The oppression of the Turkish Kurds is one that encompasses their entire lifestyles- all national rights have been revoked (such as attempt to speak their own language, to gather a political party, to survive economically independently, and even to live...Kurds are being executed regularly). I say national rights, of course, from a Democratic point of view, which is not the case. Another factor going along with a lack of democracy is often violence and terrorism- which is how a select group of the Turkish Kurds are choosing to react to their reality. The main conflict arises in distinguishing the violence-driven PKKs (The Kurdistan Workers Party) from the peaceful oppressed Kurds who are just trying to coexist.
The United States historically has helped Turkey, its NATO ally, to the chagrin of the Kurds. According to an article in the Christian Science Monitor*, the Turks have been emboldened by the suppport and intelligence recieved from the US military to carry out a sweeping air assault against the PKK (The Kurdistan Worker's Party)...thereby further encouraging the Turkey/PKK war.
In 2007, President Bush sent Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's senior aid to visit with Turkey's top diplomatic and military leaders. The result was a promise that the US would help Turkey and Iraq battle the PKK, which has been designated by both the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organization. The US Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, additionally visited the Kurdish section of Iraq to take firmer steps against their armed camps. The US stance on the entire situation is that "a terrorist is a terrorist...and if they are attacking a NATO ally, it is our responsibility to defend it."
*http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0225/p01s07-wome.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment