Publication

This commentary discusses Turkish media coverage of the Western intervention in Libya. The author argues that the Turkish shift from intervention to intervention can be explained by considering two issues: first, for Turkey, there is a difference between “Western” intervention and NATO intervention, because it is member of NATO; and second, for Turkey, the initial intervention by the Western coalition under France’s leadership posed a significant threat to its new foreign policy of assuming an active leadership and mediation role in the Middle East. The analysis thus explores the outcomes of an international survey which ranked Turkey as among the least likely countries to support the NATO mission, playing an important role both reflecting and influencing Turkish public opinion. The author identifies the media coverage of the intervention in Lybia as disinterested in the details of this complex situation.