TURKEY STRIKES OUT – AT 9:12 A.M. ET:  Turkey has failed in its bid to become a member of the UN Security Council.  From USA Today: 

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Turkey failed in its effort to join the U.N.'s most powerful body on Thursday, while Venezuela, New Zealand, Spain, Angola and Malaysia were elected to coveted Security Council seats.

Special attention had been on Turkey as it is under growing pressure to do more about the war in Syria pushing up against its border. Turkey lobbied heavily among the General Assembly's 193 member states for their votes, with its foreign minister hosting a party at the iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel the night before the vote.

Shows you how serious the UN is.  A party for a vote.

In competition with New Zealand and Spain for two seats representing the western group of nations, Turkey fell behind as New Zealand easily gained a seat on the first ballot and Spain made it on the third.

"We could not abandon our principles for the sake of getting more votes," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in comments carried by the state-run Anadolu Agency.

The five winners will join the Security Council on Jan. 1 and serve through 2016 as non-veto-wielding members. They will replace Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda.

On balance, it's a losing proposition.  Some of the new members – Venezuela and Malaysia in particular, are problematical, Venezuela dramatically so.  No new member is an American ally with the loyalty of Australia and South Korea.  But we have a veto on the Security Council, and I hope President Hope and Change is willing to use it.

With Venezuela's victory, Russia and China will likely gain an ally on key international issues that have put them at odds with the three Western permanent council members — the U.S., Britain and France. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has close ties with Syria's President Bashar Assad and Iran and has strongly supported Russia in the Ukraine crisis.

COMMENT:  At least Turkey didn't get rewarded for its eccentric behavior and increasingly Islamic stance.  Be thankful for small victories.

October 17, 2014