Inertia

So far, most of the threats by the Turks have been inflated by the bluster of their political campaign, but as we know, that can, rather quickly, turn into the real. So, when I see something like this, it grabs my attention.

The incursion occurred amid intensified debate in Turkey about whether to conduct a cross-border operation into northern Iraq to pursue separatist Kurdish rebels who stage attacks inside Turkey from bases there.

Turkish media have been reporting that the army was massing troops along the border, including in Uzumlu.

With enough weight on that border, an incident of some type is inevitable, and once that happens, events could escalate quickly.