Physically bridging Europe and Asia, Turkey is a Muslim-majority country that pursued a Western-oriented foreign policy. To this end, Turkey uses its global diplomatic network—the fifth most extensive—of 246 diplomatic and consular missions. Throughout the Cold War, Turkey’s most important ally has been the United States, which shared Turkey’s interest in containing Soviet expansion. In support of the United States, Turkey contributed personnel to the UN forces in the Korean War (1950–53), joined NATO in 1952, recognized Israel in 1948 and has cooperated closely with it.