CNN: Deadly blasts hit Turkey hotels (Istanbul)

[Sufi Marmot]

Link

So far two dead in the blasts - one explosion in Sultanahmet and one in Laleli. :-(


-SM, who has plans to visit Turkey next year...

[enigmatic]

1. Damn!

Anybody worried that something bad is going to happen in Athens during the Olympics?

[Sufi Marmot]

3. It wouldn't surprise me if it did...

On the other hand, a terrorist attack by Al-Qaeda at the Olympics might galvanize world support against them (above and beyond current cooperative counterterrorism measures) and could possibly encourage heretofore reluctant allies to give greater military/financial support for the "war on terror". It's plausible that Al-Qaeda might lay off the Olympics for strategic regions... :shrug:

-SM

[enigmatic]

5. That's a good point..

I hope you're right..

[Athame]

6. precisely the reason

for an "Al-CIAda" attack, as one poster here calls them. Methinks W could use a little galvanizing of support ...

[Pachamama]

2. How can this be happening? I thought Bu$h had made the world safer...

...or was it the US only? I can't remember....one minute he's the War President and then the Peace President....one minute we are told we are safer and then there are alerts....

I guess we know the Athen's Olympics are going to be real safe eh?

[DeepModem Mom]

4. SM, I have travel plans, too, as I'm living a brief time abroad...

and have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to places a much shorter distance away. It's very frustrating to have to consider seriously where I, as an American, can travel and feel relatively safe. If I didn't have family that depend on me somewhat, I'd say to hell with it, and go just about anywhere. What's your feeling about places you would be reluctant to visit (aside from obvious, such as Iraq)?

[cally]

7. Where do you plan to go?

This would be a good topic for the lounge. I've gotten good advice about travel from fellow DUers.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. The Lounge is a good idea -- thanks, cally!

[Sufi Marmot]

11. I'd say go for it, but do your homework first...

My notion, from reading other travelers' accounts at places like , is that the majority of places in the world are generally safe for Americans to travel to, except where there is open conflict such as Iraq.

For instance, I suspect that you are much, much more likely to come to harm wandering around a large American city than in Iran or Syria, despite what the State Department says. Obviously I would avoid Iraq, and a number of other countries/areas where there is ongoing civil unrest (Somalia, Chechnya, Columbia, Congo, etc.) But the possibility of crime exists anywhere, and I think Americans tend to hold the notion, promulgated by the media, that just because our government has issues with another government (cf. Iran or Syria), that it is particularly dangerous for normal American citizens to travel there (above and beyond the risks of travel anywhere). In many countries, by all accounts this just isn't true.

Just do as much research as possible about what's going on in the countries you want to visit, and read as many travelers' accounts as possible. Trying to learn a bit of the language helps a lot too. Best wishes -

-SM

[DeepModem Mom]

13. Thanks so much for your wise counsel! It's quite comforting...

to be reminded that people around the world don't, for the most part, hold average Americans responsible for the actions of our current government.

Best wishes to you, also!

[Sufi Marmot]

14. Where are you planning to travel to?

Ironically, for my planned travels, the country I'm most concerned about at the moment is an impoverished, predominantly Christian nation which has recently undergone a major upheaval in its government, and which has several seperatist regions. Should be interesting... :-)

-SM

[DeepModem Mom]

16. My biggest concern, I think, is for the same country!

:)

I'm not a fearful traveler, and have traveled frequently to different countries, but I haven't been to Morocco, Egypt, United Arab Emirates/Dubai, which is advertised constantly on UK TV (my husband was there a few years ago, was fascinated, and hoped to go back with me).

I've always wanted to to go to Kenya, but in the UK, many people advise going to South Africa instead.

The State Department's site has strong cautions (not official warnings) about all of these countries for Americans (terrorism and/or crime), except, I think, Egypt, which hasn't had a terrorist attack in a while. (Our own country, I think, has had an attack, in NYC, since the last in Egypt.)

It's hard to know what to think. As I said before, if I didn't have family responsibilities, I'd strike out most anywhere. But the State Department is cautionary about many countries, some we already have plans to visit, like your planned visit to Turkey.

[Sufi Marmot]

18. I was talking about the Republic of Georgia...

:-)

You sound like you've traveled more than I have so I suspect you'll be fine. My notion is that most experienced travellers find the State Department cautions more overwrought than reflects reality, possibly because the State Department has to account for not only relatively experienced travellers but also the potentially inept and clueless. Infrequent business travellers, first-time missionaries, college students abroad for the first time, etc (not to say that all members of these groups are inept or clueless...).

Best wishes - SM

[Sufi Marmot]

15. Edited for link:

I find the Thorntree message board at Lonely Planet to be a good source of firsthand travel info, although as with any internet source I would try to confirm peoples' claims by multiple independent sources.

-SM

[DeepModem Mom]

17. Thanks for the tip -- will check out!

[cally]

8. Turkey seems to be targetted

The government has not allowed much dissent from more religious Muslims before and it seems the minority are using the Iraq war to recruit and terrorize.

S.M. I would still go to Turkey. It's a beautiful country.

[Sufi Marmot]

10. I'm definitely going...

I've been planning a trip to Turkey and other countries in that general region for about 3 years, so it would have to get much, much worse for me to reconsider.

The bombings may not have been by Al-Qaeda, but by Kurdish separatists:

A previously unknown Kurdish group said it carried out the attack. The Germany-based Mezopotamya News Agency, which often reports rebel statements, said it received a telephone call from an individual claiming responsibility for the attacks in the name of the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Organization.

It said the group carried out the attacks because of recent Turkish military operations against the rebels. No other details were immediately available.

From the NYT: Link

-SM

[Merlin]

12. US Olympic Basketball team is there right now, I believe.

I think the US-Turkey exhibition game on ESPN that just ended (US won by about 12 points) was live. I know it was played in Istanbul.