turkey stalls NATO over reasons of religion and freedom of speech

JALU3 · 04-04-09, 11:46 PM

Skybird I agree that religion should be a non-issue when making military decisions, and that no religion should have a special say on any specific action. Granted ones religion will have a significant influence on one's moral and ethical values, but a religion itself as an institution, should not have a direct say.

As for Pakistan, and the new Great Game, the biggest problemn that NATO forces have in Afghanistan is moving supplies to forces there. With a non-compliant Russia attempting to mitigate increased US & Western European influence in Central Asia, and a non-helpful Iran, the only other supply route available to US and NATO forces is through Pakistan. Therefore, NATO and the US must have positive relations with said country in order to garuntee its supply routes. In the previous Great Game, there was a British controlled India/Pakistan to garuntee said access into Central Asia. This is no such garuntee now, thus leading to the relationship the US has with Pakistan today. Sure there is the route through contested Kashmir, or even a much longer route via the PRC, however the most direct is from the Arabian Sea.

What I find interesting though through all this, is the leaning towards a more fundamentalist government in previously secular muslim dominate nations. This can be said about both Turkey and Pakistan, where as in the past the secular nature of the government was garunteed by a strong secular military, something that is not supported by the West, that is the Military having a strong influence on a nation's politics. I think a lot can be discussed regarding the strength of religious parties in muslim majority nations, and how increase of those parties representation in those countries governments have a direct impact on their relations with Western Secular nations.

04-05-09, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Skybird I agree that religion should be a non-issue when making military decisions

So the military aspect of this dispute was that Denmark is hosting an alledged propaganda outfit from a proscribed terrorist organisation that is engaged in attacking Denmarks Ally .

JALU3 · 04-05-09, 05:53 AM

Was this Kurdish radio station connected to said terrorist organization? Or was it just because they catered to a specific ethnic nation which they have a problem with?

Skybird · 04-05-09, 06:08 AM

The radio station was not the main reason for the Turkish stand against Rasmussen, it was his lacking compliance when demanded to forbid those newspapers printing the muhammad cartoons.

Respenus · 04-05-09, 12:37 PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7964494.stm

Quote:

Following the imams' intervention, the lives of the 12 cartoonists changed irrevocably and they paid the same price as author Salman Rushdie.

Only Mr Westergaard has come out of hiding. The 11 others have followed Danish secret service advice and either have round-the-clock protection or maintain low profiles. One of them is suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

I'll have to get behind Skybird on this one. I feel sick after reading this article. For Lord's sake (insert your deity here), what has he/they done to deserve a ransom on their lives? This is just pathetic. Why don't they just pass a law forbidding any satire? If satire, even an insulting one, was a cause to kill someone, The Times would had run out of cartons since a long time ago (go check their cartoon page, it's hilarious yet speaks the truth). Add to this the fact that the PM will have to apologise, it is like putting salt on the wounds of those who cannot sleep at night.

Now, I am not calling for another crusade yet we, Europe and the Muslims anywhere have to realise that we have to live together and that the irrationality of changing religious arguments into political ones must stop. We had our Thirty Year's war to teach us this. They have not.

04-05-09, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Was this Kurdish radio station connected to said terrorist organization? Or was it just because they catered to a specific ethnic nation which they have a problem with?

Good question . So how many NATO members have banned these broadcasts because they are linked to a proscribed terrorist group ?

04-04-09, 11:46 PM	#1
JALU3 Grey Wolf Join Date: May 2007 Location: 11SMS 98896 10565 Posts: 756 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Skybird I agree that religion should be a non-issue when making military decisions, and that no religion should have a special say on any specific action. Granted ones religion will have a significant influence on one's moral and ethical values, but a religion itself as an institution, should not have a direct say. As for Pakistan, and the new Great Game, the biggest problemn that NATO forces have in Afghanistan is moving supplies to forces there. With a non-compliant Russia attempting to mitigate increased US & Western European influence in Central Asia, and a non-helpful Iran, the only other supply route available to US and NATO forces is through Pakistan. Therefore, NATO and the US must have positive relations with said country in order to garuntee its supply routes. In the previous Great Game, there was a British controlled India/Pakistan to garuntee said access into Central Asia. This is no such garuntee now, thus leading to the relationship the US has with Pakistan today. Sure there is the route through contested Kashmir, or even a much longer route via the PRC, however the most direct is from the Arabian Sea. What I find interesting though through all this, is the leaning towards a more fundamentalist government in previously secular muslim dominate nations. This can be said about both Turkey and Pakistan, where as in the past the secular nature of the government was garunteed by a strong secular military, something that is not supported by the West, that is the Military having a strong influence on a nation's politics. I think a lot can be discussed regarding the strength of religious parties in muslim majority nations, and how increase of those parties representation in those countries governments have a direct impact on their relations with Western Secular nations. __________________ "The Federation needs men like you, doctor. Men of conscience. Men of principle. Men who can sleep at night... You're also the reason Section Thirty-one exists -- someone has to protect men like you from a universe that doesn't share your sense of right and wrong." -Sloan, Section Thirty-One

04-05-09, 05:53 AM	#3
JALU3 Grey Wolf Join Date: May 2007 Location: 11SMS 98896 10565 Posts: 756 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Was this Kurdish radio station connected to said terrorist organization? Or was it just because they catered to a specific ethnic nation which they have a problem with? __________________ "The Federation needs men like you, doctor. Men of conscience. Men of principle. Men who can sleep at night... You're also the reason Section Thirty-one exists -- someone has to protect men like you from a universe that doesn't share your sense of right and wrong." -Sloan, Section Thirty-One

04-05-09, 06:08 AM	#4
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,813 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	The radio station was not the main reason for the Turkish stand against Rasmussen, it was his lacking compliance when demanded to forbid those newspapers printing the muhammad cartoons. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.