[pepsionice]

Seems like the Party of God (the Islamic political party in Turkey) really doesn't care. Their objective was to stop Washington, which apparently has not worked, and in the process...their economic sector will slide 20 percent over the next two weeks. This is normally where the Turkish military steps in and tosses all the politicans on the street for 3 years. I wonder if that is the next step in this process.

[Happy2BMe]

Polls show as much as 94 percent of the Muslim-dominated Turkish public opposes a war with Iraq.

Turkey's paliment dealt a stunning blow to U.S. war planning Saturday by voting against a bill allowing in American combat troops to open a northern front against Iraq. Before the vote, 50,000 Turks staged an anti-war rally near parliment as 4,000 police stood guard.

They chanted "No to War" and "We dont want to be America's soldiers." Some carried banners that read: The people will stop this war." Hundreds of Turks celebrated in the streets of central Ankara, shouting anti-U.S. slogans.

"We are all Iraqis . . We ill not kill, we will not die," they chanted. They also accused the Islamic-rooted Justice party of "collaborating with Washinton.

Washington had been so sure of winning approval from close ally and NATO member Turkey, that ships carrying U.S. tanks are waiting off Turkeys' coast for deployment and the U.S. military has thousands of tons of military equipment ready to unload at the southern Turksih port of Iskenderun.

For weeks, the Bush administration had been pressing Turkey to agree to a possible northern front, which would split Saddam Hussein's army between the north and the south, likely making a war shorter and less bloody.

The motion would have empowered Turkey's gobernment to authorize the basing of up to 62,000 troops, 255 warplanes, and 65 helicopters. In exchange, Washington promised $15 billion in loans and grants to cushion the Turkish economy from impact of war.

Turkey eyes northern Iraqi oil

Turkey prepares to stake claim in Iraq's oil fields

Turkey eyes Iraqi oil fields in midst of war rumbling.

Iraqi oil fields will be prime target.

Kurdish army will try to capture nearby oil-rich areas in case of war.

Justice Looms for Saddam, Cronies

An ‘Iraq winter’ haunts Turkey

Iraqi Kurds Eye Oil Revenue Dreams

Turkey weighs economic, political costs of a Gulf war

Turkey points its N. Iraq military deployment at… the Kurds

U.S. Envoy: Turkish Troops Would Be Under Coalition Command if They Go Into Iraq

Kirkuk in The Modern Times

Turkey also wants U.S. troops to take over the Kirkuk and Mosul oil fields.

Turkey and Iran eye post-Saddam Iraq as fog of war thickens

An invitation to mayhem Potential for Turk-Kurd conflict after Saddam

[EternalHope]

One thing all Turks seem to agree on is continued domination of the Kurds. The Turkish military would intervene if the government seemed too EASY on the Kurdish question, but not because the government was too hard line.

Turkey is violently opposed to a free Kurdistan because the Kurds want part of their new nation to be carved out of today's Turkey. The Kurds have been responsible for various terrorist acts inside Turkey, and the Turks are not amused.

Basically, Turkey and the Kurds have no love for each other, and are ready to fight.

I strongly suspect Turkey intends to invade northern Iraq on its own once the war starts. They will have two objectives: Capture the oil fields and control the Kurds.

Iraq has no military worth mentioning in northern Iraq. The chief opposition to Turkey will come from the Kurds, not the Iraqi army.

Turkey would gladly fight a war if that is what it took to prevent the Kurds from having their own nation. The Kurds will gladly fight the Turks if they invade.

The U.S. is the wild card for each side. Turkey has spit in our eye, the Kurds have welcomed us with open arms. Turkey is one of the most powerful nations in the region, and does not think we will openly fight them even if they attack the Kurds. The Kurds are weak, but eager to be our ally (they need our help to hold off the Turks).

If we side with the Kurds, we may have to fight Turkey. Whatever we do, it must be consistent with our needs in the war against the truly evil Sodamned (first things first). Which side should we take?

[johniegrad]

Tom's question goes to the heart of the matter. This appears to be an affair now in which the military is asking Washington to help them work out something with the civilian government. Interesting in that the new party in power is an Islamic party and in that the military has seemed to hold on to the ultimate power in this country. I suspect the military may also fear the adverse effects this could have on NATO as well.