It looks like Turkey gives in (in the NATO summit…)

As the NATO and the EU-US summits in Lisbon approach, it is important to see and understand how, and how much, the United States plays a role in EU-Turkey relations.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu talk with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen prior to a NATO Russia Council meeting at a NATO summit in Lisbon on Saturday Nov. 20, 2010. NATO planned Saturday to deliver a historic invitation for Russia to join a missile shield protecting Europe against Iranian attack, a milestone for an alliance that was built to defend against Soviet forces.? Read more »(AP Photo/Armando Franca)

As eagerly anticipated, NATO is expected to make two important decisions at the Lisbon summit.

Exceptionalism is usually a term that the Americans love to couple it with their own country, and that generally refers to the extraordinary nature of the U.S. as ‘a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals.’

NATO will forge its new strategic concept for the upcoming era after a decade-long period. Looking at the new concept one can easily grasp the desire of becoming a balancing power on a global scale.

Turkish President Abdullah Gül said Saturday that a NATO summit agreement to build a missile shield over Europe met Ankara’s demands.

Nato leaders agree with Afghan President Karzai to work towards transferring military command in Afghanistan to national forces by the end of 2014.