A Fine Mess..
11th July 2007
We would have been hard pressed to select a better target for creating a gigantic mess than Iraq. There are an amazing array of hostile confrontations over politics, nationalism, tribalism, religion, ethnic group, etc. Its current incarnation is an artificial “country”, created in the aftermath of WW I from three provinces of the old Ottoman empire. We supported Saddam Hussein when he was fighting Iran but secretly also helped Iran. Then he pissed us off and we turned on him in ‘91 with Gulf War 1. Now we are reaping what George and his gang have sowed.
Things just got a lot more interesting today when the ambassador from Turkey informed the White House that the Kurdish rebels in Turkey have been caught using American weapons against the Turks. This is especially ironic when you consider that we have been criticizing Iran because we found Iranian weapons on Iraqi resistance fighters.
The Kurds are the third largest ethnic group in the Middle East and the largest ethnic group in the world without any independent homeland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurds
The Kurds consider parts of their rightful homeland to be controlled by Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran.
Kurdish rebels are causing problems in Turkey and Iran which have a mutual assistance treaty with respect to Kurdish rebels. The Kurds in Iraq have been quasi-independent since the US enforced no-fly zones in Iraq after Gulf War 1. The Kurds would like full independence but Turkey has stated that they would immediately invade Northern Iraq if the Kurds there declare independence. Lately, the Turks have been massing troops on the Iraqi border and insisting that, if the US does not curb the Kurdish rebels there, Turkey will enter Iraq. Now comes the report of the US weapons. The US needs to be on good terms with both the Kurds and the Turks. We are in a no win situation and it is escalating.
Stay tuned