[Skybird]

I think you underestimate the Turkish military. We repeatedly met or where escorted by ground forces of theirs. They are tough, and good, usually disciplined soldiers, the officers keep a tight and punishing regime with little tolerance for failures. I have also seen myself in Eastern Anatolia what they can do to villages that they take on - they used to do their business with far lesser self-restriction than we in the West wish our troops to do. Traditonally, the Turks are a warrior people, and they were considered to be a military elite in earlier times. And I doubt that they leave it to some arty strikes if they decide to go after the Kurds in Northwestern Iraq. I expect a major ground operation if they should become serious about this. And Washington already has learned by several examples that the cold war is over and Ankara does not listen to it anymore. they have their own ambitions, and if America likes that or not is of little interest for them. In this context I even ask if now while the threat which to counter NATO has been founded for has gone, turkey even should remain a member of NATO anymore. Despite shared interests rooting in the constellation of the cold war, Europe has nothing more in common with Turkey's interests.