Turkish incursion threatens only part of Iraq still at peace

clipped from news.independent.co.uk

Turkey is threatening to send its troops into northern Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish guerrillas in a move likely to destabilise the one part of Iraq which is at peace.

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will ask parliament next week to authorise a military incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan after attacks by Turkish Kurds killed more than 10 Turkish troops last Sunday. Threatening a push into Iraq would also underline Turkish anger at the US Congressional vote describing the Ottoman Turk killing of Armenians in 1915 as genocide.

A statement from Mr Erdogan's office said: "The order has been given for every kind of measure to be taken [against the PKK] including, if needed, by a cross-border operation."

Given the rebels' knowledge of the terrain and the lack of roads, the PKK could disappear very easily. The Turks would probably use helicopter-born troops to try to surprise them.

(h/t to Prof. Cole who has an excellent analysis of teh situation up on his blog. Just click on the link)

Internet Censorship in Turkey

From our clipmark friend and fellow blogger Invictus (at Omega Blog):

When I tried to post a new entry to my blog a few minutes ago, I came across this page. It says: “Access to this site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/195 of T.C. Fatih 2.Civil Court of First Instance.”

At first, I thought it was my blog but after trying to access Wordpress.com’s main page, I noticed the entire Wordpress.com domain was blocked by the authorities.

Another ridiculous example of censorship on the Internet content, in Turkey. There are hundred thousands of blogs on Wordpress.com and none can be accessed from Turkey now.

This decision of the court is a shame for a country which claims to respect free speech. I protest this unfair blockage on Wordpress and call all the Turkish bloggers to support free speech and to condemn censorship.

Indeed it is a shame. Turkey has briefly joined the ranks of countries like Iran and China that block Internet content in order to control/stifle internal debate. But according to Invictus, bloggers in Turkey are not taking this order lightly and will fight it. Good luck!

UPDATE: Other blogs (like our blogmigo RickB at Ten Percent) are picking up the story and the Clipmarks community is lining up (mostly) behind Invictus and his fellow bloggers.

Why?

"America must remain the world's military superpower..."

GOP Candidate Mitt Romney

But why?

Does the world still needs superpowers? Did it ever?



Is it because of the Soviet threat? I guess not, the Soviet Union is gone and Russia is more concerned with border wars and NATO expansion than kick starting another Cold War.

China? Maybe, except that Chinese do not have a long reach beyond their borders and there are signs that its explosive economic growth is not all that its cracked up to be. The Chinese are more worried about Taiwan than the U.S. More worried about internal dissent than invasion. And besides it is the U.S. biggest trading partner.

India? The European Union? Venezuela? Osama Bin Laden?

How about none of the above?

The reality is that this spot is for those who cling tenaciously to the idea of Pax Americana. People that fear the loss of Empire (and the privileges that come with it) above all else. Its a nod to the industrial-military complex and its neocon adherents telling them that nothing will change inside a Romney administration. It is a macho reflex to sooth the weak egos of those who cheered when their candidates propose more prisons, more torture and more Empire.

The time of the American Empire is over, and nothing that Romney or his ilk promise will change that.