April 25, 2005

LET'S KISS AND MAKE UP:

Turkeys OKs U.S. Request on Air Base Use (SELCAN HACAOGLU, 4/25/05, Associated Press)

After months of delay, Turkey's Cabinet on Monday approved a long-standing U.S. request to have increased access to a strategic air base for flying into Iraq and Afghanistan.

The decision was another step toward improving relations with Washington that were strained when Turkey refused to allow U.S. troops to stage an invasion of Iraq from Turkish territory in March 2003.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 25, 2005 4:44 PM
Comments

Is Turkey part of the Anglosphere? They weren't part of the British Empire, but (just like with the US today) they were on again-off again allies and they are a democracy - sort of. They seem to share Saddam's love of killing Kurds in creative ways, though.

Posted by: Governor Breck at April 25, 2005 5:04 PM

Not the Anglosphere, but the Axis of Good. In a pinch their sense of racial superiority could be used to good effect.

Posted by: oj at April 25, 2005 5:09 PM

Problem with Turkey is it has been an on again, off again ally in modern times and does what's in it's immediate interests always.

Was aligned with the Central Powers (our enemy) in WW1, neutral (but made a fortune trading for looted Gold with Hitler) in WW2 until jumping to the winning side near the end of WW2 made more long-term sense.

Very useful for us during the Cold War, but more out of the fact that the Turks despise the Russians.

Turkey simply cannot be counted on long-term, especially since many of their interests and enemies are opposite ours.

Posted by: capt mike at April 25, 2005 5:24 PM

Sorry, I can't forgive them for many of our KIA at the hands of the Sunni bastards ... and it continues. They're not our friends, just partners of convenience. We tend to forget too easily.

Posted by: Genecis at April 25, 2005 6:30 PM

Genecis:

Their national interests supercede ours, just as ours do theirs.

Posted by: oj at April 25, 2005 6:40 PM

Same impeccable logic applies to individuals, oj. There is no self-less altruism.

Posted by: ghostcat at April 25, 2005 7:13 PM

Tell Joe Delaney.

Posted by: oj at April 25, 2005 7:18 PM

Self-risking, I'll grant you. Even A-Rod does that, apparently. Nations do that, too.

Knowingly self-sacrificing? Perhaps. Self-less? All motivation resides within.

Posted by: ghostcat at April 26, 2005 2:22 AM

Abe Zelmanowicz

Posted by: oj at April 26, 2005 7:26 AM

A brave and wonderful mensch, but all motivation resides within the self.

Posted by: ghostcat at April 26, 2005 2:22 PM

A classic Darwinian error.

Posted by: oj at April 26, 2005 2:34 PM

I didn't offer a view on how it got there. Or whether it's innate. But that's where it is.

Posted by: ghostcat at April 26, 2005 4:57 PM

Sure, except that it's not. That's just a philosophy (or religion, since it's completely determinist). But you're entitled to one.

Posted by: oj at April 26, 2005 5:15 PM

It's the absolute empirically-verified truth. No faith involved in any way, shape or form. (Just kidding!)

Another thing: heroism can actually be vainglorious, if the probability of success is low and the opportunity costs are high.

Posted by: ghostcat at April 26, 2005 6:19 PM

Keep working the beads.

Posted by: oj at April 26, 2005 9:33 PM

My old rosary?

Posted by: ghostcat at April 26, 2005 10:03 PM
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