Switching continents now….I will be spending the next few weeks in Turkey documenting the Turko-Kurdish tensions that have continued to plague the Eurasion nation, and that have largely prevented it from joining the European Union. I am, in effect, embarking on a long-term project on the whole of greater Kurdistan which will eventually take me to neighboring Iraq, Syria, Azerbaijan, Armenia and hoepfully back to Iran (if they let me in again).

Last week Iraqi Kurdish rebels killed 15 Turkish soldiers in an attack near Semdinli which prompted the Turkish government to threaten airstrikes inside Iraq, but so far the menace is seen as more or less hollow. While most Turkish people are outraged by the continued incursions into their territory, and the military wants to respond in kind, it wouldn’t be a good move politically. Pressure from the EU and from the US to demilitarize the conflict will likely prevent Turkey from using excessive force.

I will be blogging as often as possible while in Turkey, so please check back for updates soon.