Sure enough, the US is even now engaged in talks with the Turkish government over the extent of Turkey’s involvement with a post-war disposition of the Kurdish population of Northern Iraq. (“US in Talks on Allowing Turkey to Occupy a Kurdish Area in Iraq”, New York Times, February 7 2003) The US interest is, of course, the use of Turkey (a NATO country) as a base for military operations against Iraq, and as a site for continued presence in the region thereafter. The US is downplaying the extent to which these talks will affect the Kurds; but the Kurds can be forgiven for being a little nervous, since it is manifest that Turkey’s interest is in preventing Kurdish self-determination. Irrespective of what one thinks of the merits of ‘permitting’ the establishment of a Kurdish entity in the vicinity of Northern Iraq and former Eastern Turkey, it is easy to see that the Kurds – sheltered these many years by the US-enforced no-fly zone – will feel some trepidation at the notion that Turkey, whose track-record in dealing with domestic dissent from ethnic minorities is hardly encouraging, are likely to have a considerable say in their future.