THE HEAT IS ON – AT 10:02 A.M. ET:  One of the most distressing foreign policy developments has been the drift of Turkey, a member of NATO, away from the West and toward the Islamic countries of the Mideast.  The State Department has noticed:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States is warning Turkey that it is alienating U.S. supporters and needs to demonstrate its commitment to partnership with the West.

The remarks by Philip Gordon, the Obama administration's top diplomat on European affairs, were a rare admonishment of a crucial NATO ally.

''We think Turkey remains committed to NATO, Europe and the United States, but that needs to be demonstrated,'' Gordon told The Associated Press in an interview this week. ''There are people asking questions about it in a way that is new, and that in itself is a bad thing that makes it harder for the United States to support some of the things that Turkey would like to see us support.''

The "people" Gordon is referring to are congressional leaders, traditionally supportive of "our Turkish ally" who have issued warnings about Turkey's recent Islamic drift.

Gordon cited Turkey's vote against a U.S.-backed United Nations Security Council resolution on new sanctions against Iran and noted Turkish rhetoric after Israel's deadly assault on a Gaza-bound flotilla last month. The Security Council vote came shortly after Turkey and Brazil, to Washington's annoyance, had brokered a nuclear fuel-swap deal with Iran as an effort to delay or avoid new sanctions.

COMMENT:  The statement is good, but will have to be followed by some vigorous private diplomacy.  Turkey has access to NATO's classified information and, as a member, can veto some NATO decisions.  The Turkey government that's been in power for about eight years has moved the country, step by step, toward the Mideast and away from Europe. 

There may well have to come a point where Turkey risks expulsion from NATO if it continues on its current course, hostile to the West and to the United States.

At least State shows signs of concern.

June 26, 2010