Posted on 10/17/2007 9:58:57 AM PDT by jdm
The Turkish Parliament authorized their government to invade northern Iraq any time during the next year in order to quell the terrorist attacks in the Kurdish regions of southern Turkey. The overwhelming vote to authorize the invasion demonstrates the declining influence of the US with its NATO partner and Middle East ally, a situation exacerbated by the Congressional effort to censure Turkey over a genocide from a century ago:
The Turkish parliament Wednesday authorized cross-border military operations into northern Iraq to combat Kurdish separatist rebels as world leaders implored Turkey to delay any action.
In the hours before the parliament voted by a gaping margin of 507 to 19 to give Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan permission to launch strikes any time over the next year, Iraqi and NATO officials made a flurry of cautionary, last-minute telephone calls to the country's top leaders.
The vote came just moments after President Bush in a White House press conference urged Turkey to continue talking to Iraq officials about the situation and to not move troops against the rebels.
"We are making it very clear to Turkey that we don't think it is in their interests to send troops into Iraq," Bush told reporters. " . . . There's a better way to deal with the issue than having the Turks send massive troops into the country."
It's almost impossible to overestimate the damage this could cause to the stability we've managed to get thus far in Iraq. The Kurdish territory has been our biggest success story to this point. Their economy has boomed, and the violence in western Iraq has mostly been non-existent in the north. They see America as the savior of the Kurds against both Saddam and the post-invasion chaos.
If the Turks invade the territory, we will have three choices, all of them bad. We could defend the Kurds, which means war with the only Middle Eastern Muslim democracy and a distraction from stabilizing Iraq and containing Iran. We could sit on our hands and alienate the Iraqi Kurds, who won't be able to defend themselves, while the entire north dissolves into guerilla warfare. We could stand between the two groups and try to defend a DMZ, and get our collective asses shot off. That's all of the possibilities, and none of them sound too appetizing.
Iraq's central government offered an intermediate step that might work. Nouri al-Maliki offered to conduct joint operations with the Turks to clear the PKK out of the border region. He'd better do something quick, because a Turkish invasion would likely be followed by Syrian and Iranian incursions into Iraq as well, although the US might take either as enough provocation to conduct military attacks on both capitals. The Iranians have already begun shelling PKK sites along the border. Joint operations would take some resources away from Coalition operations, but this would be a higher priority at the moment.
It goes without saying that we would have had more influence on the situation in Turkey had Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in Congress made themselves the arbiter of the Armenian genocide of 1915. If the troops cross the border, we can thank Pelosi and her colleagues for reducing our ability to avoid a shooting war that could cost thousands of lives here and now.
It’s not the first time, nor will it be the last.
What amazes me is how many people vote such idiots into office.
She’s also done a fine job of fixing our problems with Syria and Assad.
Middle Eastern Muslim democracy
What gibberish! Turkey a democracy? LOL.
That has got to be the most stupid thing I’ve seen in a while.
Pelosi’s incompetence used to be more amusing than damaging.
Thats no longer true. Now its frightening.
She will be stopped.
"The Turkish Parliament authorized their government to invade northern Iraq any time during the next year "
Can't you just hear it? "We gotta wash out a few things first!", "After she graduates from high school.", "well, we just put in the new lawn...."
Or, fourth, get the UN to intervene and send a "Peacekeeping Force" to monitor the situation.........I'm betting on #4.............
Just another example of that John Kerry nuance thing he was talking about. Nice going Nancy, I am down $50k in 1 hour thanks to your posturing for the moonbats. How about considering the good of the country once in awhile. I know its a stretch, but try to make our Marines and soldiers lives easier and more successful. Please, some one put this aging barbie doll out to pasture.
Perhaps, but whats going to stop the Turks is the question today we must ask.
How much will it cost the US taxpayers, in other words?
It certainly sucks when the nation has fools for leaders.
The Kurds can handle things on their own...Muslim Turkey is going down just like the other artificially and savagely contrived state, the Soviet union in our liftimes..soon
Aren’t the Kurds muslim, too? Where’s all this Islamic brotherhood crap they are always spouting?.............
BUMP to your post.
I haven’t a clue.
Nor do I, and thats whats got me worried on this.
Bush could stop Pelosi. Why doesn’t he?
I don’t see how, excluding what he’s already done. Pelosi is Speaker, she can bring up anything she wants.
Just bring it up brought about a knee jerk reaction from the Turks, as we see.
“Just bring it up brought about a knee jerk reaction from the Turks, as we see.”
Yep, and we are stuck with having to deal with the Turks. Pelosi is a traitor to America!!
This is a non binding resolution of the House.
He can not order then not to vote on this resolution.
I recall during the Clinton Administration the Republican Congress was going to vote on the same issue.
Clinton begged Hasert not to bring it up for a vote because it would undermine foreign policy with Turkey.
Hasert complied with his request and never brought it up for a vote.
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