Disturbing - Turkish-US cooperation vs Kurds...

[1.5 million]

This cannot turn out well...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/29/AR2007072900859.html?nav=hcmodule

[Gavur]

It looks like washington wants to partition Iraq and Kurdistan will have limited autonamy under Turkey.

[Gavur]

Turkey and the PKK

Plan to help Turkey hit Kurds shows Bush hasn't learned

My initial reaction to this article is to agree that us being actively involved in helping Turkey deal with Kurdish incursions into its territory (real or imagined) is a bad idea. The bigger question in my mind is why we are even involved with Turkey at all. The Cold War is over and even if Russia becomes a problem for the world again, Turkey will not likely play any vital role for us in any way.

They are a "moderate" Muslim country with a secular tradition of democracy and one of the few Muslim countries to recognize Israel. But every time they have an election, the people seem to pick religion-based, anti-American parties. It happened again earlier this month. The army then has to step in to restore "democracy" by removing any elected officials who don't tow the military line. This is obviously not a true democracy and if it ever becomes one it will likely be staunchly anti-American.

And beyond those few redeeming factors, what is the point of us getting any more deeply involved in their historic problems - especially in taking their side against one of our few success stories in Iraq - the Kurds? What good is a relationship with Turkey for us? Is I recall they were nothing but an obstacle to our invasion of Iraq. I disagreed with the invasion myself, but what good is an ally if they refuse to help us in an area where they can offer some of the best assistance?

Let's take a look from another angle though. Let's assume they are giving us something really valuable as our ally that is hidden from public view. Do we really want to make a deal with the Devil? Turkey, like Japan, has trouble coming to terms with admitting its own crimes against humanity. The Armenian genocide comes to mind here. It is, I believe, still officially banned from text books and has lead to more than a few deaths and death threats against public officials who say Turkey should admit to its role in the killings. We can also look to the "ethnic cleansing" of Greeks from mainland Turkey after WW I as well as from northern Cypress, not to mention the invasion of northern Cypress to supposedly protect the minority Turks.

Interestingly, while Turkey has no problem carving out a separate ethnic enclave for Turks out of a sovereign nation, they do have trouble with their own minority populations carving out a sovereign state for themselves. In this case the primary minorities being the Kurds in the southeast and Armenians in the northeast. Turkey has done a fairly good job of colonizing these areas with Turks to try and defeat any claims for ethnic autonomy, but this is just as a phony as it sounds.

My final question though is why we still have this strong relationship or feel this need to cater to Turkey. Is it solely because of their status as a secular Islamic nation and their help with Israel or perhaps against Iran? If that is the solely case, we should really reconsider what benefit this really is. My other thought is that we are constantly hearing that our support in Israel has more to do with us having such a large and influential Jewish population and pro-Israel lobbies in this country. I imagine there is some truth to this, but if it is true or least true to some extent, then why haven't we abandoned Turkey yet? We have substantial and wealthy populations of Armenian and Greek immigrants in this country and the subject of Turkey is one on which they all have a very negative opinion. That is compared to perhaps a handful of Turks.

http://awenydd.blogspot.com/2007/07/turkey-and-pkk.html

[Joseph]

This cannot turn out well...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?nav=hcmodule

I'm concerned but will believe it when I see it. This will only inflame the Kurds in Northern Iraq and could really widden the war inside what is called Eastern-Turkey. Pursuing such a policy is dangerous but in a way I hope the Turks do invade. Their noses will be bloodied and the US many finally learn that getting involved in these problems, especially ones created by our so-called allies, lead to further alienation of the world community. Let Turkey invade and watch the repurcussions in their own state for such an action

[Joseph]

Aliriza makes a good point. Once an operation of this magnitude is leaked to the public, it ussually dissolves.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=79839

Botched anti-PKK operation missed chance for US, Turkey

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Iraqi Kurds, CENTCOM, Democratic lawmakers, cautious Republicans may have leaked secret plan to press

Ümit ENG?NSOY
WASHINGTON - Turkish Daily News


The leak to the press of a secret U.S. plan for a joint special forces operation with Turkey to capture leaders of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq killed a rare opportunity for Washington to bolster its strained ties with Ankara.
"In Washington's politics, this is called ‘blocking leak.' When certain individuals or groups want to prevent something secret from being carried out, they leak it to the press, and it's effectively killed," said Bülent Alir?za, director of Turkey Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank here.

The Washington Post's senior columnist Robert Novak wrote Monday that Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, last week briefed a select group of Congress members on the plan for U.S. special forces to help Turkish forces capture the PKK's leaders in northern Iraq in a covert operation. Those briefed included several members of the Armed Services Committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Alir?za and other analysts agreed that the plan's leak effectively killed any chance of success and that this was a missed opportunity for both the United States and Turkey.

Accusing Washington and Baghdad of failing to put an end to the PKK's presence in northern Iraq, Turkey has warned that it may take unilateral military action inside Iraqi territory. The PKK has killed more than 100 people in attacks inside Turkey since spring.



Lost opportunities

Had this press leak not happened and the plan been successful, Washington would have hoped for the following benefits:

- This would be a point to restart boosting the U.S.-Turkish relationship and bolster the United States' popularity in Turkey.

- The possibility of a Turkish incursion into northern Iraq would fade away in the wake of the PKK's beheading.

- The PKK's elimination in northern Iraq would be an opportunity of what U.S. officials view as a much-needed reconciliation between Ankara and Iraqi Kurds.

- It could also bring about a chance for the emergence of a terrorism-free Kurdish political movement in Turkey.

But such a secret operation is now already something of the past, analysts agree.



Who did it?

There is speculation over who leaked the plan and why.Some likely candidates include:

- Iraqi Kurds and/or their backers in Congress.Although Washington believes that the PKK's elimination would benefit Iraqi Kurds, Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani has been following a pro-PKK position emphasizing "the unity of Kurds everywhere," according to the Turkish military and diplomats. Barzani would also likely see such a covert operation as the violation of "Kurdish sovereignty" in Kurdish territory.

- The U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, responsible for the Near East, including Iraq, and the Special Operations Command, or SOCOM works very closely with Iraqi Kurds and has so far resisted effective anti-PKK measures, believing that it does not need new problems in Iraq.

- Briefed Democratic lawmakers who oppose every single move by President George W. Bush's administration on Iraq.

- Cautious Republican lawmakers who think Washington should not take new risks in Iraq.

Regardless of the identity of those behind the leak and their motives, the move effectively undermined the U.S.-Turkish relationship.

In an editorial Tuesday, the conservative daily Washington Times put the blame on "loose-lipped lawmakers." It said the leak "undermined U.S. interests and effectively scuttled the plan's chances at success."