As ISIS Take Kobane, NATO’s Second Largest Army Sits on the Sidelines

Most countries would swiftly intervene if a small town on the border was under attack by a vicious group that threatens to topple governments throughout the region. But Turkey, a NATO member, balks as Islamic State terrorists attack the small Syrian town of Kobane, suggesting it will help only “if there was a broader military commitment by Turkey’s allies to create a no-fly-zone in northern Syria, a move the United States has so far refused to back,” reports Alexander Christie-Miller. Turkey’s fear of a strong Kurdish block in the region is behind its refusal aid Kobane. In essence, Turkey aids the extremists while adding to instability at home: “Watching the fate of Kobane with horror and anger were Turkey’s own 15 million-strong Kurdish minority – nearly 20 per cent of the country – whose long history of insurrection against the Turkish state appeared until recently to be drawing to a close,” notes Christie Miller. Analysts point out that the Islamic State thrives on such petty ethnic and religious divisions and already actively recruits in Turkey. – YaleGlobal