Turkey is widely seen by observers in the United Kingdom and United States as an oasis of stability in afragmented and uncertain region, a view which has added to the prominence accorded it in post-Cold War NA TO politics. However, an examination of the problems posed to Turkey both domestically and in its relations with its immediate neighbours, in particular Iraq, shows this view to be an oversimplification. Philip Robins argues that Turkey's allies would do better to recognize the extent and complexity of the problems relating to the Kurdish southeast of the countryfor the sake of all involved.