THE morass that is the Middle East just got a lot worse with Turkey’s “incursion” into Syria. Whilst we wring our hands at the potential ethnic cleansing of the Kurds, we seem to choose to ignore our complicity in the febrile situation that is the Middle East.

There is no condoning Erdogan’s actions, but if it is true that there are in the region of three million refugees in Turkey – a culmination of the fighting in Syria and its impact on its border areas – just what have we in the West done to bring an end to the war and begin the resettling of those forced to flee? Can and should one country, in this instance Turkey, be expected to house such numbers of people, and for how long, with no apparent solution in sight?

READ MORE: Boris Johnson ignored after requesting Erdogan to cease fire

But equally, we must realise that the creation of a so-called buffer zone is no solution. Displacing (some) people in the guise of resettling (some) others is a sure fire recipe for festering resentment, a flashpoint for future tensions, aggressions and violence. We don’t need to look far to see parallels! And in the process, how many more Kurds will die?

Britain continues to sell arms and ammunition to Turkey, but as about-to-leave-members of the EU, will the UK continue to do so, even if the EU follows through with its threats of sanctions? And would any sanctions extend to military hardware? If it is deemed right to bring sanctions to bear on Turkey, what about the plight of the people of Yemen? Is it too cynical to think that Saudi Arabia and its oil makes sanctions against the Saudis less likely?

READ MORE: George Kerevan: Scotland should reconsider Nato membership after independence

That the Kurds have been betrayed yet again isn’t in doubt. But even more so, the Middle East can see that it is vital to the world’s armament industries, making any peaceful solution improbable.

Amongst all of this killing, it is ironic that the actions of Trump and Erdogan appear to have even temporarily united most of the Arab countries as they “condemn” Turkey. Quietly many will be happy to see USA troops removed from the region, if it actually happens, and the closer it comes to the USA elections, the more Trump will seek to fulfil his earlier pledges. Even Russia could see some benefit in such a scenario, and who would exclude China as they too see potential for consolidating their presence?

With such an erratic person in charge of the USA, an ineffectual government in Westminster and the EU focusing on Brexit and its own future, it doesn’t look good for the Kurds, for Syria and the Middle East as a whole in the months and years to come.

Selma Rahman
Edinburgh

YES, I can partly understand the environmental argument that the Greens put forward re the parking levy. However, it’s miles and miles out when you actually compare what’s happening in the most powerful economy in the EU.

The German Government actually give tax allowance to every PAYE tax payer on the mileage driven between home and workplace for one full single direction on every day at work. This tax benefit is to encourage people to look far and wide for a job and to earn a living instead of being unemployed.

I can also fully understand the logic of this form of tax relief So perhaps the ideal solution and a possible way out of this unpopular additional tax for Mr McKay and Ms Sturgeon is simple; combine both together. Perhaps a bit more benchmarking with other countries before imposing the levy may have thrown a different light on the issue.

Dougie Gray
Dunbar

THE decision to deploy 100 Scottish police officers to London prompts three questions (Scots police sent to London to tackle Extinction Rebellion, October 13).

1) If the redeployment of 100 officers does not impact on policing in Scotland, why are we paying for them in the first place?

2) What were the circumstances when English officers were deployed in Scotland as claimed by the Chief Constable?

3) Do police officers from another country have powers of arrest in Scotland? This is a seriously disturbing scenario on many levels, which calls into question the public accountability of the police and justice system.

Ian Richmond
Dumfries and Galloway

READ MORE: Scottish police sent to London to tackle ER protests

I’VE been meaning to write for some time to express my appreciation of the writing of Thomas Clark. His column in last Thursday’s edition of The National (“UDI or Die! The ScotNat guide tae Plan B fae ooter space”, October 10) was a cracker – I’d recommend it to any reader who’s not yet taken the chance to peruse it.

READ MORE: UDI or Die! The ScotNat guide tae Plan B fae ooter space

While I enjoy all the columns written in Scots – it’s great to “hear” such a range of voices in such a richly expressive language – I find Thomas Clarke’s work particularly insightful, witty, thought-provoking and incisive, and really value how it/he challenges us. He certainly helps broaden my thinking as an indy supporter. If he ever decides to stop writing for The National, please try to make him stay – use bribery or blackmail if necessary!

Mo Maclean
Glasgow