Turkey and the Kurds - Should the USA Defend the Kurds from Turkey?

Kurds

After World War I England and France occupied large territories in the Middle East which had once belonged to the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey - one of the countries which had lost World War I).

England and France were only concerned about extracting (getting) oil and so they created a number of countries just by drawing lines across a map. They created Iraq, Transjordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.

It did not matter to either England or France who was living in which parts of the Middle East, they just needed to draw lines through the map to divide this large area up into countries that England and France would control. So a number of countries that had never existed before were created by England and France by two guys who drew lines around a map to divide the area up between them.

If you don't believe me, here's proof: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-25299553

So the Kurdish people, unfortunately, had lines drawn through the area where they were living. This one ethnic group was, therefore, separated and forced to live in four different countries.

For about 100 years now, the Kurds have been seeking to get their own homeland. Turkey, a country in which many Kurds live, does not like this idea. Nor does Iraq. It seems that the land which rightfully belongs to the Kurds also has lots of oil on it. Iraq, for instance, does not want to lose this oil to the Kurds.

The United States has been very sympathetic to the Kurdish people. Indeed, the Kurds have been very helpful to the United States in its war on terror. As you can read from the following article, Turkey has begun to attack Kurds who had helped the United States to fight against ISIS. So far the United States has not done anything to help the Kurds. The person who wrote the following article recommends that the US government begin to help the Kurds.

The article:

https://nypost.com/2018/01/22/dont-abandon-the-kurds-to-the-mercies-of-turkeys-tyrant/

Vocabulary to help you understand the article:

to abandon someone/some group/some thing: to leave it helpless, to just walk away.

mercies - this is an ironic or sarcastic term here. Turkey is clearly not interested in being merciful or kind to the Kurds. To be merciful or to show mercy means not to harm someone when you feel like harming them. Turkey has no desire to show mercy and that's why "mercies" is in quotation marks.

a tyrant - a dictator, someone who is not part of a democratic system, a leader who has too much power. So this writer is calling the leader of Turkey a tyrant.

an ally - a friend.

a quarter century - 25 years. 1/4 of 100 years.

man-for-man, woman-for-woman - meaning that if you compare the average Kurdish man or woman to anyone else from any other ethnic group or country which has fought against ISIS, the Kurds are better or superior.

Kurdish boots on the ground - Kurdish soldiers on the ground, fighters (soldiers wear boots so instead of him saying "Kurdish soldiers on the ground..." he says "Kurdish boots on the ground...")

sweeping - wide, thorough, complete

caliphate - the type of government ISIS created

to crush something - to step on something in order to destroy it

wriggling - if you step on a snake, it will wriggle and try to bite you, it will twist around wildly

snapping - trying to bite (the author is comparing ISIS to a trapped snake)

we're turning our backs on them - we are turning away or abandoning them

NATO - the North Atlantic Treaty Organization...a group of European countries plus the USA. It was created during the Cold War to protect Europe from Soviet Russia. Turkey and the USA are supposed to be allies in NATO, but Turkey's leader has been turning against the USA for some time now.

gone rogue - to have become uncontrollable; if someone is a rogue, he is highly independent to the point where he can't be trusted, because he will always pursue his own needs.

Islamist strongman - a dictator or tyrant who believes in the Islamic religion

odious - hateful

President is in quotation marks like this "President" because the writer believes that Erdogan is NOT really a president, but instead is a dictator.

to be captive - to be prisoners

a census - when a population is officially counted

butchered en masse - violently killed in large numbers

scapegoated - blamed for things they didn't do

unnervingly familiar - so familiar to the bad way that Israel has been treated (according to this author) that one should be unnerved or upset.

letting the Kurds down at Versailles - The Treaty of Versailles was the agreement that ended World War I. According to that treaty England and France were allowed to divide Kurdish territory up and place it into 4 different countries. So America did not try to help the Kurds at that point - the USA let them down (disappointed them).

acquiesced - to agree without wanting to agree

in the wake of Desert Storm  - following Desert Storm, the war in the early 1990s against Saddam Hussein of Iraq.

a succession of - a number of

combating - fighting

on the verge of - close to

a slaughter - a violent and often mass killing

an underdog - someone who does not have a lot of power but who is good

a rabid dog - a dog with a disease that makes it a ferocious (aggressive) killer

he has gutted democracy - he has removed the essence or reality of democracy from his government

false charges - he has accused people of fake crimes and thrown them in jail

suppressed - pushed down, held down

rigged the courts - if you rig something you change it so that justice does not occur, what you want to happen will occur. So people do not get justice in the Turkish court system any more.

to back someone - to support someone

Islamic hardliners - these are very extreme followers of the religion of Islam, very conservative

reignited - restarted; to ignite something is to start something on fire

inertia - this means that when something comes to a stop, or is in a resting state, it is hard to move it again

strategic interests - strategy or plans as to how the US will carry out its foreign policy

restricted use of an airbase - the USA seems to need an airbase in Turkey and Erdogan seems to be threatening to refuse to allow the US Air Force to use it if the USA does not support Erdogan's policies. So the USA seems to be afraid to offend or upset Erdogan for fear of losing this airbase.

