Unintended Consequences
Sooooooooo, has anyone given any thought to what is going on in Northern Iraq these days?
The turks aren’t big fans of ours anymore and the Kurds aren’t big fans of the turks (I think). The kurds want independence and some things are lining up to get a little hairy (if I understand the situation correctly) soooooo, who does the US support?
hmmmmmm, did anyone think about this before we went into Iraq?
Update: Read more if you want a Turkish Perspective…
I have a Turkish friend who was kind enough to “break down” the article and basically cut through the crap.
“radical band of Kurdish leftists” : Now they are upgraded to leftists???? That’s their cover up..
“If anything happens to you, the Iraqi government is not responsible,” : We know that and thanks for excepting it at least, that is why we want to be there.
“Iraqi region of Kurdistan for the last 16 years ” : Come again!!!! Kurdis what? Excuse me…You cannot just have a country in a day just like that. I thought US went there to bring democracy under one nation. I thought president said all along that US is against divided Iraq!!! It seems like someone is checking tension of the public with word games…
“…in pursuit of their dream of an independent Marxist-Leninist state encompassing the Kurdish areas of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.” It is a cover up. If they ever get a land, they will be the first one to leave Marxist system. They will go like “Marxist whaaat?” It’s a game since 1980
“…In response to a recent surge of PKK attacks, Turkey has massed up to 140,000 troops along the Iraq border” No, 140,000 is the total number of US troops in Iraq. Turkish special forces waiting around the borders is 250,000.
“….”They don’t want Kurds escaping into Iran if Turkey attacks the area,” he said.” Agreed.. Guess what. We made the biggest mistake by accepting 2,000,000 Kurdish villagers when they were running away from Saddam’s chemicals. Now, those people are sending their kids to PKK for a land from Turkey.
“…They point out that Kurdistan is the one relative success story that the U.S. can point to in Iraq, and they believe the U.S., as one of Turkey’s NATO allies, will be able to restrain Ankara..” Anyone who believes that this will restrains Ankara is a fool. If Turkey’s independent bordersa are under attack, nothing will restrain… There is 3000+ years of history as a proof.
“…”The only safe area in Iraq is Kurdistan,” Yes, only safe area is so called Kurdish area. Why, because Kurds are already done killing Turkmens, Arabs and Sunnis in that area. Now it is safe ha? K.M.A
“Iraq’s Kurds attribute much of the Turkish saber-rattling to the Turkish election campaign and are hoping that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s victory in the July 22 election will diminish the threat of imminent military action.” Someone is still blind. If AKP would gain the some more chairs then maybe. But now they lost 11 chairs and extreme nationalist party is in with 15% of the chairs. Now AKP have to pass this 15% Keep dreaming…
“Turkey has a disease, a sensitivity that Kurds should not have anything. They don’t want Kurdistan to succeed,” said Maj. Gen Aziz Wesyi, commander of the pesh merga’s border guards. “If Kurds are a success anywhere in the world, even in Siberia, Turkey will interfere. This is the problem.” Of course…why does not he tell you the truth and tell you the real plpan of PKK or Kurdish groups. Kurdish groups want south east piece of Turkey to be included into their map. Having independent Kurdish state in Iraq is the first step into this plan. Once they have legal country, they will pressure Turkey to give away that piece of land.
Just read official glaobal security website and read about great middle east project that C. Rice announced two years ago. Let me save you sometime and this map was presented as a future of middle east and purpose of US’s presence inIraq. Himmmmmm, did Homer just ate piece of Turkey or is it just my blind eyes that this map gave away some chunk of Turiye’s land to free Kurdistan?????
“Iraqi Kurds in no mood to fight” : Really…Then stop killing the villagers. Then abandon who is helping PKK. PKK is just a joke. Turkiye can finish it any moment. But it is not the issue, issue is who is behing PKK and why!!!!!! Once you think about this question, things will be clearer!!
Tags: Bush's FUBAR War
Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had an excellent commentary on this issue. I follow the Turkish political scene pretty closely. I actually am 13 chapters deep into a biography of Atatürk. This Turkey issue gives great Middle Eastern perspective.
Erdogan’s party AKP is basically Islamic and flies in the face of Turkey’s secular roots. Then US doesn’t get Kurds under control. In 10 years we go from best allies to enemies with Turkey.
When US wants to invade Iraq to get terror under control it’s A-OK. When Turkey wants to get PKK under control the US shits on Ankara. Just another of Bush’s follies.
“Science is the only true guide in life.”
-Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
I read something the other day where they said, “Everyone else is playing chess and Bush is playing checkers.” Yup!
After the main combat operations in the south were complete I was stationed in a base camp on the Iraqi_Turkish-Syrian border with a joint multinational combat force, using air support from Incerlik. We were a forward base for no-fly zone and potentially defensive operations.
We were in a valley on the edge of a village called Silopi, at the base of a mountain range. Every night the Kurdish rebels and the Turkish Army regulars would have vicious firefights up in the hills. The Turks were quite a beaten-up ragtag force and routinely brought casualties back to the camp, including KIA’s.
I don’t know the situation now, beyond what I have read, but I do know the Kurds absolutely consider themselves a sovereign people and are proud of it. They have been oppressed and victimized by the Iraqis and the Turks alike, brutally dealt with in their quest for independence and self-governance. They will not go quietly, and pose a serious threat in the north to any Iraqi central government, especially if anything in Turkey were to destabilize and draw forces away from the area of “Kurdistan”.
The idea of a “Balkanized” Iraq (per Biden) would certainly give the Kurds the collective political rights they deserve and have long been denied.
In my experience the Kurds were extremely friendly to our forces in the months we were stuck there.
that was me that said that Rebecca….
good memory
Tyler,
Thanks for the insight. As I get through the story of Atatűrk and the “Turkish” revolution, as it were, I do see the scenario you describe. Everyone’s first affinity seems to be to their own ethnicity – which is fine. But the territorial overlap is the issue Kurds, Persians, Turks, Greeks, Arabs, Armenians, etc. in Turkey, Iraq, Iran…
Hitchens wrote a great essay about Kurdistan a few month ago in Vanity Fair which echoes Tyler’s point about the Kurds in general. But let’s call a spade a spade. How would we deal with Mexicans “in their quest for independence and self-governance” in Texas? We probably feel the same way the Ankara feels about PKK.
That’s why this idea “Iraqi” sovereignty seems like perhaps W, Dick, Rummy, Wolfie, et al didn’t study their history while exempt from military service in the 70s.