Turkish Resolve
Little wonder Turkey is simmering with resentment, indignation and downright anger over the deliberate and deadly provocations the country has been experiencing with cross-border raids by guerrillas representing the Kurdish Workers Party, a widely recognized terror group fomenting violence on behalf of Kurdish territoriality and sovereignty. Swarming over the border into Turkey from their bases in Iraqi Kurdistan, the PKK are answerable to no one.The government of Iraq is powerless to stop them, since it isn't able to protect its own citizens from terror attacks they launch against one another in mass sectarian-inspired violence. The one quiet zone of peace and prosperity in Iraq is represented by the semi-autonomous Kurdish-held territory, whose own government while not supporting the PKK are not amenable to clashing with them over a territorial aspiration they themselves support.
The United States is beside itself with angst over the very real prospect of the Turkish government, now that the Parliamentary vote to permit response has been achieved, taking the final step to launch its troops over the border into Iraq in a retaliatory attempt to oust the PKK. They've good reason to do so, in the wake of the latest attacks on Turkish territory resulting in scores of their soldiers killed and wounded, others missing.
Yet here is Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, despite his country being on a war footing and the outrage of its population to avenge these deadly provocations, holding back, and counselling for patience in response to urgent requests from the United States. Irony upon ironies; an Islamist government amenable to reason, pressure being brought to bear upon them by a country which has amply demonstrated its own unreasonable short fuse.
"Attacks from Iraqi territory need to be dealt with swiftly by the Iraqi government and Kurdish regional authorities", claimed a White House spokesman. "The United States, Turkey and Iraq will continue to stand together to defeat the PKK terrorists." Oh, likely. Turkey is on its own, here. The others pay lip service, but it's Turkish citizens who are paying the full price with their lives.
But to his great credit - whatever happens finally - Mr. Erdogan stood before national Turkish television to state that despite the state of outrage, a calm approach, not an agitated one, based on good common sense would stand them in good stead. Meanwhile local authorities in Iraq condemn the PKK actions but will take no direct action themselves.
That the Kurds would dearly love to carve out a little swath of sovereign territory for themselves, taking a little bit from Iraq, some from Iran and a little bit more from Turkey to form their own national aspirational geography is understandable. From the perspective of their sense of national identify it may also seem reasonable.
Trouble is, none of the countries involved appear willing to render greater Kurdistan unto the Kurds. Having said which, timely negotiations and reasoned politics are the avenues to explore the potential; countries born of violence extinguish themselves the same way.
Don't they? They don't?
Labels: Political Realities, Terrorism, World Crises
posted by Pieface @ Monday, October 22, 2007
<< Home