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Everybody knows that Turkey and AKP party supports ISIS, in Turkey we see an internal war against Kurdish people, the Kurdish parties such as PYD, YPG, etc are based on freedom, human rights and democracy standards they are really most secular parties in middle east they have also done most successful war against isis and jihadist in Syria, if you just do a little search in media and news you'll see what's happening on Kurds in Turkey, my question is why the US government, EU and international human-rights orgs are silent for this? What is their benefits in this silence?

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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it looks like an attempt to convey a statement rather than asking a genuine question. Jan 22, 2016 at 1:28
  • @bytebuster, Surely this is not off-topic I have already asked an on-topic clear question.
    – void
    Jan 22, 2016 at 1:34
  • Like you, I also think that Kurds are mistreated by Turkish government. But the way you asked the question, it only invites for denials. Think if your (and mine) political opponents would answer, "Kurds are treated well, here's the facts: 1,2,3; hence, no US/EU action is needed, period" — this would be a legitimate answer, but it would barely answer the "question". Jan 22, 2016 at 1:42
  • There is also a long list of counter-examples, eg Amnesty International, the United Nations, the European Commission and the Council of Europe, so the premise of the question is wrong. Aug 24, 2017 at 14:49
  • Turkey is a sovereign state. What makes you think the US government would care?
    – user91988
    Mar 7, 2019 at 20:23

1 Answer 1

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Turkey is a member of NATO, and thus is an ally of the Western "democracies".

Sometimes when an ally crosses the line, it may be chided, but in private. If it crosses the line too often, then the government unhappy about this situation may, in public express its discontent.

Turkey is too important an ally in the Mideast to be reprimanded in public. Don't forget that it has about 2 million Syrian regugees inside its borders. It also has air bases which are useful to the Western countries. It's government is stable and almost democratic government even though this democracy is eroding.

This anecdote applies quite well in Turkey's case. Roosevelt's Secretary of State, Sumner Welles, once said "Somoza's a bastard!" And Roosevelt replied, "Yes, but he's our bastard."

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  • good answer, especially the anecdote was interesting and completely applies in Turkey's case, thanks
    – void
    Jan 22, 2016 at 1:22
  • The quote is currently regarded as poorly sourced by Wikiquote: en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Franklin_D._Roosevelt
    – Golden Cuy
    Jan 22, 2016 at 9:14
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    @Andrew Grimm That is why I simply called it an anecdote. But it is typical of American foreign policy in Latin America, in Africa, in Southeast Asia and in the Middle East. Of course, France and Great Britain did the same thing. And the USSR did not support only "socialist" governments.
    – MasB
    Jan 23, 2016 at 1:06

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