Turkish Kurds See Iraq As an Inspiration

[tocqueville]

By SELCAN HACAOGLU, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 30 minutes ago


DIYARBAKIR, Turkey - For Ramazan, an elderly Kurdish businessman, the recent battles between masked Kurdish youths and Turkish police have rekindled a dream — the creation of an autonomous zone for his people in Turkey, much like the one carved out of Iraq. But that dream is Turkey's worst nightmare.

While Kurds look to northern Iraq for inspiration, Turks see it as an example of what the future could bring: a collapsed central state and a brewing ethnic civil war.

Iran and Syria also are concerned that Kurds in Iraq's oil-rich north could set up an independent state if the Iraqi central government collapses — serving as a rallying call for their own restless Kurdish minorities and destabilize the entire region.

Iran's ambassador to Turkey, Firouz Dowlatabadi, warned in an interview published Tuesday that Turkey, Iran and Syria need a joint policy on the Kurdish issue or "the U.S. will carve pieces from us for a Kurdish state."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060404/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_kurdish_dreams

[bemildred]

1. Oh goody, we've destabilized Turkey. nt

[kclown]

2. Paris 1919

Kurdish delegation traveled to Paris after WW1 to lobby for their own country. OBL's reference to "80 years" of oppression is a reference to this.

[cliss]

3. Turkey may just be the weak link in all this.

The more I read about this, the more it seems that Turkey will be the fuse that starts to burn, igniting the entire Middle East.

In reality, all these countries are simmering, ready to blow at any point. Take a look at Saudi Arabia. The unemployment rate is at 25%. SA is a young country, as many of the ME countries. Young, disenfranchised, angry people = instability, a powder keg ready to blow. Saudi leadership is old, ossified, out of touch.

The rest of the ME countries are like this. Iran is also very young, but they seem to be more in touch with their young people. It could be that they like Ahmadinejad. He's youthful, identifies with his people, and he plays soccer on weekends. In addition, he's completely devout; drives a car that's 30 years old, takes hardly any salary.

Pakistan is unbelievably unstable, as well as Afghanistan.

But Turkey may just be the country that blows wide open, sucking them all into the inferno.

[Neil Lisst]

4. Oh, this is working out great! Just what Turkey wanted to avoid!