David's Daily Diversions

Turks and Kurds

The Turks don't like the Kurds. Everyone knows that. They constantly persecute Kurds in Turkey. And thinking back of the Armenians, we know what the Turks do to folks they don't like.

But it one thing to persecute an ethnic group in your own country. This sort of thing happens every day, all over the world. The Turks have taken is one step further. They don't just hate Kurds in Turkey, they hate them in other countries as well. On an official level.

The Foreign Ministry in Ankara has been warning Iraqi Kurds from moving to Kirkuk. Now they are really upset because the Kurds did so well in the Iraqi elections. Well enough that combined with Kirkuk's oil income, there could eventually be a viable Kurdish state carved out of Iraq.

I have no doubt that if an independent Kurdistan were created, the Turks would invade it. They would do it to prevent the Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey from having further inspiration or a neighbouring ally.

The Turks never think that maybe if they just treated folks a little better, they wouldn't have these problems.