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EDITORIAL: WHY PICK A FIGHT WITH THE TURKS?
Beloit Daily News, WI
Oct 16 2007
America has enough enemies without looking for more.
SOME FIGHTS ARE worth picking. And some surely are not.
When the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed a resolution
labeling as "genocide" a Turkish campaign against Armenians a hundred
years ago, the action definitely fell into the latter category. The
Turks reacted angrily - as they had said they would - recalling their
ambassador from Washington and threatening retaliatory moves if the
measure is passed by the full Congress.
Such moves could include barring U.S. planes from flying through
Turkey's airspace, and booting America out of a key military base
which, incidentally, serves as a conduit for troops and war materials
flowing into Iraq.
WHY WOULD the United States treat a key ally this way?
Why indeed.
There is no apparent answer. We'd be surprised to find one in a
million Americans who even know there was a Turkish campaign against
Armenians a hundred years ago. It's ancient history, not cause to
create an international incident today.
Unless, of course, leftist House leaders want to bollix up U.S.
efforts in Iraq by goading the Turks to close off access to the
American military.
But, surely, the Nancy Pelosi-led House majority couldn't be that
cynical. Right?
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/20 07/10/15/editorials/edit02.txt
Beloit Daily News, WI
Oct 16 2007
America has enough enemies without looking for more.
SOME FIGHTS ARE worth picking. And some surely are not.
When the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed a resolution
labeling as "genocide" a Turkish campaign against Armenians a hundred
years ago, the action definitely fell into the latter category. The
Turks reacted angrily - as they had said they would - recalling their
ambassador from Washington and threatening retaliatory moves if the
measure is passed by the full Congress.
Such moves could include barring U.S. planes from flying through
Turkey's airspace, and booting America out of a key military base
which, incidentally, serves as a conduit for troops and war materials
flowing into Iraq.
WHY WOULD the United States treat a key ally this way?
Why indeed.
There is no apparent answer. We'd be surprised to find one in a
million Americans who even know there was a Turkish campaign against
Armenians a hundred years ago. It's ancient history, not cause to
create an international incident today.
Unless, of course, leftist House leaders want to bollix up U.S.
efforts in Iraq by goading the Turks to close off access to the
American military.
But, surely, the Nancy Pelosi-led House majority couldn't be that
cynical. Right?
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/20 07/10/15/editorials/edit02.txt