UNDOUBTEDLY the Turkish parliament’s rejection this weekend of basing U.S. troops on their soil was a blow to Washington’s Iraq game plan. Contrary to pundit’s predictions that Turkey would join the “coalition of the willing,” the motion to allow a foreign presence fell short by three votes of an absolute majority in that nation’s 534-member Meclis (Assembly). While Washington has asked for “clarification” of exactly what this means regarding Ankara’s Iraq policy, it’s also a time to assess Turkey’s political environment.