Things are getting dicey up in Northern Iraq….and Leon’s getting larrrrrggggerr. (airplane quote)
But before I dive into that topic did you know that our Allies are working with the Axis of Evil (boogity, boogity) So, when do we bomb Turkey? This was tucked neatly away in the article I read this morning (before I came into work of course).
Iran, also combating Kurdish rebels on its soil, has used the situation to court an alliance with Turkey. Last month, the two countries signed a major gas line proposal, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan invited Maliki to the Turkish capital, after Erdogan’s party triumphed in the elections.
So now on to the nitty gritty. Me thinks things are getting really ugly up in Northern Iraq, you know, that area that has commercials on CNN about what a wonderful place it is to go on vacation. Well, well, well, apparently “happy time” (insert Borat Voice) is over in the land of freedom.
In short if I understand it correctly. Turkey doesn’t like the PKK (bunch of stateless terrorists that want their own land to bitch about), the PKK does whatever it wants because the Kurds of Iraq let them. They want to be free, wheeeeeeee, but the problem is the Turks don’t want them to be, Hell Iran doesn’t want the PKK to have an independent state. So the Turks are getting pissed at US because we aren’t controlling this little band of annoying monkeys. The government (I use the term loosely) of Iraq isn’t doing anything about them b/c they sympathize with the PKK sort of because well they are Iraqi’s and they don’t want to piss on their own blood. Well now, Turkey is getting pissed at US and the Iraqi’s. I dont know much, but I’ve seen a pissed off turk at a soccer match, so I can only imagine how pissed they are at the PKK.
Turkey is essentially saying either you (US) do something or we will. And if we (Turkey) have to, we are doing it right. Well the problem is the surge, yes that great little thing going on in Baghdad you see is utilizing all of our troops. Which means we don’t have the military to send to Northern Iraq and quell these band of pirates. So Iran ain’t liking these guys too much either and they are sort of saying the same thing that Turkey am be sayin. Quite a scenario huh? Iran and Turkey on the same page and we are the odd ball.
In fact things have gotten so great that what used to be one of strongest allies is backing away from US. A recent Pew public opinion survey showed only 9 percent of Turks viewed the United States favorably. Great! Swell!
So now we have Iran and Turkey on the same page. The US is holding their dick in their hands because all of our troops are tied up with the wonderul surge and the only thing left is a (are you ready) a political solution. (what? why are you laughing) Guess what, that isn’t going to work either. So now when Sept rolls around and we need “more time” just think about what will happen if the Turks and Iran band together to kick the PKK’s ass in Iraq….
Read the article for a less colorful, but more accurate description.
Tags: Bush's FUBAR War
Sombeody else said it, but it bears repeating, Bush/Cheney are playing checkers while the rest of the gang in the Middle East are playing chess. Things have gotten much too complicated for Bush’s little, fried brain to comprehend.
I support two particular late term abortions. Bush and Cheney. These two need to be impeached, indicted, and imprisoned. Iraq is a disaster, forced into the news as an afterthought most days. I’ve often thought about writing an Iraq War News generator for a website, since it’s all become so routine and the patterns are predictable. The only variables are the number of troops and the number of ‘enemy’ forces killed in the process.
Our standing in the world is declining sharply, and there’s only a handful of people to blame.
Now who is playing checkers DV? Let me see if I have this straight. You have a band of thugs (PKK) hated by Iran, Turkey, presumably US, and tolerated by Kurds and Iraqis. So the problem is, we need to get the Kurds to stop supporting these thugs, right? Well we can go in their and beat up the Kurds and the PKK and further prolong what your refer to as a mess, or we can let two countries, one enemy and one marginal ally (and never much great friends of each other) ally to pressure the Kurds to turn out the PKK. Am I missing something?
Aren’t you the guys that insist that we want the members of the region to take care of thugs? And we are giving Iran a place to aim its nationalistic bent.
Obviously, the big concern here is the well-being of the Kurds. One would hope that they are wise enough to realize they are caught in a squeeze play. Polyanna, probably, but one can hope. Turkey also has a vested interest in making sure that Iran does not make a land grab. The may be a powerful force in the threat, but also a powerful check to keep things in balance.
There is also the distinct possibility that Iran is hoping we will get involved and back off of the surge. After all, signs are that it is working, and polls released today show that Americans are more and more realizing it.
DV. Stick to checkers.
Props for the Airplane reference however!
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
If you can trick him into saying his name backwards, he will instantly return to Turkey.
Good grief, Chris, you aren’t even playing a decent game of Tic Tac Toe with that silly analysis:
Turkey also has a vested interest in making sure that Iran does not make a land grab.
The land grab that Turkey and Iran are worried about is Kirkuk. (This is also in the article that The Donviti linked to). If you’ve been watching the board, you’d know that both Turkey and Iran are vehemently opposed to the Kurds getting official control of this oil city. With control of major oil fields in Iraq, the Kurds get to amass the funds and capability to finally get their Kurdistan. The Turks are sabre-rattling again to remind the US of how much trouble they can make (while we are stretched too thin as it is) and the Iranians are enjoying abit of blowback of their own making. They used to provide some funds and arms to the PKK. Kurdistan (as wished for by some Kurds) includes Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as parts of Turkey and Iran.
The Iraqi Kurds aren’t providing any balance — their nationalistic ambitions are a real threat to both Turkey and Iran.
“The land grab that Turkey and Iran are worried about is Kirkuk. (This is also in the article that The Donviti linked to). If you’ve been watching the board, you’d know that both Turkey and Iran are vehemently opposed to the Kurds getting official control of this oil city.”
Yes.That is all very obvious. My point is that while Iran and Turkey are in agreement that the Kurds should not have that area, they are also vehemently opposed to each other getting it as well. So either they will hold each other in check or turn their war machines upon each other. The latter scenario is highly unlikely. The hold that the Iranian president has on the people is just tenuous enough to not withstand a full blown war with Turkey. Hence, the keep each other in check and provide the balance I have outlined. Again, we are dealing with chess. You were looking only three moves ahead….I am looking quite further.
You were looking only three moves ahead….I am looking quite further.
Not an especially skillful bluff, but a bluff nonetheless. If it were all so obvious, you would have said that instead of running off to some conspiracy theory.
The Turks and Iranians aren’t plotting a land grab here. The Turks are still trying to hold onto their hopes of EU membership and the Iranians aren’t far from effective control of the southern part of Iraq. (Which isn’t to say that neither would take advantage of a US blunder that might give them a serious opening- which given the real affection for serious blunders that BushCo hold onto for dear bloody life, I suppose we should not be surprised if it happens.) And why would they go though the bother of their own altercation when funneling their bombast thru their PKK proxy gets them exactly what they want? Which is threatening us to NOT support the Iraqi Kurds in their national ambitions.