Posted on 09/18/2011 8:35:13 AM PDT by Fennie
Russia has sent two nuclear-powered submarines to patrol Eastern Mediterranean waters around Cyprus and enforce the island's right to explore for undersea oil and gas in its territorial seas, according to information from Defencenet.gr, citing a Russian FM spokesman.
(Excerpt) Read more at cyprusnewsreport.com ...
Turkey said on Saturday Cyprus oil drilling plans are “provocation” Source - Reuters
Does Russia have a dog in this fight?
Sites like Debka have been publishing some scary stories about a possible military confrontation.
I tend to the think the Islamolite government of Turkey is trying to be a “big brother” to the “Arab spring” but it better watch its steps.
Turkish leader Erdogan has had a lot of conversations with Obama in recent months about regional matters.
You would hope that cool heads would prevail but who knows.
Turkey is blasting Israel in public but also warning Assad about what he’s doing in Syria.
It will be interesting to see if and where the Turkish military will be used in the end.
The generals are not Islamists but Erdogan has been slowly purging the ranks to put his officers in charge.
Noble Energy is about to drill a deepwater well in Cyprus waters, SE of the island, starting in December. On trend with Tamar and Leviathan gas discoveries offshore Israel.
Does Russia have a dog in this fight?
I think Russia has been at odds with Turkey and NATO for generations. With thee present abdication of the United States and our betrayal of our traditional allies, Russia sees an historic opportunity to become a major player in the Mediterranean; previously an American lake. Russias risk with Turkey is zero for a number of reasons. Turkey has overextended itself rhetoric-wise, by taking on too many adversaries and advocating too many new positions. Russia will form meaningful long-term relationships which will be to their long-term military and commercial good. Can a Russian military base in Cypress be far behind? What about permanent port rights in Cypress, Greece and Israel? Using the collapse of Egypt and the threat of an erratic and unpredictable American president threatening the worlds peace, Russia is advancing its interests with little risk. Can you imagine NATO coming to Turkeys aid if ships clash in the Mediterranean? I cant see it even if they wanted to. Libya has both drained them and exposed how weak they really are.
When the United States tries to re-exert itself under a new president it will find itself stymied at every turn by new political and economic realities.
Truth, I said to my sister right after obozo got elected that the most dangerous power he had was international relations and treaties. He has proved me true as the state of the world is at a tipping point.
This is the on-ramp to Biblical very soon...
A bad combination for Isreal. Glenn Beck called it, socialists and Islamist joining forces against Israel, and against our beloved America.
Russia has a dog in the fight wherever Orthodox Christians are in the majority, or even a sizable minority.
As a result we now have Russian submarines running patrols to guard an American oil company’s drilling operations against interference from a NATO member.
I was wondering the same thing. Turkey is now Russia's second biggest trading partner after Germany. So if they were going to jump in I would have expected them to back Turkey.
Thanks Fennie.
It’s on.
This is a script-flipping undreamed of in some people’s philosophy.
“Turkey is blasting Israel in public but also warning Assad about what hes doing in Syria.”
Syria’s leadership is Alawite - Turkey’s Islamists, who are Sunnis, would naturally be offended by people they view as subhuman killing fellow Sunnis.
Ahmad ibn Taymiya (1268-1328), the still highly influential Sunni writer of Syrian origins, wrote in a fatwa (religious decision) that the Nusayris are more infidel than Jews or Christians, even more infidel than many polytheists. They have done greater harm to the community of Muhammad than have the warring infidels such as the Franks, the Turks, and others. To ignorant Muslims they pretend to be Shiis, though in reality they do not believe in God or His prophet or His book. Ibn Taymiya warned of the mischief their enmity can do: Whenever possible, they spill the blood of Muslims. They are always the worst enemies of the Muslims. In conclusion, he argued that war and punishment in accordance with Islamic law against them are among the greatest of pious deeds and the most important obligations for a Muslim. From the fourteenth century on, Sunnis used the term Nusayri to mean pariah.
Alawis had had no recognized position in the millet (sectarian) system of the Ottoman Empire. An Ottoman decree from 1571 notes that ancient custom required Alawis to pay extra taxes to the authorities and justified this on the grounds that Alawis neither practice the fast [of Ramadan] nor the ritual prayers, nor do they observe any precepts of the Islamic religion. Sunnis often saw food produced by Alawis as unclean, and did not eat it. According to Jacques Weulerrse, no Alawi would dare enter a Muslim mosque. Formerly, not one of their religious leaders was able to go to town on the day of public prayer [Friday] without risk of being stoned. Any public demonstration of the communitys separate identity was taken as a challenge [by the Sunnis].
Sunnis were not alone in reading Alawis out of Islam-mainstream Shiis did likewise. And Alawis in turn saw both groups as deficient.
Sunni heresiographers excoriated Alawi beliefs and viewed the Alawis as disbelievers (kuffar) and idolaters (mushrikun). Twelver Shii heresiographers were only slightly less vituperative and regarded the Alawis as ghulat, those who exceed all bounds in their deification of Ali. The Alawis, in turn, held Twelver Shiis to be muqassira, those who fall short of fathoming Alis divinity.
>>>>>>>>>>I think Russia has been at odds with Turkey and NATO for generations.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In fact pushing around Turkey right now is a nice way to project power for them the way they did in 2008 in Georgia.
They teached the World on NATO raping their candidate nation and nothing ever happened as a counter-reaction.
If they are to do something like that to Turkey, which is an actual NATO member, this time it will be a horror show for every new or future NATO member.
Considering such a perspective it is very important to note recent idiotic statements and actions by Turkish government which are obviously islamist in nature and anti Judeo-Christian. It makes a lot of room for a potential moral support Worldwide for any Russian provocations toward Turkey.
They may claim action in defence of Christians in Cyprus against a rogue Turkish state and it is very unlikely if any politician in the West will be able to do a thing to form a public opinion against Russians this time.
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