Turkish kill-joys
The Turkish parlimentary vote is stunning, in not allowing US troops to stage a northern front invasion of Iraq. It's also another clear indicator the Bush war effort is going to have all sorts of serious ongoing implications for US global credibility. He's tearing down the house not brick by brick, but with one big misguided bull-doze.
Here is Turkey, a vital NATO member, as well as the Bush administrations 'template' for an 'acceptable secular muslim middle east democracy,' opting out of the Bush plan. The quotes coming out are amazingly vitrolic and telling. Try this one from Murat Mercan, a Turkish member of parliment:
"The Americans dictated to us. It became a business negotiation, not something between friends. It disgusted me."
And today's SF Chronicle reports a 'senior Pentagon official' said that the (Turkish Parliment) vote will not alter the (US) military's plans to try to stage tanks and other heavy equipment through Turkey into northern Iraq!
The "!" is mine. Hello?
Finally, there's the money part in all this. Why did Turkey vote down the measure? Was it altruistic, pacifist, ideals? Well, probably not....but 'our' side in this isn't any more noble either. Apparently the US has been insisting that the Turks continue to adhere to a 2-year-old agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which has imposed conditions on Turkish lawmakers to reform their economy. If they do, they will get billions of US dollars in loans. 6 Billion in direct US aid. Turkish officials wanted to get the money before making any new deal with the IMF. The US was worried Turkey would walk away from the IMF if they got the cash now; thus defeating the purpose of the US aid, which is to maintain confidence in the Turkish economy in the event of war.
It's complicated geo-political economics on a crazy scale, but it's still simply blood money.
What is happening to our country?
The Turkish parlimentary vote is stunning, in not allowing US troops to stage a northern front invasion of Iraq. It's also another clear indicator the Bush war effort is going to have all sorts of serious ongoing implications for US global credibility. He's tearing down the house not brick by brick, but with one big misguided bull-doze.
Here is Turkey, a vital NATO member, as well as the Bush administrations 'template' for an 'acceptable secular muslim middle east democracy,' opting out of the Bush plan. The quotes coming out are amazingly vitrolic and telling. Try this one from Murat Mercan, a Turkish member of parliment:
"The Americans dictated to us. It became a business negotiation, not something between friends. It disgusted me."
And today's SF Chronicle reports a 'senior Pentagon official' said that the (Turkish Parliment) vote will not alter the (US) military's plans to try to stage tanks and other heavy equipment through Turkey into northern Iraq!
The "!" is mine. Hello?
Finally, there's the money part in all this. Why did Turkey vote down the measure? Was it altruistic, pacifist, ideals? Well, probably not....but 'our' side in this isn't any more noble either. Apparently the US has been insisting that the Turks continue to adhere to a 2-year-old agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which has imposed conditions on Turkish lawmakers to reform their economy. If they do, they will get billions of US dollars in loans. 6 Billion in direct US aid. Turkish officials wanted to get the money before making any new deal with the IMF. The US was worried Turkey would walk away from the IMF if they got the cash now; thus defeating the purpose of the US aid, which is to maintain confidence in the Turkish economy in the event of war.
It's complicated geo-political economics on a crazy scale, but it's still simply blood money.
What is happening to our country?
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