The West's defensive cordon against Soviet aggression starts at the Arctic Ocean, sweeps down across Western Europe to the Mediterranean and into Turkey. There, in the vicinity of Mount Ararat, the West's defenses end—and Soviet opportunity begins. An offensive rolling through Iran and on to Iraq 120 miles away might easily overrun the West's advanced air bases at Habbaniya (Iraq) and Dhahran (Saudi Arabia). It might also outflank Turkey and open the back door to Europe.
The old deterrents to Russian ambitions in the Middle East—the Ottoman Empire (before World War I)...
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