Turkish Parliament Authorizes Iraq Incursion
Blackwater Leaving Iraq
The Turkish parliament authorized a Turkish incursion into Iraq in pursuit of guerrillas of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).
Syria threw its support behind Turkey on this issue. Syria has 2 million Kurds of its own, in a population of 19 million [plus 1.4 million Iraqi refugees]. Bashar al-Asad fears Kurdish nationalism as a threat to Syrian national unity just as does Turkey. Moreover, Syria is increasingly isolated, and probably welcomes an opportunity to improve relations with Ankara. (Ironically, in the 1990s Syria gave surreptitious support to the Kurds).
It is looking as though the Blackwater security firm will leave Iraq when its current contract is up, and will not put in a bid for a continuation of its role in guarding the State Department. The
A UN study finds a growing cadre in the world of mercenary armies, a practice that is forbidden in 30 countries worldwide. The The Iraqi government is determined to put the security guards in that country under Iraqi law, even if that move drives them out.
Barnett Rubin broaches the subject of the private security contractors in Afghanistan, at a time when the focus is solely on their activities in Iraq.
Iraq will award Iran and China a $1.1 bn. contract to build two enormous electricity generating plants, says the NYT. The US military is said to be worried that the Iranians will put intelligence agents in Iraq as part of this project. I fear I think the real worry is that Iran will get credit for building the electricity plants, something the US was apparently too weak or inefficient to pull off.
Labels: Iraq
posted by Juan Cole @ 10/18/2007 12:25:00 AM
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8 Comments:
Syria throwing it's support behind Turkey isn't suprising- since Turkey scared them into kicking out the PKK, who they had previously allowed sanctuary, in 1998 the Assads have maintained a pro-Turkey anti-Kurdish separatist line. What's suprising is that Iran has been quite on all this. It seems a lovely opportunity for them to take advantage of the continued US opposition to an incursion, even by offering cooperate militarily with Turkey and take out their own homegrown PJAK Kurdish insurgents along the way. Though Iran is relatively close to the Iraqi Kurds, they've shown their willingness to damage relations in pursuit of PJAK before, as in their unapologetic shelling of the Iraqi side of the border. A (very rough) alignment of Iran, Turkey and Syria on one side and the Kurds and Iran on the other is the best situation Iran could dream of.
RE: "the real worry is that Iran will get credit for building the electricity plants, something the US was apparently too weak or inefficient to pull off."
I wonder if, under the Bush war administration, there was so much money available to steal that it was pointless to EARN it by building something.
"....(Ironically, in the 1990s Syria gave surreptitious support to the Kurds)......."
My memory failing, but I think the PKK were based in Damascus and numbered about 5000-30,000, Turkey massed troupes on Syria's boarder threatening to invade, unless the PKK leader were expelled from Syria. They put him on a plane to Russia they flew him to some African country which handed him over to Turkey. He is in Jail on an Island. Is my memory correct or had this group confused with others.
Maybe getting rid of the mercenaries will be an issue they can unify around and start to make progress in parliment!
Of course, doing so would give the mercenary armies incentive to sow violence. The more dangerous things become, the less likely they'll be forced to leave, since they'll be needed to protect the politicians.
Would mercenaries kill innocent Iraqis to protect their lucrative billion dollar contracts?
Do we even need to answer that question?
ref : “Iraq will award Iran and China a $1.1 bn. contract to build two enormous electricity generating plants... I think the real worry is that Iran [and China] will get credit for building [successful infrastructure in IRAQ,] something the US was apparently too weak or inefficient [or corrupt] to pull off”
indeed so! Politicians may bluster about "America's armed forces appearing weak" [in the eyes of their enemies, they say ~ when what they really fear is that judgement day of their own electorate] "if we lose IRAQ," but historians are more likely to be fascinated not by the men and women of America's military, who have throughout this miserable adventure remained remarkably steadfast, despite the now dawning horrific realization that they are expendable ~ but by the failure apparent of American enterprise : those American men and women who have herein revealed themselves to be no longer capable of 'producing things' themselves, a now wholly evolved 'consumer culture' ~ without sub-contracting outside their own poorly prepared, often ethically unfit, and i daresay all too easily mis-led by baseless fear populace for the necessary savoir faire to build their own nation, much less, one they aspire to occupy.
I think you mean the company formly know as Blackwater leaves, but all the players stay under a new shell company.
jo6pac
ref : “Iraq will award Iran and China a $1.1 bn. contract to build two enormous electricity generating plants... "
As I understand it the CPA or USAID set the contract for the power plant in Baghdad which the stipulated to be fueled by natural gas. Bechtel dutifully built the plant as stipulated.....unfortunately there are no natural gas lines in Baghdad. When the Iraqis took possession of the plant and used the fuel oil that they had been using, the turbines failed a short time later. They then cannabilized the parts from one turbine for the second which was also slowly failing...until both were broken.
This is why there is hardly any electricity in Baghdad and a good reason for why the Iraqi government is looking to other sources.
Syrian Nationalist Party:
"My memory failing, but I think the PKK were based in Damascus and numbered about 5000-30,000, Turkey massed troupes on Syria's boarder threatening to invade, unless the PKK leader were expelled from Syria. They put him on a plane to Russia they flew him to some African country which handed him over to Turkey. He is in Jail on an Island. Is my memory correct or had this group confused with others."
The information you gave is completely correct. Nevertheless imperfect. To complete it shortly I will add; That bastard visited some European countries such as Italy and Greece. Finally captured in the Greek embassy in Kenya and brought back to his homecountry.
Murat
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