Posted on 01/15/2026 6:39:04 AM PST by Freeleesy
Despite attempting to cast himself as the moral arbiter of the Middle East, Turkish Islamic semi-dicrator President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to use regional instability to mask his domestic failures and pursue a transparently expansionist “Neo-Ottoman” agenda.
1. Exploiting the Syrian Power Vacuum
While the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024 was a victory for the Syrian people, Erdogan has swiftly pivoted from “liberator” to occupier. Turkey was the primary backer of the Syrian National Army (SNA), a proxy force critics argue is more loyal to Ankara than to the Syrian revolution. Following Assad’s collapse, Erdogan’s forces launched Operation Dawn of Freedom, a naked land grab aimed at expanding the Turkish-occupied “buffer zone” and crushing Kurdish aspirations for self-governance. Reference: Council on Foreign Relations (2024) – Analysis of Turkey’s “double-game” in Syria, balancing anti-Assad rhetoric with unilateral military incursions.
2. Systematic Crackdown on Kurdish Allies
Erdogan’s primary objective in post-Assad Syria remains the destruction of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Despite the SDF being the West’s most reliable partner in the defeat of ISIS, Erdogan views them as an existential threat. By capitalizing on the chaos of the regime’s collapse, Turkish-backed forces moved to dismantle US-allied Kurdish enclaves in Aleppo and Manbij, effectively trading the fight against jihadism for a campaign of ethnic displacement. Reference: Modern Diplomacy (2025) – Reports on Erdogan’s leverage of the offensive to expand the 30-kilometer Turkish “security corridor.”
3. Gaza: The Ejected Mediator.
In a desperate bid for Islamic leadership, the “Islamic Dictator” attempted to insert himself into the Gaza conflict by urging the Trump administration to grant Turkey a lead oversight role. However, Israel and several Arab neighbors flatly rejected his participation. Erdogan’s open embrace of Hamas leadership and his vitriolic rhetoric against the Israeli state have disqualified him as a “neutral broker,” leaving Turkey sidelined while Qatar and Egypt maintain real diplomatic leverage.
Reference: Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) (2025) – Policy brief on how Israel and regional Arab powers blocked Turkey’s “guarantor” proposal due to ideological ties.
4. The “Islamic NATO”: The Nuclear Pivot to Pakistan
Finding himself increasingly isolated within NATO, Erdogan has turned toward a hardline “Pak-Turk” strategic alliance. In early 2026, reports emerged that Turkey is in advanced talks to join a Mutual Defense Pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. This so-called “Muslim NATO” allows Erdogan to project power toward India and the West, essentially seeking a seat under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella to compensate for waning influence in the Mediterranean.
Reference: Bloomberg / The Times of Israel (January 2026) – Investigation into the “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” and Turkey’s shift toward a trilateral nuclear security bloc.
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Defeating one baddie, always leads to the rise of a new baddie.
Especially in the M.E
I don’t understand - the link to the article does not cover what the headline on the thread says...........
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