Iraq
(WaPo) Sunni forces losing patience with US. (Nothing revelatory, but it does collect the growing frustrations of the US sponsored Sunni militias.)
(AP) Robert Gates tells Turkey that it "should end its offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq as soon as possible...."
(AFP) "Turkey said Thursday its offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq will continue "as long as necessary," rejecting pressure.... from US Defence Secretary Robert Gates."
(AP) "Iraq's presidential council rejected a measure Wednesday setting up provincial elections, sending it back to parliament in the latest setback to U.S.-backed national reconciliation efforts."
(LATimes) "Lawmakers in northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region authorized their military Tuesday to intervene if Turkish forces pursuing anti-government rebels bring their battle into civilian areas."
(CSM) "The Defense Department says it needs more troops to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. But an Army general warns that troops already in the fight are under too much strain."
One of the biggest mistakes we make in both policy and arguments over Iraq is the presumption that the US is the primary driver of events. "We should so this... We should do that...." assumes a level of control over events that the US no longer has.
(AP) Robert Gates tells Turkey that it "should end its offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq as soon as possible...."
(AFP) "Turkey said Thursday its offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq will continue "as long as necessary," rejecting pressure.... from US Defence Secretary Robert Gates."
(AP) "Iraq's presidential council rejected a measure Wednesday setting up provincial elections, sending it back to parliament in the latest setback to U.S.-backed national reconciliation efforts."
(LATimes) "Lawmakers in northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region authorized their military Tuesday to intervene if Turkish forces pursuing anti-government rebels bring their battle into civilian areas."
(CSM) "The Defense Department says it needs more troops to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. But an Army general warns that troops already in the fight are under too much strain."
One of the biggest mistakes we make in both policy and arguments over Iraq is the presumption that the US is the primary driver of events. "We should so this... We should do that...." assumes a level of control over events that the US no longer has.
posted by mikevotes at
7:50 AM
2 Comments:
Before the debacle in the ME began I remember the schizoid news reporting on NPR when the talking head would talk about the northern no-fly zone 'protecting' the Kurds and not 1 minute later a report on Turkey bombing Turkish Kurds. With not one hint of 'irony' in the voice of the mouthpiece.
I think Gates is just giving lip-service to the 'Kurdish Question'.
By
matt, at 1:53 PM
He is. The US is clearly supporting the Turkish move with intelligence even now.
By
mikevotes, at 2:40 PM
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