Chomsky on Turkey and The US War On Iraq
'The criticism of Turkey in the US is indeed bitter, and extremely revealing. The Turkish government took the position of over 90 percent of the population. That reveals that the government lacks "democratic credentials," according to former Ambassador Morris Abramowitz, now a distinguished elder statesman. The government is "following the people," he wrote, instead of following orders from Washington and Crawford Texas. That is plainly unacceptable. The view he articulates is standard.

'Turkey taught the US a lesson in democracy. That is regarded as criminal. One can debate the reasons and the background, but the facts are glaringly obvious, underscored even more dramatically by the reaction in the US to similar crimes elsewhere. Germany and France are bitterly condemned for the same reason, while Italy, Spain, Hungary and others are praised as the "New Europe," because their leaders agreed to follow US orders in opposition to the vast majority of the population, almost as much as in Turkey.

'I do not recall ever having seen such demonstration of intense hatred for democracy on the part of elite opinion in the US (and to some extent Britain).'

This gives a good idea of what US elites mean by 'democracy.' There can hardly be the slightest doubt that Iraqi 'democracy' will mean a government aligned with US elites, or a client state or puppet state. The public must not allow themselves to be deceived on this point. If there was to be anything like genuine democracy in Iraq the outcome would most likely be a Shiite dominated country aligned with Iran, no foreign occupying troops, and the oil resources of the country used for the benefit of the people. Plainly, none of this can be acceptable to the US.

Chomsky on Turkey and The US War On Iraq
'The criticism of Turkey in the US is indeed bitter, and extremely revealing. The Turkish government took the position of over 90 percent of the population. That reveals that the government lacks "democratic credentials," according to former Ambassador Morris Abramowitz, now a distinguished elder statesman. The government is "following the people," he wrote, instead of following orders from Washington and Crawford Texas. That is plainly unacceptable. The view he articulates is standard.

'Turkey taught the US a lesson in democracy. That is regarded as criminal. One can debate the reasons and the background, but the facts are glaringly obvious, underscored even more dramatically by the reaction in the US to similar crimes elsewhere. Germany and France are bitterly condemned for the same reason, while Italy, Spain, Hungary and others are praised as the "New Europe," because their leaders agreed to follow US orders in opposition to the vast majority of the population, almost as much as in Turkey.

'I do not recall ever having seen such demonstration of intense hatred for democracy on the part of elite opinion in the US (and to some extent Britain).'

This gives a good idea of what US elites mean by 'democracy.' There can hardly be the slightest doubt that Iraqi 'democracy' will mean a government aligned with US elites, or a client state or puppet state. The public must not allow themselves to be deceived on this point. If there was to be anything like genuine democracy in Iraq the outcome would most likely be a Shiite dominated country aligned with Iran, no foreign occupying troops, and the oil resources of the country used for the benefit of the people. Plainly, none of this can be acceptable to the US.