Turkey uses the airbase as leverage - leverage is the ability to move a heavy object using a long stick and something you can place the stick on top of - you then push down on one end of the stick while the other end moves the object. If something is being used as leverage, it is being used to force someone to do something he doesn't want to do.

call Erdogan's bluff - if you are bluffing, you are pretending to do something you really aren't going to do. So the writer is basically saying we should defend the Kurds and see whether Erdogan will actually try to force Americans out of the air bases. The writer does not seem to think Erdogan will, but if he does, it doesn't matter, the USA will just lose two air bases.

liberated by the Kurds - freed by the Kurds through fighting

a bogus claim - a fake claim, a lie

the alphabet game - the writer is joking about all of the organizations represented by all the different three-letter combinations

indistinguishable - cannot be differentiated from, cannot be told apart from, to look the same as

a domestic resistance group - a group within Turkey that resisted the government and demanded a homeland for the Kurds

political accommodation - this Kurdish group that functioned within Turkey gave up violence in order to work within the Turkish political system. 

oppressed - held down, not allowed their rights

solidarity - a feeling of brotherhood, when individuals feel they belong in a group and are willing to work together with others toward a goal

the YPG is the same as the PKK - the writer is trying to make a joke saying that just because names sound similar it does not mean that things or organizations are similar.

to cling to - to hold on to too tightly

to draw a red line - to tell Erdogan that he cannot continue to do things which are clearly wrong; to draw a red line is like drawing a line on the ground and telling someone that he cannot walk past this line with punishment.

the terrorist sits in his president's chair in Ankara - Ankara is the capitol of Turkey, so the writer is saying that Erdogan is the real terrorist in this situation.

Erdogan and the Turkish police attacked protesters again. The whole world is watching!

I want to be as objective as possible in presenting stories on this blog, but, at this point, I am disgusted by the Prime Minister of Turkey and the Turkish police.  Too many people are being harmed for no good reason.  I sincerely hope the protesters overthrow the Turkish government and arrest Erdogan for crimes against his own people.

As you can see from this article, the Turkish police have attacked protesters in Taksim Square again. 

The article:

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-06/12/content_16609436.htm

Vocabulary to help you understand the article:

to be objective - not to form an opinion, not to show your own opinion but just to present the facts.  The opposite of 'objective' is 'subjective.'  My introduction was very subjective in that I expressed my emotions and opinion in regard to Erdogan.

to feel disgusted - this is when something makes you feel sick because it is so wrong.

to storm some place - to attack a place VIOLENTLY

a square - a public, outdoor space

a clash - a conflict, a fight

a riot - when a protest gets out of control, it is called a riot.  A protest is when people gather together to express their disapproval of some government action.

tear gas and rubber bullets - tear gas burns a person's eyes for awhile and rubber bullets are shot from guns and can kill people, even though they are not metal bullets.

to hurl - to throw. Apparently the protesters were throwing fireworks for some reason.  Fireworks are often used in celebrations to create beautiful patterns in the night's sky.

to pour into - to flood into, to enter in a large number, if a group pours into an area, there is a large number of people and they rush in quickly.

epicenter - center

demos - demonstrations; protests

bulldozers - vehicles that are used to move heavy objects away. Bulldozers are like giant trucks with pushing devices in front of them that push things away or crush things.

makeshift barriers - the protesters set up barriers quickly.  If something is makeshift, it is set up quickly.  A barrier is meant to stop something.  In this case the protesters wanted to stop the police and bulldozers.

to erect - to create or set up.

armored cars - cars protected by armor - strong steel.

to raise the stakes - a gambling term.  If a gambler raises the stakes, he adds more money to be won or lost.  Here, in this article, raising the stakes means Erdogan is taking a greater risk by attacking innocent people.

unrest - the opposite of peace.

to pose a challenge - to establish a challenge. A challenge is a type of problem that is difficult to solve.

