Re: Another political question re: Tuffleverse

John Atkinson wrote:
>
> > Just HOW Islamic IS the Islamic Federation?
>
>Yes.  Very yes.

Good for my purposes so far....

> > The reason I asked is this - My father-in-law spent
> > 3 years teaching in > Turkey.  I've visited, and
>really enjoyed the place.
>
>No accounting for taste.

Don't knock it.  With the Turkish Lira taking a nosedive vs. the U$, we
made 
out like bandits in the souvenir department.  The people were incredibly

friendly, and the food was good, especially their spicier dishes.

> >  I was wondering if it > would be plausible to have
>a planet somewhere> inhabited by Turks, who did
> > not want to be part of the IF.
>
>Sure.	It's where they sent all the "secularists" they
>couldn't purge.

That was my thinking.

> > Turkey.  The place would be a big draw for
> > secularists and dissidents from
>
>Maybe even those Iranian Zoroastrians that noone's
>found a home for yet.

Interesting.  Thanks for the suggestion.

> > the IF, maybe it would even be hospitable towards
> > Jews, and be on friendly
> > terms with NI.
>
>That would be stretching it--Turks and Jews being
>friendly is about as probable as the Caliph having a
>ham sandwich and lighting a Christmas tree.

Actually, in the Modern Turkish state, Jews don't have it so bad.  My 
Father-in-Law taught at one of the most prestigious, expensive schools
in 
Turkey, and had several Jewish students.

>Well, the Canon FSE includes Greeks (mostly deported
>in my version of the history) so the Turks won't get
>along with them.

I didn't experct them to.

Ramanovs won't like them (It's
>Balkan Slavs and Russians, both of whom hate Turks
>with a passion--and the Balkan Slavs with good
>reason).

Good point.

>Don't know about OU or NAC (Brits have
>always had a wierd relationship with the Turk)

The OU isn't Brit, and the relationship between Turkey and Oz/NZ is
helped 
by Attaturk's actions after Galipoli.  The Antipodeans on the list can 
correct me if I'm wrong, but IIRC, there was a great deal of bitterness 
amongst them towards the cavalier manner in which England threw ANZAC
lives 
into that meatgrinder.	After the war, Attaturk made sure the allied
powers 
dead were given full military honors.  It's an interesting history, I'd 
suggest reading about it from either a Turkish or ANZAC point of view if
you 
can.

but if
>anything, they will have a close relationship with the
>NSL if and only if it's profitable to the NSL
>(Ottomans served as good German puppets in WWI because
>it was the only way the Germans could influence the
>Middle East).

I'd add, only as long as it's profitable for the TR as well.  The
Sultan's 
toadying up to the Germans was a main factor in the coup that put
Attaturk 
into power.  The Turks won't be German patsies again.

>And in fact the Byzantines in Space will probably
>throw nukes in your general direction under general
>principles.

Which gives me more incentive to run the Turks.

Brian B2

"The Irish are the only race of people on Earth for which psychoanalysis
is 
of no use."

				 - S. Freud

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