We have talked briefly about the situation arising on the Turkish/Iraqi border, where Turkey had threatened to send troops into Iraq after a deadly weekend clash with rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that left at least 12 Turkish soldiers dead and 16 others wounded. The attack on Sunday October 21st, the most audacious in recent memory, raised fears that Turkey would retaliate by sending its army in pursuit of the rebels, who are based inside Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. That might touch off a wider conflagration pitting the Turks against Iraqi Kurds, and, possibly, even Americans in Iraq. 
While the economist.com reports that Turkey has said it will give diplomacy a chance http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10010199, this has the Bush foreign policy in another hazardous situation.
The 2 Regular guys give us further insight into the issue, dusting off their clubs and the phrase that "politics, (or in this case) foreign policy ain't beanbag." Post is at CBS2Chicago.com:
When you pull your sand wedge out of the bag you know you are in trouble. Your ball has hit the bunker, the trap. Serious danger lies ahead.
There is imposing danger along the Turkish/Iraqi border.
Clearly our attempt to liberate Iraqis has brought about unforeseen consequences in the region. Deposing Saddam, in hindsight, was easy. That mission was accomplished quickly. The cost was minimal.
The greater cost, however, is wrought with uncertainty. The whole region has grown increasingly unstable.
The issue in Turkey involves its Kurdish minority. Kurdish rebels living in Iraq have used the instability in the region to launch insurgent attacks into Turkey. The Turkish government feels obligated to retaliate and defend its own soil.
Our Congress has added insult to injury by debating a resolution to punish the Turks for their apparent genocide of their Armenian population one hundred years ago. The Turkish government feels obligated to defend their reputation.
Our war with Iraq has drawn in the Iranians, the Syrians, the Saudis, the Jordanians, the Israelis and now the Turks. The whole region has become one giant sand trap.
Is it any wonder our foreign policy score has suffered?
In the future be careful of your club choice. Foreign policy is not beanbag.
VIDEO: Complicated Crisis In Turkey
10 comments:
"Politics ain't beanbag."
From an article in the New Leader (2003):
IN SIMPLER TIMES, before toys became mechanized, then motorized, then computerized, a mother would sew a little sack from a spare piece of cloth or an old sock, fill it with dried beans, and give it to her children to toss back and forth. Their game, called beanbag, conjures up a sweet, wholesome past that may never have existed.
Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936) was a Chicago-based U.S. author, writer and humorist. He wrote Mr. Dooley in Peace and War in 1898. "Mr. Dooley" became one of the first nationally syndicated newspaper features.
Set in a South Side Chicago Irish pub, Mr. Dooley, the owner and bartender, would expound upon political and social issues of the day, using the thick verbiage and accent of an Irish immigrant.
Dunne's sly humor and political acumen won the support of President Theodore Roosevelt, a frequent target of Mr. Dooley's barbs.
The phrase became a favorite refrain of two alumni of Boston's Democratic machine, President John F. Kennedy and House Speaker Tip O'Neill, ...
Once again, Alex C. and others, it's the Irish making sense of the world!
It doesn't matter what the pundits say. The people in the Middle East have been raised in a culture of hatred. The culprit is not Islam, but rather the psycho mullahs who twist the Koran into their own wicked interpretations. Their culture is so different from our own, we should have borne that in mind when we went in. Having said that, we should realize that even Turkey has this issue, though not nearly to the extent of Iran or Iraq. We also need to know that anything we say or do can and will be taken very personally in any culture, including that of the Middle East. I'm looking at you, Pelosi!
If we need to fight a war with another country, then so be it. But if we expect to quell any present or future insurgency, the talking heads in Washinton should make a concerted effort to understand every aspect of what they are getting into. And one last thing: If you even THINK your policies might backfire in a volatile region (read: Middle East), you'd better think about doing something else.
As my step-dad who is not Turkish likes to point out practically all the time, I will tell you all something about Turks: They are easily offended. Now, regardless of what some people have turned the Kuran into to make people do their bidding, saying that people in the middle east have been raised in a culture of hatred is a faulty and furthermore ignorant comment, and I refuse to elaborate any further on a blog. Now, as for the issue itself, lets think as in terms of the U.S. If any one of you who thinks they have the cajones to say it, I want one of you to imagine some crazy nutjob terrorist group arose in one of our borders and attacked us claiming our territory , we wouldn't strike them back immediately. I neither want or need an evaluation of the situation of the middle east either, that is nothing to consider when national security is threatened.
Now ponder on this little gem: Why would it be bad for the U.S. that a potential ally is entering the country? Why is there a threat of war against Turkey if they could help kill insurgents? Also, if you have been following the news, Iraqi government said that they will call on the PKK to stop the attacks... now if they stop, wouldn't that say something about where the organization of the PKK and possibly other terrorist groups in there really belong?
Think hard.
Yunus,
I was referring to the fact that a number of mullahs (Muhammad Omar, the Ayatolla Khomeni)have twisted the Koran into their own interpretation. I was not saying there is something fundamentally wrong with Middle Eastern culture. I am sorry I offended you.
