Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Shootout in Istanbul

I never went into to the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, but I went to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara many times during my two years in Turkey. The Turkish police stationed there were always friendly and professional. May the three policemen slain today RIP, and the wounded officer and wounded civilian make a full recovery.

The consulate was built like a fortress atop a hill, in a neighborhood far from all the other consulates. The British consulate was hit by a bomb in 2003, killing 32 and injuring hundreds.

Hearing the news this morning, I immediately thought of this Thomas Friedman column.

If we ever run out of room to store our gold in Fort Knox, I know just the place to put it: the new U.S. Consulate in Istanbul. It looks just like Fort Knox — without the charm.

The U.S. Consulate used to be in the heart of the city, where it was easy for Turks to pop in for a visa or to use the library. For security reasons, though, it was recently moved 45 minutes away to the outskirts of Istanbul, on a bluff overlooking the Bosporus — surrounded by a tall wall. The new consulate looks like a maximum-security prison. All that's missing is a moat with alligators and a sign that says: ''Attention! You are now approaching a U.S. Consulate. Any sudden movement and you will be shot. All visitors welcome.''

But here's the stone cold truth: A lot of U.S. diplomats are probably alive today because they moved into this fortress. One of the captured terrorists involved in the Nov. 20 attack on the British Consulate in Istanbul — which was just a short walk from the old U.S. Consulate — reportedly told Turkish police that his group was interested in blowing up the new U.S. Consulate, but when they cased the place they found it was so secure ''they don't let birds fly'' there.

That column never sat well with me. I'm not going to tell U.S. diplomatic personnel to work in a less secure building so that Friedman will like the architecture better.

07/09 07:40 AMShare