Tweet
Thanks everybody for expressions of concern. As for various quetions asked:
* Anti-war sentiment here hasn't translated into anti-American sentiment, yet. And the Turks strike me as better than most people in distinguishing between ordinary Americans and the Bush administration, since they have a long history of having a government which acts in its own interest rather than the peoples'. Speaking of which...
* The popular opposition to the war here is rooted largely in an objection to US arrrogance, but also partly in a fear of Kurdish terrorism. It's that latter fear that wll make Turks who are afraid of the war support an incursion into N. Iraq. But their support really doesn't matter, because it's Turkey, and the government and miitary will do as they please. However, it does look for the moment that all they are doing is keeping refugees from crossing the border.
* Beyond that, the military does indeed hate the current government, as does the rest of the Turkish establishment (business, the media, etc.). PM Errdogan has been savaged in the press for blowing the negotiations with the US (Powell told him Monday that Turkish bases were unnecessary and Turkey wouldn't be seeing a penny of US aid). So even Erdogan might fall in line now, as a way of re-legitimating his government.
You know what's sounding good right now? Rhodes. Only 75 minutes from the Turkish coast via hydrofoil. Rhodes is sounding really, really nice. Though I also hear good things about Thessalonika...
* Anti-war sentiment here hasn't translated into anti-American sentiment, yet. And the Turks strike me as better than most people in distinguishing between ordinary Americans and the Bush administration, since they have a long history of having a government which acts in its own interest rather than the peoples'. Speaking of which...
* The popular opposition to the war here is rooted largely in an objection to US arrrogance, but also partly in a fear of Kurdish terrorism. It's that latter fear that wll make Turks who are afraid of the war support an incursion into N. Iraq. But their support really doesn't matter, because it's Turkey, and the government and miitary will do as they please. However, it does look for the moment that all they are doing is keeping refugees from crossing the border.
* Beyond that, the military does indeed hate the current government, as does the rest of the Turkish establishment (business, the media, etc.). PM Errdogan has been savaged in the press for blowing the negotiations with the US (Powell told him Monday that Turkish bases were unnecessary and Turkey wouldn't be seeing a penny of US aid). So even Erdogan might fall in line now, as a way of re-legitimating his government.
You know what's sounding good right now? Rhodes. Only 75 minutes from the Turkish coast via hydrofoil. Rhodes is sounding really, really nice. Though I also hear good things about Thessalonika...
Comment