It is comforting to see a Muslim nation that is still serious about fighting the war on terrorism, as was on display today in Turkey when police arrested 120 suspected Al Qaeda members in a massive operation across 16 provinces. I have long maintained that the remnants of the old Ottoman Empire holds the key to defeating radical Islam in the Middle East. The Sultans were able to maintain jurisdictional control over most of the region for a really long time, and I see them as the gateway or bridge to a long term solution.
The Turks have some skeletons in their closet to be sure, but in that part of the world everyone does. Their feud with the Kurds is uncomforting to me, yet I don't know if it is even possible to reconcile that dispute. The tactics resorted to by the PKK to establish an independent Marxist state in the south east are not acceptable in a healthy democracy. Blowing up government buildings is not an acceptable means of achieving a goal, and once their movement shifted to violent civil disobedience, they forfeited their right to lenient empathy. The Kurds in Iraq are a different story, as they have built an oasis in Hell and I feel should be ordained with autonomous control over their territory. I am concerned that if we allow the Turkish military to roll their tanks into Iraq, they will plow right over Kurdistan on their way to Baghdad. And yet, the Turks may be the only force capable of preventing an Iranian invasion of eastern Iraq when the American military does finally depart.
I remember hearing stories about the Turks in Afghanistan, and that they are the only force that the Taliban doesn't attack. If that is true I would ascribe two possible reasons; 1) a "don't attack us and we won't attack you" situation, or 2) the Islamic extremists don't want to incur the full force of Turkish wrath in the global war on terror. What I do know is that the simultaneous arrests of 120 people across 16 provinces is a definite sign that Turkey is serious about fighting the war on Islamic extremism.
To the Turks, I say rock on! I used to date a Turkish girl in high school, but that's a story for another day... :)
There is no recividism in Turkey either - once in Turkish jail is enough. The 'suspects' are in for a rough time - much rougher than Guantanamo. I have worked with Turks and I have great respect for them and they do not believe in 'political correctness'. One young Turk asked me why our media was so tough on Turkiye (now the preferred spelling) for beating up some Kurds. He said, "If I broke the law, they would beat me up". As far as their government is concerned there are no Kurds though, only Turkish citizens who speak Kurdish; everybody is to be treated equally. Break the law and they break you...
ReplyDelete"much rougher than Guantanamo" as in...? no free pie or equivalent?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't of used gitmo as an example. That isn't to say they received pie or not but there are better comparisons to be made (I'm sure) then the above.
Let's hope Turkiye (looks much better to type than turky) isn't just doing this to look as if they're hard at work for the sake of appearances.