PLEASE THANK TURKEY !

by Steve Tue Mar 04, 2003 17:28

The establishment in Turkey, including parliament, is normally so servile to US-Western interests that the voting result was a surprise, and has produced immediate political crisis.
Over 90 per cent of Turkey's people oppose war on Iraq, according to surveys. Only one per cent think the US etc. want to go to war to liberate the Iraqi people. Certainly the pro-war arguments cut even less ice for most of Turkey's people than they do for West Europeans. Probably some of this feeling was reflected in the parliament vote, but there are other factors. There was no doubt fear that a war in Iraq would destabilise Turkey as well.
The Turkish army has repeatedly invaded northern areas of Iraq over the past 12 years to attack Kurds and will no doubt do so again, irrespective of whether the US and Britain attack Iraq themselves. In fact in Turkey, opposition to the war is a complicated mixture: some oppose war because they see Iraq as a Muslim neighbour being threatened by powerful countries that are not Muslim, some because they see the US and Britain as imperialists chucking their weight about and yet others oppose war because the collapse of Saddam Hussein's Iraq as a result of war might cause a fully-fledged Kurdish state to be formed from the wreckage, with unpredictable consequences for Turkey. The existence of Turkey's own large Kurdish minority was almost a state secret until the 1991 Gulf War. Nobody knows what the effect of a second war would be.
The US ambassador to Turkey has just said he hopes Turkey's parliament will look at the issue again, and Turkey's politicians are certainly having their arms twisted to make them fall into line - the army generals definitely want to do what Washington asks.
The current crisis has seen opposition to American/British plans pop up in all kinds of unlikely places, and this shows how isolated Bush and Blair truly are. It is too early, I think, to thank anyone, and we should certainly not thank establishment politicians who might reverse themselves tomorrow.

by red Tue Mar 04, 2003 14:59

Why should we thank the Turkish politicians? So what they couldn't get a pro-war motion passed, most of those voting for or against voted FOR US military in ~Turkey. The motion was not passed only because there were too many abstentions!

I support the Turkish people in opposing the war through strike action etc. Not the politicians.

by kurdocide Tue Mar 04, 2003 11:55

Sorry, maybe im a little behind in current affairs but arent the turks massing their armed forces to ensure that Kurdish aspirations for independence are nipped in the bud in Iraq?
what are we thanking them for? for being able to play the game of public opinion?
Horse story was interesting.

by Seanin Tue Mar 04, 2003 10:57

My litle horse, dee da da daaaa....

by Seanin Tue Mar 04, 2003 09:57

They ain't got the stomach for a good fight. Don't go sending them emails, they've got their own agenda....