I didn't watch it, sorry.
"In response to a question about the growing murder rate of women in Turkey, declining press freedom, and the Turkish prime minister’s embrace of Hamas, Texas Governor Rick Perry was asked whether Turkey still belongs in NATO. Perry responded: “Well, obviously when you have a country that is being ruled by, what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists, when you start seeing that type of activity against their own citizens, then yes. Not only is it time for us to have a conversation about whether or not they belong to be in NATO, but it’s time for the United States, when we look at their foreign aid, to go to zero with it.”
Turkey has been ruled by the Justice and Freedom Party since 2002. The party has Islamic roots, though Turkey’s constitution defines the country as democratic, secular, and parliamentary.
Emiliano Alessandri, trans-Atlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund who focuses on Turkey, said, “You may argue about the foreign policy of the ruling party in Turkey, but nobody would call them Islamic terrorists.’’
Kurds might.
According to the US government website on foreign aid, US assistance to Turkey has been dropping in recent years, from $19.8 million in 2007 to just $5.4 million in 2011. Of that, $4 million was for stabilization operations and security sector reform, which could includes anything from humanitarian missions to training the nation’s military. The rest of the money was for combating weapons of mass destruction and counter-terrorism.
Why are we paying to train Turkey's military, taxpayers?
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Related:
"The Perry campaign told ABC that Perry was referring to Turkey’s support for Hamas – considered a terrorist organization by the US – and support for a flotilla that tried to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza....
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Also see: No Justice For Perry
Update: Rick Perry quits Republican race and endorses Newt Gingrich
Rick, Rick, Rick! You endorsed that slime-scum and slighted a fellow Texan?