A warning from Ahmet Türk: Psychological damage assessment

Kurdish leader Ahmet Türk fears an emotional break, a disengagement of the Kurdish youth. He issued a strong warning the other day: “It was a time when certain things were going on track. But then this Kobane issue emerged. If the end of hope is added to emotional disengagement, then it will be a very serious situation. This has to be realized. We are doing whatever we can, but how effective can we be in this environment?”

Currently serving as Mardin’s co-mayor, Ahmet Türk is a politician with a high degree of common sense. For this reason, his warning is important. It is important because in the past there were clashes between groups and the security forces, but now there are people taking to the streets with hatred of each other.

We should keep this matter away from emotional explosions.

Türk gave an example of how one loses their feeling of belonging: “Thousands of people have emigrated to Mardin from Syria as refugees. But all of them are being taken care of by the local municipality. The central state has not contributed one cent.”

If this is indeed the situation, the governor of Mardin has to give an explanation. What Ahmet Türk told me amounted to a total “psychological damage assessment.”

Peshmarga training

It was written that during the first Gulf War around 10,000 peshmarga fighters were taken to a base to be given military training. Later, that training was provided openly.

Twenty-five years have passed since.

This time, Germany has announced that it will give arms and military training to the peshmarga to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL). Just the other day the United Kingdom also said it would give military training to the peshmarga. There lies a historic lesson here.

If there has been no “democracy training” in the region for 25 years, the problem comes down to others providing “military training.”

It is obvious that the U.S. and other Western powers are looking for a “local military power” which they can use in “critical situations” in this region.

The peshmarga undertook this role during the Gulf War. This time, they want to mobilize the Kurdish forces without involving their own troops to fight the savage ISIL.

I am not criticizing the West. On the contrary, I am trying to explain the reality that if you don’t give your own children scientific education, then others will come along and give them military training.  
This is the situation of Iraq and Syria. Lessons can be drawn here on the bloodshed that has been ongoing in our lands for 30 years.

Democracy is about training, an education. Democracy is a culture. If you cannot provide your children with that training, then others will give military training.

How strong is Turkey against NATO?

Everybody knows now that air strikes will not finish off ISIL. There needs to be a ground operation.
Ankara is resisting the pressure, saying it will not act alone and there must be a joint plan. However, the atrocities in Kobane are ongoing.

How strong is Turkey’s hand against NATO? How much pressure can Turkey exert upon NATO over these incidents that are happening right on the Turkish border? Remember, Turkey has joined several joint NATO operations, from Afghanistan to Somali.

According to information coming from Ankara, we will hear a “voice” soon.