---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Turkey's a NATO member. If Turkey gets…"
description: "\"Turkey's a NATO member. If Turkey gets attacked, we have to help defend Turkey.\" — Wesley Clark"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/wesley-clark-7521_attacked_turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-at_419923.jpg"
---

#  Turkey's a NATO member. If Turkey gets attacked, we have…

![“Turkey's a NATO member. If Turkey gets attacked, we have to help defend Turkey.” quote by Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/wesley-clark-7521_attacked_turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-at_419923.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/wesley-clark-7521_attacked_turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-at_419923.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/wesley-clark-7521_attacked_turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-at_419923.jpg)

> “Turkey's a NATO member. If Turkey gets attacked, we have to help defend Turkey.”

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Alliance members must defend each other; Turkey’s NATO status creates a mutual defense obligation.

**In simple terms:** NATO members protect each other.

Key Takeaway

Honor alliance commitments.

Themes

security politics alliances

Mood

concerned defensive

Type

strategic political

When to use this quote

- military planning
- diplomacy
- crisis response

Key Concepts

international law deterrence

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the limits of collective defense?
- How to balance national interests with alliance duties?

A Different Perspective

Political complexities can strain obligations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't see a bright future for Turkey. It pains me. But I have some hope, I pray for it to be better. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fethullah-gulen/i-don-t-see-a-bright-future-for-turkey-it-pains-me-but-i-have-some/)

[Fethullah Gulen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fethullah-gulen/)

> [ Whether \[Turkey\] is a NATO country or not, it doesn't have the right to invade any other country according to the international law or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/whether-turkey-is-a-nato-country-or-not-it-doesn-t-have-the-right-to/)

[Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/)

> [“the President was deciding, for the U.S., the Soviet Union, Turkey, NATO, and really for all mankind….”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/the-president-was-deciding-for-the-u-s-the-soviet-union-turkey-nato/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [Turkey's NATO membership is one thing that is forestalling the worst-case scenario - open conflict between Russia and Turkey - because neither Moscow nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kenyon/turkey-s-nato-membership-is-one-thing-that-is-forestalling-the-worst/)

[Peter Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kenyon/)

> [I have heard this a thousand times. Of course every state has the right to organize its security the way it deems appropriate. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/i-have-heard-this-a-thousand-times-of-course-every-state-has-the/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [I belong to the initiators of the... and we had repeatedly also asked the dismantling of the SS-20 but we did not connect them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-kelly/i-belong-to-the-initiators-of-the-and-we-had-repeatedly-also-asked/)

[Petra Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-kelly/)

> [NATO member states vary dramatically in their capability and in their political steadfastness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/nato-member-states-vary-dramatically-in-their-capability-and-in-their/)

[Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/)

> [I have been attacked in Turkey more for my interviews than for my books. Political polemicists and columnists do not read novels there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-have-been-attacked-in-turkey-more-for-my-interviews-than-for-my/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [In the 1950s, Pakistan allied with the United States in something called the Central Treaty Organization. We were lined up with, at that time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/in-the-1950s-pakistan-allied-with-the-united-states-in-something/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [“Do you mean you were attacked from behind?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/do-you-mean-you-were-attacked-from-behind/)

[Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/)

> [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [Nine out of every 10 large corporations and government agencies have been attacked by computer intruders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/nine-out-of-every-10-large-corporations-and-government-agencies-have/)

[Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/)

> [With what all these people are saying, do you think that anybody wants to be around me? They all think that I did this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/with-what-all-these-people-are-saying-do-you-think-that-anybody-wants/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/)

[John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/)

