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I’ve spent a lot of time in Turkey. In fact, I’ve spent more time in Turkey than in any other country in the Middle East, outside of Israel.

I do not like Turkey.

True, they are people like anyone else, and yes they’ve made herculean efforts to westernize. They’ve lobbied to join the EU. They institutionalized the separation between mosque and state. They suppressed public expressions of religiosity. They overthrew governments that drifted towards theocracy.

They did everything humanly possible to become a modern, westernized state…

…and failed.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Turkey. In fact, I’ve spent more time in Turkey than in any other country in the Middle East, outside of Israel.

I do not like Turkey.

True, they are people like anyone else, and yes they’ve made herculean efforts to westernize. They’ve lobbied to join the EU. They institutionalized the separation between mosque and state. They suppressed public expressions of religiosity. They overthrew governments that drifted towards theocracy.

They did everything humanly possible to become a modern, westernized state…

…and failed.

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There is something rotten in the state of…

…Kurdistan.

This one caught me a Little by surprise, but it makes so much sense… well, I don’t know why I wasn’t talking this one up. Let me try and make up for lost time.

There is something really rotten going on among the Kurds.

Kurds? Like curds, but with a K? Are we talking about spoiled milk production?

Let me give you few lines of description. This will be kinda boring, but trust me. Throw a few bits of this around at a party, and they’ll think that you’re a foreign policy guru – or nuts. (Or both)

There is something rotten in the state of…

…Kurdistan.

This one caught me a Little by surprise, but it makes so much sense… well, I don’t know why I wasn’t talking this one up. Let me try and make up for lost time.

There is something really rotten going on among the Kurds.

Kurds? Like curds, but with a K? Are we talking about spoiled milk production?

Let me give you few lines of description. This will be kinda boring, but trust me. Throw a few bits of this around at a party, and they’ll think that you’re a foreign policy guru – or nuts. (Or both)

Read Full Post »

I’ve been thinking about Ahmadinejad’s confident claims that he can take out the US and Israel – and achieve dominance for Islam.

How could he possibly do that without the help of thermonuclear bombs in the multi-megaton range? We also call them hydrogen bombs, or H-bombs, and they are beyond his capability to make. And, I can’t believe that Russia would let him have any.

However, I was given the idea of a decapitation strike by WorldNet Daily. They talked about using Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). This EMP strike would only require a few medium-yield nuclear warheads and only a few medium range missiles – and every unshielded electronic element/device/thingy in the Western world would be toast.

I’ve been thinking about Ahmadinejad’s confident claims that he can take out the US and Israel – and achieve dominance for Islam.

How could he possibly do that without the help of thermonuclear bombs in the multi-megaton range? We also call them hydrogen bombs, or H-bombs, and they are beyond his capability to make. And, I can’t believe that Russia would let him have any.

However, I was given the idea of a decapitation strike by WorldNet Daily. They talked about using Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). This EMP strike would only require a few medium-yield nuclear warheads and only a few medium range missiles – and every unshielded electronic element/device/thingy in the Western world would be toast.

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The Associated Press is reporting that nuclear bombers of the Russian Air Force have been ordered into the air again. It has been 15 years since Russia had nuclear bombers on an active nuclear patrol.

Why the change now?

What threat has arisen that would cause Russia to take this expensive step?

With the price of aviation fuel at such high levels, those bombers are going to be expensive to fly. And, that’s not adding in the cost of maintenance of the planes and the nuclear missiles in those planes.

The Associated Press is reporting that nuclear bombers of the Russian Air Force have been ordered into the air again. It has been 15 years since Russia had nuclear bombers on an active nuclear patrol.

Why the change now?

What threat has arisen that would cause Russia to take this expensive step?

With the price of aviation fuel at such high levels, those bombers are going to be expensive to fly. And, that’s not adding in the cost of maintenance of the planes and the nuclear missiles in those planes.

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Barry Rubin is one of the world’s foremost experts on Turkey and the director of the Global Research for International Affairs Center (GLORIA Center) in Herzliya. When Barry speaks, people listen. 

In fact, a Turkish newspaper based in Istanbul interviewed Prof. Rubin to get his views on the latest Turkish elections. You can read the interview here:

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=117857

It makes for unsettling reading. The Islamic party (the AKP) that won the elections more than a week ago is the smiling face of Islam. They are moderate. They are democratic. They are fiscally conservative. They are efficient. They are less corrupt.

Barry Rubin is one of the world’s foremost experts on Turkey and the director of the Global Research for International Affairs Center (GLORIA Center) in Herzliya. When Barry speaks, people listen. 

In fact, a Turkish newspaper based in Istanbul interviewed Prof. Rubin to get his views on the latest Turkish elections. You can read the interview here:

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=117857

It makes for unsettling reading. The Islamic party (the AKP) that won the elections more than a week ago is the smiling face of Islam. They are moderate. They are democratic. They are fiscally conservative. They are efficient. They are less corrupt.

Read Full Post »