Turks throw spanner in Bush's plan

[Agathon]

Well, the vote to authorise deployment of US troops in Turkey failed today. Admittedly, it failed on a technicality, but it failed nonetheless. Ah democracy, the thorn in every warmonger's side.

You gotta love the Turks - I mean they put on a real show in the World Cup and then they tell the US to get stuffed. Great.

[DeathByTheSword]

w00t

hurray for the turks...........first time i said that....anyways....hurray...hurray...hurray....dow n with Bush and all of that stuff...

[Gatekeeper]

Hate to burst every peacenik's bubble, but the Turks are going to submit a "revised" agreement to their Parliament. That's politician-speak for adding pork somewhere, I bet. Anyway, Turkey will want a say in the future of Iraq, so something will get passed ...

Gatekeeper

[Ming]

Maybe it's just an attempt by Turkey to extort even more money from of the US

I guess the original pieces of silver weren't enough...

[KrazyHorse]

30 just don't cut it any more. Inflation and all...

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Gatekeeper
Hate to burst every peacenik's bubble, but the Turks are going to submit a "revised" agreement to their Parliament. That's politician-speak for adding pork somewhere, I bet. Anyway, Turkey will want a say in the future of Iraq, so something will get passed ...

Gatekeeper

Current reports say that this may well be in doubt. I think they'll have to do a lot more to get it passed and it might not be worth the domestic political cost.

We shall see.

[DeathByTheSword]

heck they want northern Iraq to calm down the kurds....they arent mister nice guy either but right now I chose Turkey over Bush

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Ming
Maybe it's just and attempt by Turkey to extort even more money from of the US

I guess the original pieces of silver weren't enough...

Come on Ming. Bribery is at heart an immoral exercise on both sides, how can you accuse the Turks of not playing fair?

[Az]

They're shooting themselves in the foot.
The US will help the kurds more, now, and will keep the money.

I wonder if there are ways to establish bases in Kurdistan itself without turkey. Like with airlifts, or something.

[KrazyHorse]

wonder if there are ways to establish bases in Kurdistan itself without turkey. Like with airlifts, or something.

Airlifts generally involve flying over somebody else's territory, which might be a problem given the surrounding countries.

[Az]

Not if you have aerial superiority over Iraq.

[KrazyHorse]

That supposes that the war has already started. Which is a little too late to be setting up bases. And the supply situation would be atrocious.

[Az]

hmm. I guess you're right.

Say, are the Kurds completely in control in the north now?

I don't see a situation under which Saddam actually pushes north with his troops on the ground, since it will make the US job even easier coming to Baghdad. So, if they're incontrol all over there, the oil should remain pretty much unharmed, which is important for ... reconstructing iraq after the war, of course.

[Agathon]

I'd suggest that the government of a politically unstable country that aids a war that 94% of its citizens vehemently oppose would have to invest fairly heavily in riot gear and tear gas.

[Dinner]

They'll come alone in the end because if they don't the Kurds will likely declare an independent Kurdistan which will have territorial claims over half of Turkey.

The only way the Turks can stop the Kurds from declaring independence is to get lots of troops into Kurdistan before the Kurds can consolidate their position after Saddam goes to the great dictator resort in the sky.