The Water Cooler

"Was there a deal between Turkey and America?"  This was the opening sentence of an article that appeared yesterday in The Economist.

Despite weeks of news reports about Ms. Rice's unabating pleas toward the Turkish administration to exercise restraint, there seems to be plenty of evidence to show that the U.S. did in fact broker a deal that supported Turkey's air raids on northern Iraq in the last couple of days.

You see, Kurdish northern Iraq has been a relative success story shining through all the blemishes underpinning the U.S. effort in Iraq.  The Kurds, of course, having for years borne the brunt of Saddam's wrath, are mare accepting of U.S. presence on their soil. 

But the relatively positive perception and support the U.S. enjoys amongst the Kurdish population in northern Iraq is not unconditional -- it has increasing potential to backfire if the U.S. doesn't play its cards right.  Part of this, I suspect, involves the U.S. allowing the Kurds to taste the liberty of democracy, and to grow so addicted to it that they'll never turn back.  Too much of the U.S. calling the shots in northern Iraq could undermine this effort, as could the instability the PKK might cause if not properly contained. 

Solution?  Get Turkey to take care of it: Provide the intelligence the Turkish administration needs be successful in its raids, helping it attain domestic hero status through their retaliation against the brutes who killed Turkish nationals, and in return have Turkey promise recognition of Kurdish independence.  Brilliant!