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| Europe |
| VDH: Turkish "Delight" |
| 2007-10-23 |
| I thought (and wrote to that effect) that both the gratuitous and toothless Senate resolutions calling for the de facto trisection of Iraq, and condemnation of Turkey for the century-old Armenian holocaust were unnecessary barbs that would only inflame an already anti-American Turkey. BUT we should confess that much of Turkish anti-Americanism is ill-founded and derives from their own ongoing fights between Islamists and Attaturk Secularists and has nothing to do with anything the United States has done. Recent polls reveal that Turks are among the most anti-American and anti-Christian peoples in the world, the latter fact not surprising to anyone who reads deeply of the 500-year history of Hellenic-Ottoman relations. A second point: by and large the United States has treated Turkey well. We support its entry into the EU; we tried to be fair in the Cyprus dispute (despite the Turkish brutal invasion in 1974); we offered a lot of money to use bases to supply the invasion of Iraq; we advise the Greeks patience in the face of constant Turkish overflights in the Aegean. We were a good ally in the Cold War, and kept the Soviets doing to Turkey what it did to Eastern Europe. Again, nothing really justifies the elemental hatred that the present generation of Turkey seems to exhibit for America, or the perverted manifestations of anti-Semitism or things like the mega-hit, anti-American film and subsequent TV series Valley of the Wolves (replete with murderous American soldiers and an organ-harvesting Jewish doctor). Where does that leave us? I believe we need to cool the resolutions, continue to talk nicely to Turkey, send out diplomatic peace-feelers, assuage Turkish wounded pride, hope for the best—and start making immediate contingency plans for a possible dramatic break from this erstwhile critical Nato ally. And that would mean backup plans should it become necessary to abandon facilities inside Turkey, and seek closer relations with Armenia, Kurdistan, Greece, Cyprus, and other regional neighbors. Perhaps both sides have been clumsy, but there are developments going on in Turkey that are far larger than inept diplomacy, and we should quit denying the danger, or despair that without the old Turkey we are adrift in the Eastern Mediterranean. We are not. We should never promote such divides, but recognize the current course of Turkish politics is not necessary ahistorical, but may in fact be a natural reaction against the historical aberration of Attaturk's secularism, as European Turkey begins to become overwhelmed, demographically and culturally, by anti-Western, anti-globalization Anatolian Islamism, and thus begins to replay the historical role of the Ottomans-whom, contrary to current orthodoxy, I don't find to have very been positive for civilization as a whole. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #7 Problem with Armenia is 1) they constantly try to fight out of their weight class and 2) they're playing kissy-face with Iran (so as to put down the Azeris). The Greeks don't like us much more than the Turks. Cyprus will do whatever Greece tells them to do. The Kurds are not in the best of positions. And Prof. Hansen, that's about it for the 'neighbors'. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2007-10-23 18:36 |
| #6 Zenster, US bases in Cyprus and Armenia, in addition to a new permanent facility near Kirkuk (as well as the new bases in Romania) would be more than anough to replace Incirlik. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-10-23 18:22 |
| #5 abandon facilities inside Turkey, and seek closer relations with Armenia, Kurdistan, Greece, Cyprus, and other regional neighbors. Note how all four of those countries have Christian populations. One of them, Armenia, is possibly the oldest Christian nation on earth. While Turkey does indeed have a Christian population they are little better than Iraq, more likely worse, in how they continue to repress this peaceful religious constituency. America would do well to begin assembling a coalition of Christian, or even better, non-Muslim nations with the intent of halting Islamic encroachment and opression from spreading further. While, as Wafa Sultan notes, this is not merely a clash of religions or even civilizations, there currently remain few stronger rallying points than that of religious freedom. Islam's flagrant lack of reciprocity with respect to religious freedom is so glaring and blatant as to represent an ideal lever with which to pry away its erstwhile allies. We must construct a united front against Islam's rising storm and fighting religious oppression is an ideal platform upon which to establish that bulwark. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-10-23 14:34 |
| #4 Not an expert on Turkey, but break-apart. Beyond the Turk/Kurd rift are there any other potential pieces? Beyond historical connections does the Bosporus have any real connection to Greece anymore? |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2007-10-23 14:07 |
| #3 Lots of NSA equipment we should be relocating as well as a big air base. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-10-23 13:53 |
| #2 The best way to convince Turkey they are playing with fire is to give up our airbase in Turkey and replace it with a similar base in Kurdistan. Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2007-10-23 13:46 |
| #1 IN other words, VDH thinks we need to be prepared to get out of Turkey and treat them as the enemy they have become, and then look out for a civil war that will break Turkey apart. I've been saying that for a while. Nice to have someone like VDH on my side of things. Step 1: keep the Turks out of Iraq. That means deploy US forces opposite of them on the N Iraqi border. NOW. Come on Bush, wake up before its too late! |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-10-23 12:53 |