Quote:
Quote by: rmnunez  Some who express support for the Kurds do so simply
because Turkey is a NATO ally.
The arguments in support of Kurdish independence need to be
based on something more intelligent than knee-jerkian opposition to
united statian allies. |
I take it this was directed at me.
While I'm not willing to unquestioningly support everything Kurds do, Turkey does have a way of intimidating the Kurds, to say the least. Turkey's being a NATO country seems to aid in these efforts. According to an Associate Press report, "Turkey's military claimed that more than 200 Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq have been hit since Dec. 16, killing hundreds of rebels."
Meanwhile, President Abdullah Gul said that Turkey was "pleased with U.S.
cooperation, including the sharing of intelligence. 'It is a cooperation
that befits the allies,' he was quoted as saying by the state-run media."
(SUZAN FRASER, The Associated Press. Wednesday, December 26, 2007)
But it doesn't all have to do with NATO, or their being allies in Iraq.
Turkey has engaged in human-rights crushing behavior domestically, including a ban on the Kurdish language and other forcible assimiliation policies. Is that something to be accepted? I would hope not.
Grandpa h.