Hmm does anyone else think that this sounds like extortion? $30 billion is an awful lot of money to ask for.

I'm not even sure how much trade is going on right now between Iraq and Turkey but I don't think it's very much. So a war in Iraq isn't going to damage their economy any further that it is already.

Considering if or when the Iraq crisis is resolved and there are no longer any UN sanctions, Turkey should get a lot of business which should boost their economy again.

[ 02-21-2003, 04:23 PM: Message edited by: Wutang ]

This does sound like extortion. :eek:

Turkey does have some legitimate claims though. Their economy suffered after the Gulf War, so they have to consider that when deciding how to be involved this time. Unfortunately, deciding that the original $20+ billion isn't enough and insisting on more seems wrong.

Former Senator Bob Dole made a good point on Hardball the other night. Every day that goes by weakens the US position, by allowing some of the coalition of the willing to start digging for cash. Some monetary consideration is in order, but the phrase "the best friends money can buy" is becoming more true all the time.

And don't think that's all to it. The Turks have probably another point on the agenda. We all talk about how Sadam treated the Kurds but Turkey hasn't been good hosts to them either. Turkey has a claim in northren Iraq and in my view, they don't want to have to many people looking over their shoulders.

Another thing is that Turkey being a neighbour of Iraq can expect a lot of refugees if the war lasts for more then a week. So the aid should also be for that, i think.

The 30 billion $ isn't all going to be a 'gift' - a large proporsion (IIRC 20 billion $) is in the form of loan-guaraties.

Also Turkey wants guaranties that USA wont support an independent Kudish state in Northern Iraq.

- and Turkey wants both in writing [img]graemlins/deal.gif[/img]

The 30 billion dollars isn't just for compensating the trades going on between Iraq and Turkey... Participating in any of this could worsen Turkey's general trading position in the Middle-East, like happened before after the Gulf War; they actually *did* lose tens of billions of dollars after that particular war. Please realize we shouldn't take the Turkey-Iraq relations exclusively into consideration, there's much more to that sum of money than just that.
As for the rest, the matter with the Kurds is also still an issue of importance, like JR and Ar-Cunin already adressed... Turkey is afraid that a war against Iraq will only incite the now more-or-less-"dormant" (or at least not as active as always) Kurds to start new actions in order to create a state of their own.

OT, Groj that is the best sig I've seen yet...lol. [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

I believe the US position is that they won't support a separate independent Kurd nation.

Anyways, it just seems a pretty high cost to pay for the use of some bases.

again once I see the iraq situation stabilize and the oil flows freely, Turkey will be in for a big share.

If you look at it from all sides 30 Billion Dollers is chicken feed compaired to what that country has gone through since the Gulf war and if they will allow us to put a full blown Military Base in their country intill Hell freezes over just for the purpose of keeping anyone like Saddam from ever taking up shop in the Middle East again then start stacking the bills on the table,they are welcome to it! It's my Tax money and it's going to people that really need it.

[ 02-22-2003, 07:14 PM: Message edited by: TheCrimsomBlade ]

The only problem with paying for allies is that we're paying for allies. Nations should contribute because they agree with the cause not because they're looking for an influx of cash.

As my earlier post suggested, I have no problem with helping the Turks, but if this becomes a "how much do you think we can get" issue, we're dealing with an entirely different issue. As much as others would like to say this is about oil, the US isn't going to end this situation with control of Iraq's oil and wealth, but unless something changes soon we will end up footing the bill. The money has to come from somewhere, and we can't afford to pay everyone to do the right thing. ;)

We asked for it. More foolish American foriegn policy and the taxpayers are stuck with an ever increasing and yet to be disclosed war budjet.

I hear in the news that local first responders like firefighters and police are being laid off in communities across America and hiring freezes are in effect while we are planning to pay off Turkey for a war we are starting that only makes the debt grow huger and nothing Bush or Powell have said or shown justifies it. Many of those communities were promised federal funds by the great new Bureaucracy of homeland defense and have yet to see a dime.

It almost makes me wonder if Turkey's, Kuwait's and Isreal's security is more important to my goverment than my own. We will see what the people think in 2004, that is if anyone can untangle the web of paranoid militarism and disregard for common sense and diplomatic compromise. It won't be coming from Bush.