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TURKEY: GENOCIDAL REFLECTIONS FROM ARMENIAN/KURDISH MIRRORS
Basil & Spice
http://www.basilandspice.com/journal/62010-turkey-genocidal-reflections-from-armeniankurdish-mirr.html
June 7 2010
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been vocal and extreme
in his rants against Israel's enforcement of its embargo/blockade
of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Granted, nine Turks were killed -
needlessly in my opinion - in an altercation on a Turkish flagged
vessel participating in the so-called "freedom flotilla" last week. In
one of his statements, Erdogan accused the Israelis of "state terror."
Interesting comments from the leader of a country that has a dubious
record on human rights at best and an atrocious legacy of genocide
against the Armenians and Kurds at worst.
Let's talk about the Turks and the Kurds. The Kurds are the largest
ethnic group in the world who do not have their own country. It's not
that they don't want one, it's just that no one will allow them to
have one - they sit on some pretty valuable real estate. The closest
they have come is the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq
comprising three governorates along the Turkish and Iranian borders.
The only reason the Iraqis wrote the autonomous regions provision
into their post-Saddam constitution was American insistence, a means
to repay the Kurds for their assistance and loyalty to Washington
over the years. It was common knowledge that the Kurds would be the
first to take advantage of this provision. By way of disclosure, I
served with the CIA in northern Iraq in 1995 and 1996 working with the
Kurds against the Saddam government. It was one of the most rewarding
assignments of my career. I fully support Kurdish autonomy.
The area inhabited by the Kurdish people extends far beyond the
borders of Iraq into what is now Turkey, Iran and parts of Syria
and Armenia (see map above). None of these countries are remotely
inclined to provide an independent homeland for the Kurds. In fact,
in Turkey and Iran, they are not officially referred to as Kurds,
but as either Turkish or Persian "highlanders."
Of the estimated (no one knows for sure and it is doubtful that any
of the host countries are going to conduct a true count) 20 million
Kurds that live in this region, well over half live in Turkey. Kurds in
Turkey claim that their numbers are much greater, comprising between
10 and as much as over 20 percent of the total population of the
country. Again, reliable numbers are not available.
Since as early as 1920 (shortly after the Armenian genocide of
1915-1917), the Turks have attempted to assimilate the Kurds into
Turkish culture and society - the recent programs have been called
"Turkification" of the Kurds. This effort is reminiscent of the
"Arabization" (ta'rib) program attempted by Saddam Husayn in Iraq in
the 1980's and 1990's. Hundreds of thousands of Kurds have died in
the two countries as a result of these programs.
Now we are treated to a lecture by the likes of the Turkish prime
minister, with questionable rhetoric like, "Gaza is a historical
cause for us," (why?) and "we object to those who force the people
of Gaza to live in an open-air prison...we will stand firm until the
blockade on Gaza is lifted, the massacres cease and the state terror
in the Middle East is accounted for."
Perhaps we should revisit the Turkish activities against the Armenians
and Kurds over the last almost 100 years. Then we can talk about
open-air prisons, massacres and state terror - and especially
about accountability for past actions. The Turks still refuse to
accept responsibility for the Armenian genocide. While we're at it,
we could also advise the Turks that if they are serious about some
sort of alliance with Iran and Syria, we might support the idea of
an independent Kurdish homeland.
Mr. Erdogan, before you start accusing Israel of heinous activities,
you might want to refresh your recollections of Turkish history. The
reflections in that mirror are pretty ugly.
Lt Col Rick Francona (U.S. Air Force--Retired) enlisted in the
Air Force in 1970, and served as a Vietnamese linguist until 1973,
conducting aerial reconnaissance missions over Vietnam and Laos.
After Arabic language training, he served at a variety of locations
in the Middle East from 1975 to 1977, and supported the evacuation
of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon in 1976. In 1978, he became
an Arabic language instructor at the Defense Language Institute in
Monterey, California.
Today Francona is a retired Air Force intelligence officer and Middle
East specialist. In addition to his role as the lead U.S. military
interpreter during the Gulf War and a principal author of the report
to Congress on the conflict, he served throughout the Middle East with
the Defense Department and national intelligence agencies. Francona
is also the author of Ally to Adversary: An Eyewitness Account of
Iraq's Fall from Grace. From 2003 to 2008, he was a media analyst
on Middle East political-military events for NBC News, and appeared
regularly on NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, MSNBC, CNBC, Hardball,
Countdown, and others.
