More U.S. Troops Possible As Turkey Balks

[papau]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3348847,00.html

More U.S. Troops Possible As Turkey Balks Tuesday November 4, 2003 9:46 PM By MATT KELLEY Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a major setback to U.S. efforts to attract military help in Iraq, a Turkish official said Tuesday his country won't send peacekeeping troops without a significant change in the situation there. That makes it virtually certain the United States will have to send thousands more U.S. reservists early next year. No additional countries have contributed forces in Iraq since the United Nations Security Council approved a new resolution last month.<snip>

... about 15,000 Army National Guard troops have been mobilized for possible service in Iraq beginning early next year, to replace weary active-duty troops who have been there nearly a year. The newly mobilized troops are members of National Guard brigades from Arkansas, North Carolina and Washington state who are intended to combine with fresh active-duty troops. In addition, the Pentagon might need to call up even more reservists in support units if Turkey or other countries don't end up sending troops, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers said recently. U.S. officials have ruled out the idea of increasing overall U.S. troop numbers in Iraq, instead saying they will speed up the process of getting trained Iraqi security forces into the streets to deal with an increasingly sophisticated and deadly insurgency.<snip>

L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. diplomat who heads the American authority in Iraq, said Saturday that the issue of Turkish peacekeepers was between Turkey and the Iraqi governing council. Turkey doesn't see it that way, Logolu said. ``For whatever reason, this (Bush) administration saw fit not to put too much counterweight on the Iraqi Governing Council,'' Logolu said. ``If the U.S. perception of the need for Turkish troops in Iraq changes, then perhaps that could change.''

[Beetwasher]

1. Take the Money and Run

Those Bush's get played by EVERYONE...

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. It is getting VERY DRAFTY in here

I mean it, the staffing crisis gets closer and closer

Bush will soon have the choice of Cut and Run (not good for mamy
reasons, chiefly how more instablity it will bring yes I said that
that is why this mess has to be internationalized)

the draft... we do not have enough personnel to do this.

By the way, for the record I do not favor a draft, never have,
never will, but married to a military man I know the US Armed Forces
are beyond over extended (and abused)

[jmcgowanjm]

9. US troop deployment can last until March 04'

We can't afford troops overseas now, much less sending more.

BTW-Reported by eyewitnesses in US bases in
Fairford and Welford UK dramatic increase in overflights
of US planes.

And this: We're threatening Russia
because it won't sell majority stake in
Hydrocarbon industry.

We just gave Israel $2B more in War Help.

PeakOil is Here and the jockeying has begun.
Batten down the hatches.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2003/11/04/006.html

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1066565630866&p=1012571727102

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/05/international/europe/05YUKO.html?hp

http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=262707&lang=e&dir=news

http://slate.msn.com/id/2090585/

[Screaming Lord Byron]

3. There are no troops available.

Hmmm. Now what could that mean?

[psychopomp]

4. Dumbya's last chance

This is strange: why wouldn't Cheney make sure there was enough pressure on the INC to allow Turkeys' troops over the border? Everybody knows that if the U.S. does not get more foreign troops on the ground we can expect the support for this war at home and abroad to continue to slip.

[jmcgowanjm]

8. All goes back to OttomanEmpire

Iraq was once a colony of Turkey
Also the Turks have always wanted to deploy
on their border-read stop the Kurds.
The Kurds are The one ally the US has.
And we have screwed them so many
times before that the Kurdish Region would
be anarchy at best.

The US wanted to station Turks in Fallujah,
Beiji, Haldiyah, places like that, away from
Kurds. Turks would get transfer tubes home
w/ no immediate results
and 95%+ of Turks disagree w/ US invasion
anyway

[psychopomp]

10. iC

I understand now from what you wrote that the large proportion of Kurds on the IRC would be an obsticle to getting the IRC as a whole to support the presence of Turkish soldiers in Iraq.

I recall that public support for the invasion was practically nil.

[JeebusH]

5. so much for that UN resolution ....

[cliss]

6. You have to wonder.....

what are these policymakers thinking?

I'm dumbfounded by the amateurishness of these Keystones. Considering that these people had months to prepare for this unauthorized war, I would have expected them to be more prepared for contingencies. Instead, I read that there were NO post-war plans for Iraq. This shows.

They had the goofy idea for a while to recruit Hindu troops, because tanned troops were seen as less obnoxious than US ones. Never mind the fact that hindus and muslims have been at loggerheads for centuries. That fell by the wayside. They tried with Turkey earlier, and they declined at that time. I believe Japan raised its hand to volunteer, what ever happened to that plan?

So here we are, full circle. We're back, knocking at Turkey's front door. Let's hope they have enough sense to say no.

[Hand]

7. Japan??? Never happen!

For any number of reasons... First, the Japanese are (wisely) deeply averse to getting their people killed in any situation, let alone this one. Second, the Japanese are largely Buddhist--no more popular among Moslems than Hindus are. And third, there's a pretty damned effective left-wing/pacifist resistance is Japan that knows how to raise hell with extraordinary efficiency.

Hmm, I said pacifist... well, sort of. They can throw riots like you've never seen. Protecttice gear as good as any riot police, sticks, bottles, Molotov cocktails, you name it, they've got it. No Japanese government would last long if they pissed these folks off.

[saigon68]

11. They know Molotov cocktails

I am fascinated by watching a Japanese riot. There are no pantywaists there. They kick ass. The Chimp would need an ARMY if confronted by those people.

[northernsoul]

12. hmm, can we try to get B*sh to Tokyo sometime soon?

Japanese Reds take no shit