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People not motivated by religion shouted "Allahu Akbar" during a moment of silence for Paris

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Dick Whitman, Nov 18, 2015.

  1. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

  2. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Turkey needs to be kicked out of NATO.
     
  3. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    And how would that make things better?
     
  4. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    They work against us.

    They refused to let us invade Iraq through their territory.

    They'd rather fight the Kurds than ISIS.

    They allow Jihadists to cross their border in and out of Syria.

    They're becoming more Islamist every day.

    They've never owned up to their own genocide.

    And, France can't invoke Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, because Turkey would balk at it.

    Conceivably, invoking Article 5 would show that “going after and defeating ISIS then becomes the primary objective in the region.” And 27 NATO countries, from the United States to Estonia, might back that.

    But NATO member Turkey? After a horrendous ISIS-linked terrorist attack in Ankara in October, the government there began to strengthen its stand against the so-called Islamic State. But for years it tacitly accepted the terrorists’ use of Turkish territory for everything from oil sales to arms to hospitalization of wounded fighters. With millions of Syrian refugees inside its borders, and sleeper cells developed during the period of tolerance for ISIS activities, it's in a much more vulnerable position than France.

    Is Ankara ready to commit itself to mutual defense of Paris cafés and sports stadiums? Given the Turkish govenment’s record, that would seem unlikely.

    The bottom line, if Article 5 is invoked in any meaningful way, most likely it won’t be soon.


    Why Is NATO a No-Go in ISIS War?

    Fuck them. They're not on our side.
     
  5. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    Well, they are certainly closer to our side than nearly any other mideast muslim nation.

    And you didn't answer my question. Again, how would kicking them out NATO make things better? Seems to me it would only make the whole situation even hairier, perhaps even potentially disastrously so. The last thing we need are more overt enemies over there--particularly one with a population of 75 million, one of the world's largest militaries, and which geographically serves as the bridge between Europe and the Mideast.
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2015
  6. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    Is it possible those fans were just making an ironic commentary on the link between religion and violence?
     
  7. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    There were several Turks in my PhD program who were there on their government's dime (there was some sort of exchange program in place). They'd take their doctorate, then they had to either: 1) go back to Turkey and teach for something like five or seven years; or 2) find a gig in the U.S. and then pay back the Turkish government some outlandish sum (like $50K or $75) in a very short timeframe (like three or four years). The strong students among them took the latter option, because the pay differential between U.S. business schools and those in Turkey made that option worthwhile.

    I got to be good friends with a couple of them and we'd kid around a good bit about our different backgrounds. For example, they'd give me shit about Halloween or Christmas, and I might, in passing, refer to Constantinople. We never got near anything really sensitive, though. It was all lighthearted but respectful.

    A few years ago at a conference I wound up sitting with several of them at the main luncheon, and they had some of their Turkish friends with them. I and my friends were talking in our usual way, when one of them mentioned he'd gone home. "Yeah, back to Constantinople?" I asked innocently. My friends laughed, but their friends were none too amused. They quickly explained, but I resolved to not do any of that sort of kidding around them again.
     
  8. swingline

    swingline Well-Known Member

    You know, it's nobody's business but the Turks.
     
  9. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

     
  10. Earthman

    Earthman Well-Known Member

    It seems like Kerry has a handle on things.
     
  11. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Here's the good news that's been lost in all of this:

     
  12. Earthman

    Earthman Well-Known Member

    "The J.V."
     
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