Turkish Claws on Northern Iraq

Hurriyet ^ | 8/8/2002 | N/A

[My Favorite Headache]

I woke up asking myself the same thing this morning to be honest. Something needs to happen and soon! Fox News needs something much better on their weekends to talk about! Their programming sucks on Saturday and Sunday.

Time for a good ole smash and grab in Iraq.

[WhirlwindAttack]

Hey TD you seen this yet?

Still not on the lamestream news yet. Bump.

[decimon]

Not if the nation is in danger. Get real. The sixties are over.

Yes, the Sixties are over. Reinstate the draft now and it won't take years for the opposition to build. People are not going to stoically sacrifice their children to some vague, open-ended "war."

[BlessingInDisguise]

We wouldn't reinstitute the draft for some vague open ended war. I don't like to repeat myself, but I will I said if the nation is in danger.

[Argus]

Big bump for NATO lynchpin Turkey.

[Aric2000]

zero, naughta, absolutely NOT. The constitution is protected by the Turkish military. If the people elect a fundamentalist government, and it tries to go too far, the military will come in, kick their butts out, and ask the people to try again.

The military will NOT put up with religious fundamentalism in government. Ataturk made the military the overseer of a secular government, and they take that job VERY seriously.

[dpwiener]

That's very reassuring to hear. There has been so much lemming-like mass religious hysteria in so many Islamic nations that it's hard not to worry that a secular government in a Muslim society could suddenly get swept away.

As long as that doesn't happen in Turkey, then any extension of Turkey's influence and control into nearby Islamic nations has to be a highly positive development, and a vast improvement over the status quo.

[Dog]

You seen this??

[M Kehoe]

You seen this??

Thanks for the flag guy. I have spent much time in Turkey with their military. Let me put it this way: I would share a foxhole with a Turk. They are good and solid allies.

I know the situation with the Kurds. Heck, the darn Kurds shot at me while I was in Turkey 20 years ago. But, none of them like Sadaam Insane.

Where's my Oyzo?

5.56mm

[mamelukesabre]

You can't turn a bunch of young inexperienced civilians into soldiers over night. Especially if you don't even have the man power or the facilities to train them all. It would take some time.

[mamelukesabre]

At present, it is easy to forget that the turks were not all that appealing back in the days of the british empire. They controlled most of the arab world and much of eastern europe and they ruled it without mercy. They practiced slavery, white slavery in fact. Ever heard the term "circassian"? They murdered and tortured arabs and christians. They made many enemies, too many for their own good. This is what made it possible for the british to plot their demise. Lawrence of arabia was a british soldier and was the hero of the arab world for a long long time.

[mamelukesabre]

The most famous kurd in history would be saladin, I beleive. Saladin was the "saracen" that drove out the crusaders from the holy land.

[mamelukesabre]

That is true. I know some arabs, and I get the distinct impression that arabs have a strong dislike for both turks and persians.

[BlessingInDisguise]

Pull trigger, pull pin....what's so complex about that?

[mamelukesabre]

Kids these days seem to lack physical and mental toughness. I think it is a result of an inexperience with manual labor.

[withteeth]

What is your opinion of this story now? Do you think it's true? Is it old news? Is it no news, since Turkey is already free to work in northern Iraq? What do you say?

And how reliable is the web-site you translated? Thanks.

[a_Turk]

>>Is it old news? Is it no news?

It's news about Turkey establishing an airbase in northern Iraq. The next day a follow up story told of the entire no-fly zone having been secured. It also told of two additional airbases unser US control which had been equipped recently.

>>And how reliable is the web-site you translated?

One of the largest newspapers in Turkey, and pretty reliable. Not necessarily the most conservative..

This was not the beginning of an invasion, but rather a positioning by the Turkish Armed Forces in anticipation one, and for the prevention of an ensuing land grab by third parties or oil well torchings or both.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

Very cool. I appreciate the 'positive thinking' rant on your homepage. Conservatives need to be more openly positive. It would go a long way

Indeed, a great homepage "rant". Thanks for pointing it out. You put to words what I've been thinking re: the negativity around here for a while.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Is the political scene in Turkey stable these days?

[a_Turk]

We've got an election coming. The foreign media are going bananas with speculation and hysteria.