The U.S. Declares War on the Ottoman Empire in World War I?

[futurist]

What if the U.S. would have declared war on the Ottoman Empire in World War I?

[lordroel]

Aug 3, 2016 6:35:00 GMT futurist said:

What if the U.S. would have declared war on the Ottoman Empire in World War I?

The United States will be at war with a country they will never see in combat, just like Canada declaring war on Italy during World War II, they where at war but never fought each other in combat.

[futurist]

Aug 3, 2016 14:04:52 GMT lordroel said:

Aug 3, 2016 6:35:00 GMT futurist said:

What if the U.S. would have declared war on the Ottoman Empire in World War I?

The United States will be at war with a country they will never see in combat, just like Canada declaring war on Italy during World War II, they where at war but never fought each other in combat.

The U.S. can probably afford to send a small number of American troops to the Middle East in World War I in this scenario, though.

[lordroel]

Aug 3, 2016 19:27:34 GMT futurist said:

Aug 3, 2016 14:04:52 GMT lordroel said:

The United States will be at war with a country they will never see in combat, just like Canada declaring war on Italy during World War II, they where at war but never fought each other in combat.

The U.S. can probably afford to send a small number of American troops to the Middle East in World War I in this scenario, though.

Harry Turtledove had a book called Alternate Generals II about the United States in Turkey after the end of the Great War, you can read it here and is called: American Mandate

[stevep]

Interesting read. Thanks for the link. Don't think I've read the book but a quick look at the southern strategy chapter seemed to ring a bell. Possibly have a read tomorrow.

Apart from the fact I doubt the British would be that eager to have the Americans in Constantinople rather than the French things could happen something like that. Although I have read that if the Greeks hadn't diverted forces to try and secure the city they might not have been defeat in Anatolia, or at least as badly. [The bite of a pet monkey could have been damned important here as well. ]

I presume the failure of the American forces in the east probably means more suffering for the Armenians but with Kemel's forces on the up that is pretty much certain for any minorities in Anatolia.

[lordroel]

Could we place the US in here.

[stevep]

Aside from any role in western Anatolia there was a suggestion that America have a mandate for Armenia, which I think included the sizeable Armenian territorial claims of the time. IIRC this was favoured by President Wilson but rejected by Congress. [Checking some details in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilsonian_Armenia ] The defeat in the Senate was heavy 52 to 23 but possibly some major butterflies might have reversed that.

If there was an established American mandate for Armenia then the forces involved would very likely have clashed with Kemal's nationalists but presuming opposition to the Turks elsewhere and possibly some butterflies Kemal's forces could have been denied at least some of their more extravagant claims and possibly Armenia, although it would probably have lost some territory not as much as OTL and might have stayed independent rather than being partitioned between Turkey and the Soviets.

[deltaforce]

Aug 4, 2016 17:26:29 GMT lordroel said:

Could we place the US in here.

When was that proposed? It looks like the French would have had half the petroleum of Northern Iraq within their sphere of influence (source).

[lordroel]

Mar 14, 2017 1:51:28 GMT deltaforce said:

Aug 4, 2016 17:26:29 GMT lordroel said:

Could we place the US in here.

When was that proposed? It looks like the French would have had half the petroleum of Northern Iraq within their sphere of influence (source).

Could be in 1919: Map: The Middle East That Might Have Been