Turkey is--or, perhaps was--one of America's few Arab allies in the Middle East, but our country's relentless budding in is causing the country to fall apart.
Turkey has it's own set of problems. In Turkey, the Kurds are a minority that would like to break away and form their own country. Think: Texas trying to succeed from the rest of the U.S. Kurds were once their own country and some Kurdish nationalists would like to reestablish as such again.
Part of the blowback from our Iraq adventure (the gift that keeps on giving) is that when the Kurds took over part of Iraq and established Kurdistan, America was able to form a relationship with a strategic vantage point. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a left-wing militant group, was able to launch excursions into Turkey and still have a place to call home. The U.S., of course, supported--and continues to support--the Kurds because they wisely choose to recognize Israel and that gives everyone in AIPAC a nice, warm fuzzy feeling.
But now that the election results in Turkey have come in, the results show the region has become even more authoritarian thanks, in large part, to PKK attacks. That's what you get for spreading "freedom and democracy" abroad, America. Now, foreign governments are clamping down on the people either on behalf of the U.S., or because of it.
Has the lesson been learned in Washington? Will our country finally hurl the NeoCons into the Potomac and bring the troops home? No. Once again, the constant militarization of the U.S. abroad eats away at our Republic. And as long as President Obama continues to ignore the people, we should prepare ourselves for World War III under the Clinton Administration.
America is falling headlong into yet another conflict that doesn't concern us. Syria has Kurds too, by the way. It appears as though regardless of whether a country is an ally or enemy they're going to feel the pinch of America's interference. Meanwhile, the people of the U.S. will rest easy believing cable TV news propaganda. No one questions what would happen if one of our troops was hit by a Russian bomb by mistake. Is this involvement really in America's best interest?
No. But, you won't hear any of those questions touch on in a debate. Despite what GOP candidates complain about, they love the softball questions. Isn't it great to argue about politician's personal lives rather than talk about the fact they voted to arm Saudis with weapons to bomb Yemen?
While our country continues to occupy and bomb half the planet with money we don't have, even the countries on our side will slip with us down a long, treacherous slope into military authoritarianism.
At least we won't be in hell alone.