A group of Kurdish militants have been raiding Turkey, but another Kurdish group has also been invading Iran as well. Although they identify themselves with different names (P.K.K. fight turkey; P.J.A.K. fight Iran), they essentially seem to be the same. Nevertheless, according to the article, "In Iraq, Conflict on a Second Kurdish Front" in the New York Times:
Guerrilla leaders said the Americans classify the P.K.K. as a terrorist group because it is
fighting Turkey, an important American ally, while the P.J.A.K. is not labeled as such because
it is fighting Iran.
Is U.S. interest the ultimate determinant when labeling terrorism? Should the U.S. be consistent when fighting terrorism, or should it just look out for itself? Is there a possibility that the U.S. is secretly cooperating with P.J.A.K.?
The guerrillas are also interesting since Americans usually associate terrorism with ideology opposed to American values. The Kurdish militants reject Islamic fundamentalism and promote women's rights. But I guess their support of "scientific socialism" wouldn't garner them much sympathy from Americans.
What do you think?
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