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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dayuhan who wrote (34251)	7/13/2002 11:23:22 AM
From: BigBull	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Those mountains empty into plains. A nice chunk of those plains are in Kurd territory and definitely within the northern no fly zone. If memory serves me there is an ancient battlefield between Irbil (Arbela) and Mosul where a huge set piece battle was fought that decided the fate of the Persian empire. I mention Gaugemela not to evoke the ghost of Alexander, but to call attention to the terrain. If bases can be established under the protection of the Kurds and the no fly zone then the mountains could be skirted. How to skirt them? C-17's. Those are remarkable cargo planes that can carry a lot of armor and land in an incredibly small area.I have also read that other airbases are now being prepared in Turkish territory so that we won't only have Incirlik. I have also read that Saddam is massing some armor south of Irbil. If Saddam moves armor or anything more than commandos into the Kurd territory. Bam! Casus belli. The whole USAF in the near east could be brought to bear against them while armor could be streamed in on C-17's. This doesn't even account for the possibility of Apaches swarming all over Iraqi troops in the plains area. If he sends "Chemical" Ali up there he's dead, dead, dead. The Kirkuk oil fields are within easy striking distance. What's in it for the Turks? Oil transport revenues (Iraqi oil production could be ramped to 6 mbbls a day). Construction contracts for the building of a vast network of new pipelines. Debt relief. Did I mention debt relief? :o} Contracts to rebuild Iraq. Trade with a revitalised Iraq. I could probably think of a few more but what the hell, I've been up all night and am getting a bit dozey. There's much more to say and I surely will be picking this discussion up soon to answer the rest of your excellent points. Thanks for making them. Bull

To: Dayuhan who wrote (34251)	7/13/2002 12:02:07 PM
From: BigBull	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Chaulk one up for the "What's in it for the Turks" file. U.S., Turkish Officials Brief on Joint Strike Fighter Pact usinfo.state.gov Turkey's SDD participation will allow their air force to take full advantage of the Joint Strike Fighter opportunities and advanced technology, logistics and training. In addition, Turkish industry will be engaged over the life of the program in various endeavors that will afford a broad range of industrial relationships with the U.S. and other global partners. We anticipate that these relationships will continue into cooperative production. Our significant political and military relationships with Turkey over many years has given the United States added protection in the current war on terrorism. Turkey, like the U.S., has experienced the horrors of terrorist acts and knows as we do that we must continue and combat the menace at every opportunity. Turkey and our other JSF SDD partners have joined forces with us to bring 21st Century technology into their forces and industries in the coming years. Our collective vision and common efforts will keep this program lethal, survivable, supportable, and most importantly affordable.