> [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

## More by Wesley Clark

> [I like Hilary Clinton. I think she's - she's a fantastic leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/i-like-hilary-clinton-i-think-she-s-she-s-a-fantastic-leader/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [Maybe it's because I've never been in politics, but I don't believe that America is run by politicians in Washington. I believe it's run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/maybe-it-s-because-i-ve-never-been-in-politics-but-i-don-t-believe/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [When we started after Osama bin Laden, we really decided to go after the Taliban. And we seemed to be content to kick the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/when-we-started-after-osama-bin-laden-we-really-decided-to-go-after/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [There's no question that Saddam Hussein is a threat Yes, he has chemical and biological weapons. He's had those for a long time. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/there-s-no-question-that-saddam-hussein-is-a-threat-yes-he-has/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [I always said I would vote for a resolution that gave the president the leverage to go to the United Nations, and then come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/i-always-said-i-would-vote-for-a-resolution-that-gave-the-president/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [The campaign in Iraq illustrates the continuing progress of military technology and tactics, but if there is a single overriding lesson it must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/the-campaign-in-iraq-illustrates-the-continuing-progress-of-military/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [What I did warn about when I testified in front of Congress in 2002, I said if you want to worry about a state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/what-i-did-warn-about-when-i-testified-in-front-of-congress-in-2002-i/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [It's important. One of the principles in the United States is civilian control of the military.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/it-s-important-one-of-the-principles-in-the-united-states-is-civilian/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [President George Bush had the courage and the vision and we will always be grateful to President George Bush for that tremendous leadership and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/president-george-bush-had-the-courage-and-the-vision-and-we-will/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [Once I started first grade, I started going to Emmanuel Baptist Church regularly. I went to Sunday school. We had Bible readings and things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/once-i-started-first-grade-i-started-going-to-emmanuel-baptist-church/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [I think there are some mass destruction capabilities that are still inside Iraq. I think there's some weapons that have been shipped over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/i-think-there-are-some-mass-destruction-capabilities-that-are-still/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [Well we always need brave, capable young men and women who can run a tactical operation and take risks on the battlefield but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/well-we-always-need-brave-capable-young-men-and-women-who-can-run-a/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [In my experience, in bringing coercive diplomacy to bear against Slobodan Milosevic, no bomb strike was more important than maintaining NATO's cohesion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/in-my-experience-in-bringing-coercive-diplomacy-to-bear-against/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [As president of the United States, my top priority will be to keep America safe. We're going to go after the terrorist networks. We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/as-president-of-the-united-states-my-top-priority-will-be-to-keep/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

> [China invaded India, and there was a war between India and China in some of the disputed terrain in 1962, and India got hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/china-invaded-india-and-there-was-a-war-between-india-and-china-in/)

[Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

[Explore all 90 Wesley Clark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/)

## More Attacked quotes

> [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

> [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/)

[John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/)

> [With what all these people are saying, do you think that anybody wants to be around me? They all think that I did this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/with-what-all-these-people-are-saying-do-you-think-that-anybody-wants/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [Nine out of every 10 large corporations and government agencies have been attacked by computer intruders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/nine-out-of-every-10-large-corporations-and-government-agencies-have/)

[Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/)

> [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [“Do you mean you were attacked from behind?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/do-you-mean-you-were-attacked-from-behind/)

[Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/)

> [I am one of the most attacked persons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jair-bolsonaro/i-am-one-of-the-most-attacked-persons/)

[Jair Bolsonaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jair-bolsonaro/)

> [I'm always ready to be attacked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-votto/i-m-always-ready-to-be-attacked/)

[Joey Votto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-votto/)

> [I prefer to be at home with my husband and children than attacked by photographers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-princess-of-hanover/i-prefer-to-be-at-home-with-my-husband-and-children-than-attacked-by/)

[Caroline, Princess of Hanover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-princess-of-hanover/)

> [When Gingrich attacked CNN's John King for bringing up his alleged proposal of an open marriage to his second wife, Gingrich accused him of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/when-gingrich-attacked-cnn-s-john-king-for-bringing-up-his-alleged/)

[Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/)

> [Progress is always relative: to the oppressed, it can only be viewed as an all or nothing deal - if oppression continues, even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/progress-is-always-relative-to-the-oppressed-it-can-only-be-viewed-as/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [ \[On her seven-month-old son:\] When people see me carrying him in the street they think I'm being attacked by a short, bald man. But… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hurley/on-her-seven-month-old-son-when-people-see-me-carrying-him-in-the/)

[Elizabeth Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hurley/)

> [I have been attacked and mistreated for my skin colour since I was a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/i-have-been-attacked-and-mistreated-for-my-skin-colour-since-i-was-a/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [Therefore, if you are attacked, retaliate instantly. Be sudden. Be quick. Speed is your salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/therefore-if-you-are-attacked-retaliate-instantly-be-sudden-be-quick/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

> [“His life was a constant war with insensate objects that fell apart, or attacked him, or refused to function, or viciously got themselves lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/his-life-was-a-constant-war-with-insensate-objects-that-fell-apart-or/)

[Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/)

Browse all 244 Attacked quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Turkey's a NATO member. If Turkey gets attacked, we have to help defend Turkey.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wesley Clark"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-attacked-we-have-to-help-defend/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attacked"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-attacked-we-have-to-help-defend/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/wesley-clark-7521_attacked_turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-at_419923.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/wesley-clark-7521_attacked_turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-at_419923.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/wesley-clark-7521_attacked_turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-at_419923.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Turkey's a NATO member. If Turkey gets attacked, we have to help defend Turkey.” — Wesley Clark",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Wesley Clark",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Turkey's a NATO member. If Turkey...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-attacked-we-have-to-help-defend/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/turkey-s-a-nato-member-if-turkey-gets-attacked-we-have-to-help-defend/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
