(New York Times) Nicholas D. Kristof - The nightmare is that the Turks, Kurds, Iraqis, and Americans will all end up fighting over the oil fields of Kirkuk or Mosul. The Americans plan to get there first to seize the oil fields and avert a broader conflict. Turkey is terrified that Iraqi Kurds will emerge from a war with access to oil to finance a viable Kurdistan. Frankly, it's just as well the Turks turned us down. That vote consolidated Turkish democracy, which we need to encourage as a model for the Islamic world. And as part of the deal, we would have escorted the Turkish foxes into the Kurdish henhouse.
2003-03-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive