to invading Iraq for the exact same reason. I think the Turks are the reason we never supported an independent Kurdish state in Iraq even though it was obvious they were the most pro US group in the country and they would be shafted by the shiite regime in baghdad.
Turkey views the Kurds as a bigger threat than ISIS...
And the one thing that really struck me was the vitriol the people there had for Syrians.
I was there for a few days last summer as well. Yeah they made that pretty obvious. That and it was odd to be in such an anti-Israel country. The graffiti made that obvious as well.
they all hate/distrust each other. Countries, tribes, sects,....then there are all of the outside countries with interests, the US, Russia, China etc. It's hard to imagine it ever getting better.
it will be interesting to watch whether there is any change in the ability of ISIS recruits to pass through the Turkish - Syrian border to join to group. I believe it's a pretty damn porous border currently.
And many Sunni states view Tehran's tentacles more warily than they view ISIS.
It's a fucked up situation and the vast majority of Americans, and a substantial percentage of American policymakers, don't begin to understand it.
I was there for a few days last summer as well. Yeah they made that pretty obvious. That and it was odd to be in such an anti-Israel country. The graffiti made that obvious as well.
Oh and the city smelled....bad.