America and Turkey: A friendship on hold

The Economist ^ | March 27, 2003

[EternalHope]

The friendship is not on hold. It is OVER.

[AntiGuv]

On permanent hold? ;)

[Paraclete]

The friendship is not on hold. It is OVER. ""

Yeah, we all feel the same way. But then you have to face reality.

[AntiGuv]

But then you have to face reality.

D'oh! Don't you hate it when that happens?

[gcruse]

The Turkish army has long feared that the removal of Saddam Hussein could encourage the Kurds of northern Iraq to declare independence

And that's effin' inexcusable.  To actively work against independence for others because it may create asperations among your own people is disgusting.  

[SheRebel]

Going, going, gone! And Turkey goes . . . to the highest bidder!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/877291/posts

[Illbay]

The PERFECT solution to our little tiff with Turkey:

After we have liberated Iraq, let's take the northern quarter of it, and form an independent Kurdistan.

That'd fix 'em.

[Illbay]

It's more than just "working against independence for others." It's allowing a brutal dictator to live and breathe for that purpose.

Kurds have DIED by the tens of thousands at the hands of Saddam.

[gcruse]

I have Turkish and Armenian friends. You may know the tension that can produce. My scale of respect is sliding away from Turkey at a pretty good clip.

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[Illbay]

My opinion is shaped by two things: (1) Turkey caved (apparently) to France and Germany in their decision to withhold permission for our troops, and as a result the war is being extended, with our people in harm's way that much longer; and (2) The Kurds are far more deserving of a homeland than the Palestinians, for example, and we support Palestinian statehood.

Therefore, since we can make it happen, I hope we will allow the Kurds to form an independent Kurdistan.

Let the Turks stew in that.

[a_Turk]

Notice that general Ozkok put the full stop on the whole foreign policy cluck cluck by stating:

"I have difficulty in understanding how those who see dangers from overseas do not find Turkey convincing when it says that the same danger is just across its border. If things get out of control one day, I hope our friends will not have to ask us to do what they oppose now."

[a_Turk]

>> To actively work against independence for others because it may create asperations among your own people is disgusting.

Free Hawaii.. Free the Apache, the Siu..

Free the Basque.. The Irish..

Sniff..

The pipes that run below ground to serve our comfort are indeed disgusting..

Alas, this fact is part and parcel, an inescapable part, of the manifold "blessings" and comforts we enjoy..

[UncleSamUSA]

The Turkish army's desire to move into Iraq has nothing whatever to do with ending Saddam Hussein's bloody reign in Baghdad, so the general's comment has no relevance whatsoever to the current tiff with the US.

Turkey wanted to frustrate the US-UK desire to topple Saddam, and then wanted to add to the chaos by moving into Turkey to crush the Kurds and who knows even seizing the oil fields, both against the wishes of the coalition. So far they have held off, mainly because they evidently do not want a complete and irrevocable rift with the US and because they would not relish having to force Tommy Franks to send US troops up north with the express mission of repulsing the Turks.

I have said before and I will say again: The Turks have damaged us Militarily in the Iraq war even more than the French have damaged us diplomatically, and that is saying quite a lot.

[gcruse]

Free Hawaii.. Free the Apache, the Siu..
Free the Basque.. The Irish..

We don't deny Mindinao freedom because Hawaiins might object.
We don't support a dictatorship in Spain to keep the Basques in line.
The Republic of Eire exists, haven't you noticed?  It isn't suppressed
to keep Northern Irish from demanding nationhood.   We do not
deny freedom to others for fear of what our own people might do.

I've given you the benefit of the doubt for the last time, A-Turk.  This
last response from you justifying the suppression of Iraqi kurds is
beyond the pale.

[gcruse]

I am in complete agreement with you.

[AntiGuv]

So far they have held off, mainly because they evidently do not want a complete and irrevocable rift with the US and because they would not relish having to force Tommy Franks to send US troops up north with the express mission of repulsing the Turks.

No, it wouldn't appear to have any great relation to either of those factors. If Turkey wished to prevent a rift with the U.S., then they would've approved the deployment to begin with. As for the second point, there's no chance we'd have a military conflict with Turkey under any foreseeable circumstance (including their incursion into northern Iraq) and so that's irrelevant.

It's the European Union tying future accession talks & monetary assistance to the Turkish military staying out of the Kurdish zones that has so far circumvented their clear desires.

[mathurine]

I wouldn't trust the perfidious turks again and would encourage a new Kurd republic on their flank. They deserve a come-down in the 21st century to match the several they have had since the old times when christian constantinople ruled the ancient world, or pagan constantinople cum istanbul ruled the desert. Lead, follow or get out of the way, Turkeys.

[a_Turk]

>> the European Union tying future accession talks & monetary assistance to the Turkish military

The EU is working hard to castrate the Turkish military.. And we know it..