The Making of Nuclear Turkey: The Acquisition Process of Jupiter Missiles

Abstract

Of all the cleavages throughout the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis was by far the closest one to eradication by a nuclear war. Although the USA and USSR were using diplomatic tools to avoid such a disaster, the incident was so severe that a nuclear war was expected in the first week of the crisis. Although the world was on the brink of a conflict that might have ended up with a nuclear confrontation, which was likely to entail complete destruction of the world, the problem was resolved through the deep labyrinths of diplomacy. As an active member of NATO and the country hosting Jupiter Missiles on its soil, Turkey constituted a substantial party of the crisis. Although this incident was studied carefully by the academy, the deployment process of the missiles and debates on the removal of the Jupiters need further examination. Notably, the background behind Turkey’s will to deploy these missiles need attention. This article investigates the reasons behind Turkey’s consent to deploy the missiles and the removal process. Some argued that Turkey was a passive actor. Moreover, the chief reason for its consent was to obey the superpower of Western bloc and maintain its position. Nevertheless, the main argument of this article is contrary to the popular view; the reasons behind Turkey’s consent were various. Regarding the domestic and external dynamics of the era, it is explained in this article that the economy, political power groups such as the army, perception of threat, and international factors were hand in hand in shaping the decision of Turkey. To evaluate Turkey’s stance in this crisis, primary sources of the era, including international newspaper archives, were used aside from the secondary literature.

Keywords

• Jupiter Missiles,Cuban Missile Crisis,Cold War,Nuclear Turkey

The Making of Nuclear Turkey: The Acquisition Process of Jupiter Missiles

Abstract

Soğuk savaş boyunca yaşanan tüm çatışmalar arasında Küba Füze Krizi nükleer silahların yaratacağı yıkıma en yakın olduğumuz olaydı. Kriz öylesine şiddetliydi ki ABD ve Sovyetler’in böyle bir felaketi engellemek için diplomasiye yönelmesine rağmen, krizin ilk haftası nükleer bir savaşın kapıya dayandığı düşünülüyordu. Dünya kendisinin yok olmasına sebep olabilecek olan nükleer çatışmanın eşiğinde olmasına rağmen kriz diplomasinin derin labirentleri aracılığıyla aşıldı. NATO’nun aktif bir katılımcısı ve Jüpiter füzelerine ev sahipliği yapan ülke olarak Türkiye bu krizin önemli bir parçasını oluşturuyordu. Bu kriz akademi tarafından dikkatli bir şekilde incelenmiş olmasına rağmen füzelerin yerleştirilme ve kaldırılma süreçleri daha detaylı bir incelemeye ihtiyaç duyuyor. Özellikle Türkiye’nin füzeleri yerleştirme kararının arka planı dikkate değer. Bu makale Türkiye’nin füzeleri kendi topraklarına yerleştirme iradesinin arkasındaki sebepleri ve füzelerin kaldırılma sürecini inceliyor. Türkiye’nin kriz süresince edilgen bir aktör olduğu ve füzelere rıza göstermesinin temel sebebinin dönemin süper gücüne itaat ederek siyasal duruşunu sağlama aldığı iddialarına karşın bu makalenin temel iddiası bu kabul sürecinin sanıldığından daha karmaşık bir şekilde gerçekleştiği. Dönemin iç ve dış etmenlerini göz önünde bulundurduğumuzda görülüyor ki ekonomi, ordu gibi siyasi güç odakları, tehdit algısı ve uluslararası unsurlar Türkiye’nin kararını hep birlikte şekillendirmişlerdir. Türkiye’nin kriz öncesi ve kriz esnasında duruşunu değerlendirmek için ikincil kaynakların yanında yerel ve uluslararası gazete arşivleri gibi birincil kaynaklardan da yararlanılmıştır.

Keywords

• Küba Füze Krizi,Jüpiter Füzeleri,Soğuk Savaş,Nükleer Türkiye

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