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| Iraq |
| Clinton Alumnus warns against Turkish-Kurdish clashes |
| 2006-08-13 |
| The United States should send troops to northern Iraq near the Turkish border to prevent a possible armed conflict between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds, said Richard Holbrooke, a top U.S. diplomat during former President Bill Clinton's tenure. In an article in The Washington Post Holbrooke said a Turkish-Kurdish clash might be one of several regional problems that could trigger a chain reaction, eventually leading to a global conflict. President George W. Bush "should redeploy some U.S. troops into the safer northern areas of Iraq to serve as a buffer between the increasingly agitated Turks and the restive, independence-minded Kurds," he said, noting that Turkey is "talking openly of invading northern Iraq to deal with Kurdish terrorists based there." "Given the new situation, such a redeployment to Kurdish areas and a phased drawdown elsewhere -- with no final decision yet as to a full withdrawal from Iraq -- is fully justified," said Holbrooke, who is known for his role in bringing an end to the Bosnian war in 1995. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #10 The Clinton administration is like herpes. You may think it's gone away for good, but then it flares up and ruins your weekend. |
| Posted by: WhiteCollarRedneck 2006-08-13 10:40 |
| #9 The difficulty is the PKK is what is causing the problem, or at least so Turkey says. It is not hard to believe the Kurds are not helping the Turks track down the PKK who are terrorizing Turkey. The Kurds need an incentive to crack down on the PKK on their own. If we don't supply it, at some point the Turks will. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-08-13 08:51 |
| #8 Is everyone who challenges a state's control a terrorist? I'd say no. Kurds have severe restrictions on their rights in Turkey to the point of being jailed for speaking or singing their own language (many well documented instances). I don't see Iraqi or Turkish Kurds indulging in the kill the christians and jews and hindus MO of AQ. But they do have a genuine issue with Turkey. Disclaimer: I have no time for the PKK = bunch of marxist fanticists. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-08-13 07:44 |
| #7 Hey, Turkey is a friend/usefull ally of USA? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-08-13 06:15 |
| #6 Holbrooke seems to have cornered the market in silly ideas. If Iraqi Kurds want to shelter terrorists on their soil, they should be prepared to pay the price. The Kurds seem to think that having Uncle Sam in their corner is a license to do whatever they want, including cozying up to Iran. Maybe it's time for them to learn that Uncle Sam's friendship isn't unconditional. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-08-13 04:27 |
| #5 Let the Turks do hot pursuits and it will end much of the cross-border terrorism. Who cares about terrorists enough to protect them? Didn't Afghanistan get smacked for doing something like this? Don't people gripe about not being able to do much in the way of hot pursuits into Pakistan? |
| Posted by: gorb 2006-08-13 03:36 |
| #4 Holbrooke. LOL. It's actually rather entertaining to see all of the never-were Camelot flacks preening their "expertise" feathers in hopes of a power position in a Donk Prez administration come 2008. LOL, DH. So many experts who dropped or dodged completely all of the important shit that came their way for 8 solid years still pretending they aren't explicitly complicit in creating the most dangerous trouble spots we face today. And this Dick is near the top of that heap of duplicitous self-serving band of losers. |
| Posted by: flyover 2006-08-13 03:25 |
#3 "Given the new situation, such a redeployment to Kurdish areas and a phased drawdown elsewhere -- with no final decision yet as to a full withdrawal from Iraq -- is fully justified," said Holbrooke, who is known for his role in bringing an end to the Bosnian war in 1995. thankyouverymuch rapporteur. I'm warning you.. I'm an EXPERT. |
| Posted by: Dick Holbrooke 2006-08-13 01:52 |
| #2 I have read some verbose Kurd rhetoric in the forums. If they don't exercise restraint, then they are going to lose what they have: 15 years of peace and near independence and the biggest oil pockets in the world. Ask Hizbollah what happens when belligerence escalates. |
| Posted by: Snease Shaiting3550 2006-08-13 01:23 |
| #1 Anything Holbrooke states in print should be used as toilet paper substitute |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-08-13 00:59 |