a fierce challenge - a strong, aggressive challenge.

to douse protesters - to cover protesters.

a Molotov cocktail - this is a type of makeshift weapon.  It was created by General Molotov of Russia.  Basically you fill a wine bottle with alcohol, tie a rag around the bottle, light the rag on fire and throw the bottle at the enemy or an armored car.  When the bottle hits, it explodes and starts the thing on fire.

intervention - in this case it means 'attack.' Normally to intervene means to enter a situation and try to stop two parties from fighting or to stop something wrong from happening.

a concession - if you make a concession, you compromise or you do something the other side wants in order to make them happy.

to vow - to promise.

a clampdown - like a crackdown.  It is a use of extreme force to stop something.

to be sparked - to be started.

barracks - a place where soldiers live.  An Ottoman barracks - Erdogan wanted to destroy the park to create a type of Ottoman museum (The Ottoman Empire used to control the land where Turkey now is - it was very Islamic and often militarily aggressive).

authoritarian - when one person rules a country and does not care about democracy or what the people want.

to impose a conservative lifestyle on people - to force people to live a very religious and conservative (a conservative is usually not considered very open-minded) lifestyle.

secular - non-religious.

to escalate tensions - increase nervousness, increase a sense of unrest or fear.

to dismiss - in this case: to disregard or to consider something not important.

fringe extremists - the fringe is the very outside of something.  An extremist is someone who does not hold a 'normal' attitude - someone with very unusual beliefs or attitudes.

to topple his government - to destroy or overthrow his government.

scores - lots.

democratic credentials - to have democratic credentials is to have the basis or foundation of a democratic government.  Although Erdogan was elected democratically, he is acting like a dictator.

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Question for discussion/writing:

Do you think that the United States and other NATO countries are being too silent in regard to what is happening in Turkey?

Update on protests in Turkey

Things are not getting better in Turkey.

As you can see from this BBC article, protesters and the police are still fighting with each other.

It looks as if Erdogan has not learned his lesson.  The entire world is encouraging him to show some restraint and to work things out with the protesters, but he refuses to do this.  About 50% of Turkey disagrees with Erdogan, but he still feels as if he can ignore them. 

The article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22830558

Vocabulary to help you understand this article (most of these words below were defined in previous articles):

to show restraint - to stop oneself from doing something that one is thinking of doing or feels like doing.  Erdogan may be angry and he may want to harm the protesters, but it will continue to hurt Turkey if he does not show restraint and not do this.

to clash with - to fight with.

protesters/demonstrators - groups of people who come together.

to defy - not to do what someone has told you to do. To do exactly the opposite of what you were told to do.

tear gas and water canons - tear gas is gas that hurts a person's eyes and causes tears to come from a person's eyes.  A water canon is a type of 'gun' that shoots out water at a powerful force. It doesn't kill people but it forces them back.

civil unrest - unrest is the opposite of peace.  Civil unrest is when the people are unhappy and protesting.

anti-government - anti means against.

to spark - to cause.

a crackdown - when force is used to stop something the government doesn't like.

early elections - the protesters want elections to be held earlier than normal to get rid of Erdogan.  He will not od this, obviously.

authoritarian - an authoritarian government is one that does what it wants regardless of what the people want.

to impose - to force on.

secular - non-religious

rival football clubs - football clubs that compete against each other, play against each other

the epicenter - the center, the main area

fascism - a political philosophy in which the government controls everything and does what it wants to do regardless of what the people want.

shoulder to shoulder - fighting next to each other.

to mushroom - to grow quickly, the way a mushroom grows quickly in a forest.

to vow - to promise.

rare - if something is rare, there are not many things like it.

densely - crowded, packed closely together

Vocabulary Review 1 for "Is Erdogan mishandling..."

This blog has some AMAZING vocabulary review exercises.  These are all highly useful words you will hear and see a lot if you are learning English.

This review is from this link: http://convostartersenglish.blogspot.com/2013/06/is-erdogan-mishandling-protests-will.html

Please review the vocabulary definitions from the link above, before you do this review.


Answers are below the exercises:

Words to be used:

undeterred, a bum, to compromise,
to reject, palpable, a confrontation,
to overreact, to convey, authoritarian

1)  The protesters in the park were acting peacefully.  They were engaged in what Americans call "civil disobedience."  This is when citizens peacefully act in a way to show their displeasure toward the government or a government policy.  They did not expect to have a violent ________________ with the police in which hundreds of people were injured and some killed.

