Comments on: Can Turkey Pick Things Up? http://registan.net/index.php/2007/05/04/can-turkey-pick-things-up/ Central Asia News -- All Central Asia, All The Time Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:53:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joel http://registan.net/index.php/2007/05/04/can-turkey-pick-things-up/comment-page-1/#comment-374492 Joel Sun, 06 May 2007 04:29:41 +0000 http://www.registan.net/index.php/2007/05/04/can-turkey-pick-things-up/#comment-374492 Aren't most members of the Turkish military imbued with the Kemalist doctrine of secularism, and decidedly hostile to Islamism and even headscarfs, not to mention burkas? Are they not also the most nationalistic members of NATO? Why are Turks assumed to have some particular advantage among Afghans? Just because Turkey is the only majority-Muslim state in NATO? I doubt that will cut much ice with the Shiite Hazaras, either. Aren’t most members of the Turkish military imbued with the Kemalist doctrine of secularism, and decidedly hostile to Islamism and even headscarfs, not to mention burkas? Are they not also the most nationalistic members of NATO? Why are Turks assumed to have some particular advantage among Afghans? Just because Turkey is the only majority-Muslim state in NATO? I doubt that will cut much ice with the Shiite Hazaras, either.

]]> By: Diane Kelly http://registan.net/index.php/2007/05/04/can-turkey-pick-things-up/comment-page-1/#comment-374488 Diane Kelly Sat, 05 May 2007 20:54:34 +0000 http://www.registan.net/index.php/2007/05/04/can-turkey-pick-things-up/#comment-374488 Turkey is the SOLE Muslim nation to spend the last three generations attempting to come to grips with democracy and Mr. Foust also fails to note that they've been engaged in Afghanistan since the 1920s. Re spring offensive, just take a look at the rising ISAF causalities (including a Dane last week.) If the author is guilty of “laziness” then Mr. Foust doesn’t understand military operations and seems to feel that if the Taliban don't do a "surge", then they're not on the move. Turkey is the SOLE Muslim nation to spend the last three generations attempting to come to grips with democracy and Mr. Foust also fails to note that they’ve been engaged in Afghanistan since the 1920s. Re spring offensive, just take a look at the rising ISAF causalities (including a Dane last week.) If the author is guilty of “laziness” then Mr. Foust doesn’t understand military operations and seems to feel that if the Taliban don’t do a “surge”, then they’re not on the move.

]]> By: Afghanistanica http://registan.net/index.php/2007/05/04/can-turkey-pick-things-up/comment-page-1/#comment-374473 Afghanistanica Fri, 04 May 2007 16:26:05 +0000 http://www.registan.net/index.php/2007/05/04/can-turkey-pick-things-up/#comment-374473 I agree that the potential of Turkey in Afghanistan is over-stated. And the comparison to Central Asia is right-on. There was much optimism in the early 1990s that Turkey could be the anti-Russian model for Central Asia. This lasted until it was clear that Turkey was a far away country with little aid to supply. And the pan-Turkic crazies in Turkish parliament at the time caused much in the way of Central Asian eye-rolling. For Afghanistan, Turkey can't offer much foreign aid and it sure can't deliver stability, what with all its troops deployed to the Iraqi border. But if they hang out in Kabul and sip chai while offering up culturally appropriate greetings then you can be assured that someone will see them as some sort of solution to various problems. PS: Turkey is also known as a long-time supporter of Dostum. Every single person in Afghanistan likes him, right? I agree that the potential of Turkey in Afghanistan is over-stated. And the comparison to Central Asia is right-on. There was much optimism in the early 1990s that Turkey could be the anti-Russian model for Central Asia. This lasted until it was clear that Turkey was a far away country with little aid to supply. And the pan-Turkic crazies in Turkish parliament at the time caused much in the way of Central Asian eye-rolling.

For Afghanistan, Turkey can’t offer much foreign aid and it sure can’t deliver stability, what with all its troops deployed to the Iraqi border. But if they hang out in Kabul and sip chai while offering up culturally appropriate greetings then you can be assured that someone will see them as some sort of solution to various problems.

PS: Turkey is also known as a long-time supporter of Dostum. Every single person in Afghanistan likes him, right?

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