International Relations: A Special issue

Year 2003, Issue: 17, 1 - 2, 01.04.2003

Jesús Velasco

Abstract

In November 2002, during the annual American Studies Conference organized by the American Studies Association of Turkey, a recurrent theme at the lunch and dinner tables was American foreign policy in the Middle East. At that time, Turkish scholars were highly concerned about two main issues: the nature of terrorist organizations in the world, especially Al-Qaeda, and American foreign policy after the terrorist attacks on September 11. Specifically, they were also anxious about the violent rhetoric of the George W. Bush administration, about the possible American invasion of Iraq and the implications of invasion for Turkey and other countries in the region, political instability in the Middle East, and the expansion of terrorist activities in the world. In our conversations, I expressed to my Turkish colleagues that we in Mexico are also very concerned about the same kind of issues and that the Mexican people highly disapprove of the terrorist attacks on September 11, although Mexicans are against American foreign policy in the Middle East. I also added that Mexicans are worried about the growth of terrorism in the world and our governmental authorities are cooperating with the United States to increase the security along the border. In a nutshell, I expressed to them that in my view international terrorism and US foreign policy are global rather than regional concerns, and similar issues occupy people’s minds all over the world.