Two Points of Response

I generally agree with DMA's comments in "Why the Road Matters" (except where DMA disagrees with me, of course), but two points from my nitpicking self:

(1) A country's "neighbors" do not have to be restricted only to neighboring states. In any case, my point was that it's absurd for Salih to claim that Turkey interfering militarily would have implications for its neighbors' tendencies to jump in, while the US's now years of military intervention (or "assistance", if one insists on the view of the US's invited and welcomed presence) would not. We already see these implications every day.

(2) Holding constant the dire situation of Kurdish resistance, I am willing to bet pretty serious money that were the Armenian "genocide" resolution not put forth in Congress, the US government's urge for Turkey to refrain from sending troops into Iraq would be a great deal more effective. That's all I'm saying.

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PS. I understand DMA's (and clearly many others) idealistic desire for justice and setting the history books straight, but I think it speaks volumes when 8 Former Secretaries of State think this genocide resolution is a bad idea.

In the world of politics, pragmatism and strategic thinking should always take precedent over ideology. Afterall, ideology can only prevail if one manages to strategically place himself in a position where persuasion or manipulation has any chance of being effective. In the area of diplomatic strategizing, few others possess more knowledge and experience than these 8.