"Believe me, dear friend, I would love nothing better than to see my tax dollars finance something more constructive than that Kurd-killing police state you live in. Then you'd be on your own with no one to blame but yourselves, and free to jail or slaughter whoever you choose so long as US citizens aren't footing the bill."
I think this is pretty scuzzy. Hakki has never articulated a Turkish chauvinist attitude as far as I can remember. So attacking him for the policies of the Turkish government is just a way of attacking him for his race (much as I hate to throw around that accusation, which tends to fuck up all discussion).
For the record, America did more than finance the Turkish state's war against the Kurds, but the overthrow of democratically elected government in that country back in 1980 - with Nato exercises going on on the other side of the Bosphorous. . I think it is right to say that thanks to that intervention, Turkish people - Hakki amongst them I assume - are still subject to extensive political repression.
I don't know whether Dennis Perrin is arguing that the US government is less reactionary than the Turkish. If he is he is mistaken. The US influence in Asia and the middle east has caused a great deal more destruction and slaughter, than the junior league tyrants in Istanbul could dream of. -- James Heartfield Sustaining Architecture in the Anti-Machine Age is available at GBP19.99, plus GBP5.01 p&p from Publications, audacity.org, 8 College Close, Hackney, London, E9 6ER. Make cheques payable to 'Audacity Ltd'. www.audacity.org