"Ankara's Betrayal" is an
op/ed piece running in the
New York Post March 2, 2003. The author (anonymous as far as
Yahoo! News can tell me) uses it to discuss the recent
Turkish vote barring U.S. troops from stationing themselves along its border for an incursion into
Iraq.
The author's main points? They state that Turkey's vote is foolish, and could cost it a large portion of the aid being funneled to it by the government. Certainly true. They then go on for a little while. I will quote this part.
So, what should Washington do with the cash it otherwise would be lavishing on Turkey?
Here's a thought: Send it to Kurdish opposition groups now standing by in Northern Iraq to help topple Saddam.
Oh, so the Kurds pose security problems for Turkey, too? Tough.
Whatever the Kurds need, they should get. And they should get it straight away.
Cash. Guns. Ammo.
Stinger ground-to-air missiles.
Especially ground-to-air missiles.
Stingers wouldn't be terribly useful against Saddam's non-existent air force - but they'd have real utility if Turkish helicopters were to come calling.
My. How charming. That's the original formatting, by the way. The
editorial then goes on to state that the
European Union would be loathe to defend Turkey, due to the recent bickering between them as of late. To quote once more:
So imagine how dangerous things could get with armed and angry Kurds gunning for Turks - and independence.
Then it'll be Washington's turn to stab a friend in the back.
So, can we boil this down? What is being called for now is the funding of armed guerillas to destroy democratically elected governments that don't agree with us. The author believes that all-out
ethnic war is the only option for countries that don't allow
United States troops to occupy their sovereign soil.
Guess what? Turkey is a democratic nation. So are we. How about if Russia wanted to use American soil to invade Mexico over some dispute? We wouldn't let them, obviously. Would Russia then be justified in providing rocket launchers and tanks to Montana separatists or Islamic Jihad? I think not. This idiotic attitude is exactly what will drive the United States into more foolish wars and push world opinion to the far end of the spectrum, when we find ourselves with a plethora of enemies and not an ally in sight.
Follow-up: USA Today has posted a counter-editorial which very nicely makes the point that public sentiment in
Turkey has been polled at over 90% opposed to war in
Iraq. What's the
parliament doing? The will of the people, that's what. To quote once more (paraphrasing): "The strength of the United States' commitment to a
democratic Middle Easy will be shown by its respect for Turkey's adherence to democratic principles."
Naturally, the Post ran one more, saying exactly the same thing as the first one, down to the missile brands.