Our Allies- the TURKS

[Lancer]

Screw the Turks! We can take the place from Kuwait alone. True, that will allow the concentration of Iraqi defences on that short border, but that just makes em easier to find.

We don't need the Turks...

[GePap]

The Turks do need the money, any money, so the admin. has a case for thinking that they can hold the line at 26 billion.

But the Turks are correct that if the US does not gets troops in Turkey, things wil be very messy in Iraq. It is not even a question of beating the Iraqi army, we can do that without northenr bases. But without them , our ability to get to the nrothern Oil fields in time (half of Iraq's oil comes from the nrothenr half) before they are perhaps blown is much lower, and then the Kurds might decide they shgould move on Kirkut and Mosul, and then the Truks themselves would invade Northenr Iraq to sop the Kurds. All of which would make the post war situation much worse.

Who will blink first? If someone doesn't, thing will only get more interesting.

Back then we were saving their ass. Now we are just saving the world

Which? Bizzaro world?

[Pekka]

So.. they wanted to join the EU and demanded things.. now they demand money from NATO? What's next? Demand money for their existance?

[GePap]

They are not asking money from NATO: they are demanding money from the US. Big difference. Given the few comments, perhaps we should declare Turkey a minor partner in the Axis of evil? Paitkis will be proud.

[Bereta_Eder]

Turkish military regime is evil. Not the people. They are suffering too.

[Lancer]

I say we hit em from Greece, drive the Ottomans outa europe! Then we restart the Byzantine empire and get them to help us in Iraq. Even the ****ing Greeks would support us.



Must think...

Constantinople

[Ozz]

Originally posted by paiktis22
Turkish military regime is evil. Not the people. They are suffering too.

The Turkish miltary regime is also what keeps secular
Turkey from becoming a Islamic Theocratic state. And
have done so since they banned the Fez.

[Pekka]

GePap, what's the difference .

Paiktis, yep, I agree. It's not the people of Turkey we should all get racist at.

[GePap]

Little by little the grey world we live in is breaking through the Black and White fantasy world of the admin.

Why not go up the extra 6 billion? If we don't get northern bases, and the Kurds go for Kirkut, and the Turks decide to invade the North, I fail to see what the US could do to stop the Turkish army, and the Turks do have a big enough army to crush the Kurds. Hell, maybe the Iranians decide to join the party at that time as well.

The admin. really need sot make some major imporvements in its diplomacy. Colin Powell should have been sent is a huge Tour of the Eu and Turkey several weeks ago, to try to smooth things out. Instead, this admin. either ives you a phonecall, or they put you on their ignore list and even when they talk, all they do is set ultimatums and the such. That is not how diplomacy works.

[Lancer]

GePap, lets see what they find in Iraq after the war.

[Az]

How about airlifting forces into northen Iraq, you know, where the Kurds are self governing themselves?

I don't think that the Turks will attack the US.

[Shi Huangdi]

What is wrong with what Turkey is doing? Supporting a US war on Iraq may have domestic political consequences, as well as severe economic strain. They are merely asking to be compensated for helping us out, which I think is fair. Turkey has been one of our loyal allies and I think it is fair we reward loyalty.

[DanS]

What is wrong with what Turkey is doing?

Nothing. Except they can't get too greedy. We've already moved from $3 billion -> $6 billion cash and $10 billion -> $20 billion loan guarantees.

[Ned]

What I object to is the Turk insistence on suppressing the Kurds. I really don't mind the money.

As to the oil fields in the North being blown, what we need is airborne or air mobile to take them. I suspect they may be out of range for the copters. However, I hardly believe that we cannot launch airborne from Kuwait that can reach the North.

However, if Saddam is successful in blowing up the oil fields in the North, I say, let the French clean up the mess. They are the ones that operate the oil fields, if I understand things correctly.

[PLATO]

Originally posted by Azazel
How about airlifting forces into northen Iraq, you know, where the Kurds are self governing themselves?

I don't think that the Turks will attack the US.

DOD says they have 3 different contingencies for having no northern bases. I would imagine that the 82nd airborne will probably spearhead this very idea along with the101st.

What is wrong with what Turkey is doing? Supporting a US war on Iraq may have domestic political consequences, as well as severe economic strain. They are merely asking to be compensated for helping us out, which I think is fair. Turkey has been one of our loyal allies and I think it is fair we reward loyalty.

What is wrong is this: Loyal friends don't extort from their friends. (at least not this openly).
Turkey, as a NATO country and a SECULAR moslem country, could easily be a target for Iraq's WMD. Probably the only thing that has prevented it is the military might of their "evil military regime" in Turkey.

The Turks stand to gain security in two ways:

1.) Remove the threat of Iraqi WMD

2.) Have the US Military administer Iraqi "Kurdistan". Most of the problems they have with the Kurds come from the fact that they ARE a self governing entity on Turkey's border.

My conclusion is: Turkey, let us in or we support "no defense for you" measures at NATO and we turn the Kurds loose and form the State of Kurdistan. Betcha they would pay the US to have that not happen!! Friends don't extort friends before the world!!