed a Defense and Economic Cooperation Agreement. This agreement allows the U.S. to use Turkey as a base for military operations. In return, the U.S. is committed to helping Turkey modernize its military.

An integral element of the U.S.-Turkey relationship is that the U.S. supports weapons sales by U.S. manufacturers to Turkey. The Turkish military is a major client for U.S. weapons. Since 1980, Turkey has bought $15 billion worth of U.S. weapons.

New weapons acquisitions planned by Turkey

The Turkish government has announced plans to buy 145 attack helicopters. Selection of a contractor is expected in early 2000. Purchase of these helicopters is part of Turkey’s eight year, $31 billion weapons buying spree.

U.S. manufacturers of Blackhawk and Super Cobra helicopters are anxious to secure this potentially lucrative contract. U.S. manufacturers also anticipate that winning the helicopter contract will reduce competition from European weapons manufacturers for future contracts.

A problem of human rights

Turkey has frequently been cited for violations of human rights of ethnic minorities. The military-dominated Turkish government, in its efforts to assimilate ethnic minority groups into the Turkish population, denies many basic human rights and even bans the use of local languages. The Kurdish population of southeast Turkey has especially suffered.

The Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) has, for the past 16 years, fought for Kurdish rights. The PKK has used violent means, and perpetrated its share of atrocities.

The Turkish government has responded by placing the six southeast provinces under a state of emergency for more than twelve years. Turkish security forces have forcibly evicted entire villages suspected of supporting the PKK in any way. State forces have tortured and even executed individuals for suspected involvement with the PKK. They have also exiled or killed journalists who report favorably about the PKK.

A dilemma for the U.S. government

The Turkish government has waged its 16 year war with the PKK using U.S.-made weapons and U.S.-trained forces. In recent years, the United States has denied a few individual weapons sales and banned light weapons sales altogether (though not the materials to manufacture these weapons). Nonetheless, many weapons transfers have occurred despite the known human rights violations by the Turkish government.

The possible sale of 145 attack helicopters to Turkey has elicited some controversy. It remains to be seen whether the State Department will oppose the sale or whether “strategic interests” will prevail.

For more information about the human rights violations in Turkey, please contact FCNL and request the U.S. Committee for Refugees paper, “The Wall of Denial: Internal Displacement in Turkey.”