Turks Massing on Iraq Border

Strategy Page ^ | July 24, 2006 | Strategy Page/Aaron Glantz/Daniel Pipes

[Chaguito]

Rimshot!

[308MBR]

I agree.

[Lurker]

whey things are going with the Kurds.

Groooaaaan.

L

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

They'd become similar to Yugoslavia, and you can view some former Yugoslavian freepers views on that.

[DCPatriot]

Collision my foot.

When all hell breaks loose, those soldiers will be just where we need them.

[pawdoggie]

I feel for the Turks, but I can't quite reach them. Let them live under the same PC constraints they would try to put on us, or the Israelis, if we take action against a terrorist "state within a state".

[xzins]

The Kurds are not just some tribe. They are the ancient Mede peoples. They range throughout a region that touches on Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. They have been systematically hunted and killed by these created nations for decades.

They have their own culture, traditions, and history.

They have also been among our strongest allies in the Mideast; next to, of course, the Jews.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

The bulk of Americans came from Europe, Asia, the Southern parts of the Americas, and Africa. That is a way of the world, people displacing other people. The Anglo-Saxons displaced the Celtic/Roman Britons. The Visigoths and Franks took control over the Roman peoples of Hispania and Gaul.

Following your faulty logic, should people not trust Americans, the English, the Spaniards, and the French--simply because some of their ancestors drove out people from their current countries? (all human creatures are untrustworthy, but not because they invaded and displaced people).

[the_Watchman]

The Turkish position would seem to have some parallels with the Israeli's. The Kurds use northern Iraq as a base to foment problems inside a sovereign Turkey.

We probably should get the Kurds to knock it off!

On the other hand, three well-placed JDAMs just inside the Iraq border with the assurance that the U.S. reserves the right to bomb every square inch of Iraq at will, would probably cause quite a bit of consternation among the Turkish troops. [They might have quite a bit of laundry to do! :]

[xzins]

For what it's worth I VISITED the Cherokee reservation last week. They DO have a nation within our nation.

The situation, though, is a bit different.

Iraq did not exist even 85 years ago; nor did Saudi Arabia, Syria, Kuwait, etc. They were all created by Britain drawing arbritrary lines following the Ottoman Empire's defeat with the Germans in WWI.

The Brits MISSED the Kurdish people. There was no rhyme nor reason for the lines they drew with the exceptions, perhaps, of Jordan and Lebanon.

[Pro-Bush]

The Kurds should have to adapt with living with other peoples in their respective countries.

They are, they live with Sunni's and Shiites in Iraq.

Would you support a homeland for the Amerindians at the expense of the United States?

Bad analogy, but I'll play. Indians do have there own land; it's called Indian reservations, much to the expense of the USA/taxpayers like me.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

And both the Israelis and Turks are criticized, but on FR it seems that the criticism is reserved for Turkey only.

Neither country should be criticized for defending their countries' integrity.

[Allegra]

"Turkey will decide (not the US)" if Turkish troops enter Iraq in force." Turkish intelligence consistently reports that from 4000 to 5000 PKK guerrillas are operating from bases inside northern Iraq.

I beg your freakin' pardon???

[WestVirginiaRebel]

I think Turkey might be more interested in having access to Iraq's oil...the Kurds are our strongest allies in Iraq. An invasion would not go over well.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

The Kurds are at least as strong American allies as the Turks--not much, but technically allies. Also, the Medes invaded other countries when they were in power. And the large American ally in southwestern Asia is Israel, not Jews in particular. There are iranian and iraqi Jews who are as against the United States as their Muslim brethren.

[dixiechick2000]

"Send the UN and that will fix it. :-)"


LOL!

Koffi sez so. ;o)

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

only Israel was supposed to be in bold.

[xzins]

Iranian and Iraqi Jews have a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome.

[justche]

I had to re-read that several times...that was just awful!!!

:)

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

There are iranian and iraqi Jews who are as against the United States as their Muslim brethren.

Almost every single Iraqi Jew was deported from Iraq between 1947 and 1952. Iraq passed laws making Jews effectively non-citizens and unable to own property. I can't imagine any Jews still living in Iraq.