Just a quick update on the Iraq issue. If you remember, I and others, have advocated splitting Iraq up into three (3) sectors along religious and ethnic lines but keeping a federal agency to distribute oil revenues on a per capita basis.
Bush has rejected that idea from the beginning insisting on keeping his silly and unreasonable dream of a united Iraq alive. Now we hear that Al-Malaki and other Shiites and Sunnis also objected to this division mainly because they feared missing out on the oil revenues EVEN when I said that would be a non-issue if WE controlled the distribution of the oil revenues.
I can though understand their skepticism and lack of trust in even a U.S. controlled agency distributing the funds since we are just as rife with corruption as anybody else is. The latest revelations of billions of dollars lost or squandered by U.S. agencies on food, equipment and anything else you want to name – so how can you trust even the Americans?
The Kurds have already separated themselves from Iraq proper and so far have built themselves a thriving and modern community that is relatively safe. My idea was that the Sunnis and Shiites could have done the same but the Kurds could be heading for trouble.
Yes, the Iraqi Kurds have built themselves a very nice small country and in my opinion, they will NEVER agree to become part of Iraq again. As far as they are concerned, they are KURDISTAN and not Iraq.
The problem is that the Kurds are a huge group of people spread over Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran (see the map). These people have been around for thousands of years. Saladin, the guy who conquered the Crusades was a Kurd.
These people never had a country of their own. After WWI, the allies wanted to draw a country just like they drew Iraq but Turkey, Syria and Iran would have none of that. Too bad, we would not be in the mess we are today.
Anyway, the Kurds in Turkey have an armed conflict going against the Turks in an attempt to form their own nation out of Turkish lands. The Turks are really against that and would rather just kill the Kurdish rebels. The rebels basically strike Turkey and run and hide in Kurdish Iraq. The Turks are threatening to invade.
If the Turks invade Northern Iraq we would have a problem since our soldiers are there and also the Iraqi Kurds are there and they probably would defend themselves – mess?
What Bush needs to do is have the Iraqi Kurds expel their rebel brethren out of Iraq and this will remove any reason for the Turks to attack OR the Iraqi Kurds and Americans could guard the borders and not allow the rebels to operate out of Kurdish Iraq. These seem simple steps that can be taken.
Speaking of Turkey we have to address the ARMENIAN question now before Congress.
In 1915 or thereabouts, the Armenians were driven out of Turkey and many were massacred. The Armenians called this genocide and history bears out that something like that did occur. I am not going to get into any historic specifics but today, before our Congress is a “resolution” condemning the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turks.
This is just a resolution and many countries have passed a similar resolution. The only problem is that the Turks find such resolutions very insulting and it stirs their nationalism a lot which leads to the questions, why pass such a resolution at this time in history.
His is a non-binding resolution of dubious worth but politically advantageous to Congressman with a lot of Armenians in their voting area.
The Turks have asked that the question of the Armenian genocide be put before an international body to investigate historical data and come up with a historically correct judgment as to what really happened and who is to blame. I think this is a valid request by the Turks.
I think the resolution should be shelved as doing more harm than good to U.S. Turkish relations. The Turkish prime minister will visit Washington this week and I think we need to show him some love if we are to get some cooperation from them - it only makes sense and I hope Bush does not blow this.
We also do a lot of business with Turkey, at least I do, and I would hate for that to disappear.
Bush has rejected that idea from the beginning insisting on keeping his silly and unreasonable dream of a united Iraq alive. Now we hear that Al-Malaki and other Shiites and Sunnis also objected to this division mainly because they feared missing out on the oil revenues EVEN when I said that would be a non-issue if WE controlled the distribution of the oil revenues.
I can though understand their skepticism and lack of trust in even a U.S. controlled agency distributing the funds since we are just as rife with corruption as anybody else is. The latest revelations of billions of dollars lost or squandered by U.S. agencies on food, equipment and anything else you want to name – so how can you trust even the Americans?
The Kurds have already separated themselves from Iraq proper and so far have built themselves a thriving and modern community that is relatively safe. My idea was that the Sunnis and Shiites could have done the same but the Kurds could be heading for trouble.
Yes, the Iraqi Kurds have built themselves a very nice small country and in my opinion, they will NEVER agree to become part of Iraq again. As far as they are concerned, they are KURDISTAN and not Iraq.
The problem is that the Kurds are a huge group of people spread over Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran (see the map). These people have been around for thousands of years. Saladin, the guy who conquered the Crusades was a Kurd.
These people never had a country of their own. After WWI, the allies wanted to draw a country just like they drew Iraq but Turkey, Syria and Iran would have none of that. Too bad, we would not be in the mess we are today.
Anyway, the Kurds in Turkey have an armed conflict going against the Turks in an attempt to form their own nation out of Turkish lands. The Turks are really against that and would rather just kill the Kurdish rebels. The rebels basically strike Turkey and run and hide in Kurdish Iraq. The Turks are threatening to invade.
If the Turks invade Northern Iraq we would have a problem since our soldiers are there and also the Iraqi Kurds are there and they probably would defend themselves – mess?
What Bush needs to do is have the Iraqi Kurds expel their rebel brethren out of Iraq and this will remove any reason for the Turks to attack OR the Iraqi Kurds and Americans could guard the borders and not allow the rebels to operate out of Kurdish Iraq. These seem simple steps that can be taken.
Speaking of Turkey we have to address the ARMENIAN question now before Congress.
In 1915 or thereabouts, the Armenians were driven out of Turkey and many were massacred. The Armenians called this genocide and history bears out that something like that did occur. I am not going to get into any historic specifics but today, before our Congress is a “resolution” condemning the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turks.
This is just a resolution and many countries have passed a similar resolution. The only problem is that the Turks find such resolutions very insulting and it stirs their nationalism a lot which leads to the questions, why pass such a resolution at this time in history.
His is a non-binding resolution of dubious worth but politically advantageous to Congressman with a lot of Armenians in their voting area.
The Turks have asked that the question of the Armenian genocide be put before an international body to investigate historical data and come up with a historically correct judgment as to what really happened and who is to blame. I think this is a valid request by the Turks.
I think the resolution should be shelved as doing more harm than good to U.S. Turkish relations. The Turkish prime minister will visit Washington this week and I think we need to show him some love if we are to get some cooperation from them - it only makes sense and I hope Bush does not blow this.
We also do a lot of business with Turkey, at least I do, and I would hate for that to disappear.
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