His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal,
the Bronze Star, and nine Air Medals, as well as campaign awards for
service in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and the Balkans. The colonel
was awarded the Central Intelligence Agency Seal Medallion for his
service with that agency. In 2006, Lt Col Francona was inducted into
the Defense Language Institute Hall of Fame. You'll find Lt. Col
Francona online at http://francona.blogspot.com/
From: A. Papazian
Basil & Spice
http://www.basilandspice.com/journal/62010-turkey-genocidal-reflections-from-armeniankurdish-mirr.html
June 7 2010
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been vocal and extreme
in his rants against Israel's enforcement of its embargo/blockade
of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Granted, nine Turks were killed -
needlessly in my opinion - in an altercation on a Turkish flagged
vessel participating in the so-called "freedom flotilla" last week. In
one of his statements, Erdogan accused the Israelis of "state terror."
Interesting comments from the leader of a country that has a dubious
record on human rights at best and an atrocious legacy of genocide
against the Armenians and Kurds at worst.
Let's talk about the Turks and the Kurds. The Kurds are the largest
ethnic group in the world who do not have their own country. It's not
that they don't want one, it's just that no one will allow them to
have one - they sit on some pretty valuable real estate. The closest
they have come is the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq
comprising three governorates along the Turkish and Iranian borders.
The only reason the Iraqis wrote the autonomous regions provision
into their post-Saddam constitution was American insistence, a means
to repay the Kurds for their assistance and loyalty to Washington
over the years. It was common knowledge that the Kurds would be the
first to take advantage of this provision. By way of disclosure, I
served with the CIA in northern Iraq in 1995 and 1996 working with the
Kurds against the Saddam government. It was one of the most rewarding
assignments of my career. I fully support Kurdish autonomy.
The area inhabited by the Kurdish people extends far beyond the
borders of Iraq into what is now Turkey, Iran and parts of Syria
and Armenia (see map above). None of these countries are remotely
inclined to provide an independent homeland for the Kurds. In fact,
in Turkey and Iran, they are not officially referred to as Kurds,
but as either Turkish or Persian "highlanders."
Of the estimated (no one knows for sure and it is doubtful that any
of the host countries are going to conduct a true count) 20 million
Kurds that live in this region, well over half live in Turkey. Kurds in
Turkey claim that their numbers are much greater, comprising between
10 and as much as over 20 percent of the total population of the
country. Again, reliable numbers are not available.
Since as early as 1920 (shortly after the Armenian genocide of
1915-1917), the Turks have attempted to assimilate the Kurds into
Turkish culture and society - the recent programs have been called
"Turkification" of the Kurds. This effort is reminiscent of the
"Arabization" (ta'rib) program attempted by Saddam Husayn in Iraq in
the 1980's and 1990's. Hundreds of thousands of Kurds have died in
the two countries as a result of these programs.
Now we are treated to a lecture by the likes of the Turkish prime
minister, with questionable rhetoric like, "Gaza is a historical
cause for us," (why?) and "we object to those who force the people
of Gaza to live in an open-air prison...we will stand firm until the
blockade on Gaza is lifted, the massacres cease and the state terror
in the Middle East is accounted for."
Perhaps we should revisit the Turkish activities against the Armenians
and Kurds over the last almost 100 years. Then we can talk about
open-air prisons, massacres and state terror - and especially
about accountability for past actions. The Turks still refuse to
accept responsibility for the Armenian genocide. While we're at it,
we could also advise the Turks that if they are serious about some
sort of alliance with Iran and Syria, we might support the idea of
an independent Kurdish homeland.
Mr. Erdogan, before you start accusing Israel of heinous activities,
you might want to refresh your recollections of Turkish history. The
reflections in that mirror are pretty ugly.
Lt Col Rick Francona (U.S. Air Force--Retired) enlisted in the
Air Force in 1970, and served as a Vietnamese linguist until 1973,
conducting aerial reconnaissance missions over Vietnam and Laos.
After Arabic language training, he served at a variety of locations
in the Middle East from 1975 to 1977, and supported the evacuation
of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon in 1976. In 1978, he became
an Arabic language instructor at the Defense Language Institute in
Monterey, California.
Today Francona is a retired Air Force intelligence officer and Middle
East specialist. In addition to his role as the lead U.S. military
interpreter during the Gulf War and a principal author of the report
to Congress on the conflict, he served throughout the Middle East with
the Defense Department and national intelligence agencies. Francona
is also the author of Ally to Adversary: An Eyewitness Account of
Iraq's Fall from Grace. From 2003 to 2008, he was a media analyst
on Middle East political-military events for NBC News, and appeared
regularly on NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, MSNBC, CNBC, Hardball,
Countdown, and others.
His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal,
the Bronze Star, and nine Air Medals, as well as campaign awards for
service in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and the Balkans. The colonel
was awarded the Central Intelligence Agency Seal Medallion for his
service with that agency. In 2006, Lt Col Francona was inducted into
the Defense Language Institute Hall of Fame. You'll find Lt. Col
Francona online at http://francona.blogspot.com/
From: A. Papazian