The fact is that the US is the most warmongering country on the planet. It simply does this to expand economically as well as politically. Do you really think that Iraq was invaded because Hussein was in power, or is it because Hussein became too powerful and was not yielding to the West? The United States does not want a Middle Eastern power, especially one like Iraq was. If there was ever a power there it would be Israel, failing that perhaps Saudi. I believe a quote from George Galloway best illustrates this "These [referring to the US and Britain] are the people who have overthrown elected governments all over the world, these people dont want democracy, they want slave governments; If its a slave dictatorship - thats fine. If its a slave elected government thats also fine. The only thing that matters is that the government is a slave government" Garett mentioned that culture was never taken into account - it never will be! They didnt care about the Iraqi people, if they did sanctions and bombings which killed over 500,000 children would never have happened; what the West cared about was making sure it could mold the world to its liking. If the US cared about helping the people it would start at home. Helping marginalized groups to adapt. All this regime wants is power - look at latin america and the middle east, they have been destroyed by western interference until they are weak and rely on the west for aid.
And Garett as to your comment about the Koran being totted as an excuse for extremism - a groups faults do not define it. The inquisition and the crusades do not make catholisism evil, and firebrands who preach it is their biblical duty to bomb abortion clinics do not make christianity bad. If we're going to compare, i would say Islam has the greater merits.
Interesting that Carlos brings up the Crusades. As with the mullahs I was referring to, the Catholic Church twisted the Bible into their own interpretation which somehow justified the slaughter of thousands of innocent people. And the Christians in Europe ate it up, just as a number of people in the Middle East have. And those wounds cut deep. What we are dealing with now is the reprecussions of what happened in 1096. Likewise, a number of Evangelicals in the United States have twisted the Bible into their own interpretation. That could go on into the next century. Any religion, no matter how violence-averse, can be twisted by a rogue clergyman into a completely different message. I am only going to say this one more time: I DO NOT CONSIDER ANY RELIGION OR CULTURE TO BE FUNDAMENTALLY EVIL!
Getting back to the issue with the Turks and Kurds, this may be the time to separate the northern part of Iraq and let it be Kurdistan. They want their own country anyway. If they want to fight the Turks, they should do it by themselves. Just as long as they know no US force is going to run up there and referee another war like they are doing down South. The flimsy Iraqi government can't handle another war.
Ok, all your guys' ideas are great. Garret...you are wrong in thinking that muslims are raised in a culture of hate. It only seems that way because of how much conservative news sources you watch. It's not true at all; it's a minority that is violent. Terrorists use the qur'an to justify thier actions; however, islam, while bieng borne of violence, is a peaceful religion, it is just extremism that makes it look like such a negative and violent religion, just like christian fundamentalists make christianity look like that what it isn't. For example, the christian fundamentalists who think that it is okay to bomb abortion clinics, because it goes against Christian doctrine.
Carlos and Yunus, you also have very good points. However, despite your oppinion of the United States as a sovreign entity or the current administration, you must realize the importance of issues such as Iraq. While I personally believe that invading Iraq was a mistake, and that Democracy can't be spread through the barrel of a gun, one must understand the importance of the US role in Iraq. Realize that we have troops there; we can't afford to get in the way and act as peacekeeper to another civil war. Enough people have died for a fruitless end, and why should more. You must also realize, that by crossing the border into Iraq, the Turkish forces and regime have violated a basic priniciple of diplomacy: Territorial Sovreignty. For those of you who don't know what that means, territorial sovreignty means the right of a government to rule over a specific area of land, within thier borders. This is Iraq's problem - not Turkey's. And while they did cross the border, one must remember that two wrongs don't make a right. It conveys not only a lack of respect, but also breaks an unwritten rule in international relations: DON'T TREAD ON OTHER'S TERRITORY. This undermines the new government of Iraq, and makes Turkey look bad in front of other countries. The correct way to handle this is to put pressure on the Iraqi government, through diplomatic means, by cutting off US aid until the problem is solved, or some such other methods.
wow, first i'd like to say that if garrett hadn't apologized i would have had a very nasty comment to post on this blog.
I really don't see what is wrong with Turkey entering this war. Why? The U.S. was bombed, so it went and bombed other nations to teach them a lesson. Now, Congress has gone digging into the past in order to find more gasoline to add to the fire. I have to say that some people just don't know when to stop. It's a fatal flaw. Some realize that they make a mistake and they try to make amends. Others, like the U.S. government that has absolutely no other worries besides thinking of ways to attack the Middle East, keep digging their own graves.
Lets face the facts: reality has consequences. In addition, other nations have the right to excercise their power. We can't expect to enter a region, make it more unstable than it ever was, and then expect another country not to retaliate when it has been attacked. I'm glad there are some nations left in this world who still have the strength to stand up for themselves. True this puts America into a worse situation, but war isn't begun and ended whenever politicians feel the need to declare so. Frankly I'm tired of this western double standard. The US can't handle any verbal or physical attacks so why on earth does it expect others to take crap?
I'm certainly not going to defend the current administration's tactics when "spreading democracy". But one must look at the situation from a more global standing, neither western or eastern viewpoint. The point is that Iraq is an unstable country, and will be for a long time. They have no infrastructure, no military, no police, and no order. After the invasion of Iraq, I'd like to point out that the Middle East has become MUCH less stable. And unless those of you who validify turkey's methods want to see an all out bloody sectarian civil war throughout ALL of the middle east, then one must realize the gigantic mistake that turkey going into a non-stable iraq is going to lead to.
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