2)  The methods that have been used to ___________ information around the world have changed over the centuries.  Once information had to travel from the USA to England through a trans-Atlantic cable.  Now, in a millisecond, a person can communicate with anyone in the world over the internet.

3)  Even though the USA, Japan and South Korea have imposed sanctions (economic punishments) on North Korea, this country's government seems to remain _______________. They continue taking threatening actions against South Korea, the USA and Japan.

4)  Many people in New York City have learned that they should not give money to __________ who beg on the street.  There are numerous programs where the homeless can receive free food, medical help and clothing, as well as job training (if they want it).

5)  The US Constitution tried to make it impossible for a president to become too _______________. Although he is called 'the most powerful person in the world," this is not true.  The president's power is limited by The Congress and the Supreme Court.

6)  When a person buys flowers for his/her lover on Valentine's Day, he/she shows his/her affection in a quite ______________ way.

7)  When protesters had taken over Zuccotti Park in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg did not _______________ by sending in the police to attack the demonstrators.  He waited until the right time before he took action and peacefully removed the protesters who had illegally camped in the park.

8)  Although Bob needed a job, he felt that the salary offer of the company that wanted to hire him was too low; therefore he ______________ the offer.

9)  When Bill Clinton was president, he was known to _____________ a great deal.  This meant that he found some middle ground with people who disagreed with him, and he was able to get his policies passed as laws.


Answers:






Answers:

1) confrontation
2) convey
3) undeterred 
4) bums 
5) authoritarian
6) palpable
7) overreact
8) rejected
9) compromise

Is Erdogan mishandling the protests? Will they get worse now?

Everybody already knows that the Turkish police over-reacted and unjustly harmed hundreds of peaceful protesters.

The Turkish TV stations and newspapers are currently not reporting the truth about what is going on - Turks are conveying the truth to each other through various types of social media.

In this article we see that Erdogan does not seem to realize how serious the situation is.  He is calling the protesters 'looters' and 'bums,' but they look like average Turkish citizens to me. 

Instead of compromising and acting with civility, he is acting like the dictator many of his people are calling him. 

to mishandle something - if a person mishandles something, that means the person does not handle (or do) something as well as he should have.  Often if a person mishandles a situation, he/she makes the situation worse. If you handle a situation well, you do a good job in regard to the situation.

a protest - when a group of people gather together to express the fact that they are unhappy about a government policy.

to over-react - to use too much force in a situation; to do too much; to do something harmful which was not necessary

to convey - to express, to reveal

a looter - someone who breaks into a business during an emergency (when the police are busy) and who steals something.

a bum - a homeless person who is too lazy to work

a dictator - a leader who does not listen to what the people want, but who does what he wants.

to compromise - to negotiate. To work out a deal with someone who disagrees with you.

civility - decency. If you act with civility, you act like a civilized person.

The article: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkeys-prime-minister-recep-erdogan-dismisses-protesters-as-just-a-few-looters-as-thousands-return-to-taksim-square-8641336.html

Vocabulary from the article:

to dismiss - if you dismiss something that someone said, that means you do not consider what was said to have been important.  to disregard; to indicate something is not important.

to reject - to dismiss; to claim that something is not true

to take to the streets - to go into the streets to protest

authoritarian - not democratic.  An authoritarian politician does not listen to the people.

to spiral into - to develop into; to get worse

a confrontation - when two different people or groups meet each other in anger

to evict - to get rid of, to force off of land

demonstrators - people who are protesting

heavy-handed tactics - tactics or actions which are too forceful

to spark - to cause

to be injured - to be hurt

to chant slogans - to repeat statements over and over again.  "Erdogan must go! Erdogan must go!  Erdogan must go!"

to resign - to leave a job

undeterred - unfrightened; not stopped; to deter someone means to frighten him from doing something

to rebuke - to attack with words, to scold

to revamp - to fix up, to make better

a pitched battle - a battle between two well-organized groups in one place

to be detained - to be held by the police

to be wounded - to be harmed

palpable - real; if something is palpable, you can feel it

unrest - the opposite of peace

anti-government movement - a real effort by a group of people to get rid of the current government

to nod approval - to move one's head up and down, meaning you agree

Questions for discussion/writing:

When a large group of people begins to protest to this extent, what should a leader of a country do? 

Do you feel Erdogan is handling this situation correctly?

Erdogan is, technically, not a dictator.  He was elected to office and he is exercising power that was voted to him by building a mosque (Islamic place of worship) in this park.  Do you think the protesters are right in calling for him to resign?

Do you think there is room for compromise between the protesters and Erdogan?

What do you think will happen in the future?

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