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Turkey Is in Serious Trouble
The Atlantic ^ | 10/06/2015 | Soner Cagaptay

Posted on 10/06/2015 11:12:15 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

The country has seen periods of turmoil before. But this time may be different.

I am usually an optimist when it comes to Turkey’s future. Indeed, I wrote a whole book about The Rise of Turkey. But these days, I’m worried. The country faces a toxic combination of political polarization, government instability, economic slowdown, and threats of violence—from both inside and outside Turkey—that could soon add up to a catastrophe. The likelihood of that outcome is increasing amid Russia’s bombing raids in Syria in support of its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which threaten to debilitate the moderate rebels and boost the extremists in Syria’s civil war, while leaving Turkey to deal with two unruly neighbors: Assad and ISIS.

Of course, Turkey has gone through periods of political and economic crisis before. During the 1970s, the country’s economy collapsed, and the instability led to fighting among right- and left-wing militant groups and security forces that killed thousands of people. Then, in the 1990s, Turkey was pummeled by triple-digit inflation and a full-blown Kurdish insurgency that killed tens of thousands. Turkey survived both those decades. The historian in me says that Turkey will be able to withstand the coming shock this time as well.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: worldwariii
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1 posted on 10/06/2015 11:12:15 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Don’t suppose our chief is to blame?


2 posted on 10/06/2015 11:17:28 AM PDT by nikos1121 ("There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." Thoreau)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

FREE Constantinople Now!!


3 posted on 10/06/2015 11:18:29 AM PDT by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Where’s Cenk Uygur these days?


4 posted on 10/06/2015 11:18:41 AM PDT by Steely Tom (Vote GOP: A Slower Handbasket)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

what frigging moderate rebels, there is none. they too rape women, behead people etc.


5 posted on 10/06/2015 11:19:41 AM PDT by manc (Marriage =1 man + 1 woman,when they say marriage equality then they should support polygamy)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

What’s different this time is they have an Islamist in power.
Gone are the days of a secular Turkey.

The author still believes there are moderates in Syria.


6 posted on 10/06/2015 11:20:19 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
ISIS = Turkey

If Turkey doesn't want ISIS in its camps, just give them tickets to Germany.

ISIS are largely mercenaries, as shown by their fleeing the Russian attacks instead of staying to die for “faith”. The “caliphate” recruited their fighters like a promised islamo Disney World of money, food, extortion proceeds, housing, iphones, jihad brides, sex slaves and Christians and Syrian villagers to torture and kill in public executions. They will go where the pay and benefits are best. Thank You Angela Merkel.

Assad will not be an unruly neighbor if Turkey stays out of their business and stops trying to supplant the regime with radical sunnis and other radical islamist foreigners imported from all over the muslim word

7 posted on 10/06/2015 11:21:57 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
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To: Lurkinanloomin

Yep, we are calling the islamist tyrant Erdogan an ally and trying to kill Assad

crazy stuff


8 posted on 10/06/2015 11:23:02 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

To quote Billy Hayes in “Midnight Express”:

“For a nation of pigs, it sure is funny you don’t eat’em!”


9 posted on 10/06/2015 11:23:04 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Well this is an analysis but great news is that it is not our problem. It presupposes that Russia will stop half way through Syria and not engage isis in Iraq with the Iranians. I beg to differ
10 posted on 10/06/2015 11:23:42 AM PDT by WENDLE (Let Russia Fight ISIS !! Who cares??)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The world is at war just nobody is watching.


11 posted on 10/06/2015 11:23:42 AM PDT by EBH (Watch Damascus)
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To: Lurkinanloomin

http://thesaker.is/a-russian-syrian-volunteer-talks-about-his-experience-in-the-shabiha-pro-assad-paramilitary/

Where might be the moderate Syrians? The ones who support Assad!


12 posted on 10/06/2015 11:24:35 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. ISIS that is.


13 posted on 10/06/2015 11:25:53 AM PDT by McGruff (Trump-Cruz 2016. Make America Great Again.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Does Gulen retain influence as he remains in seclusion in Pennsylvania?


14 posted on 10/06/2015 11:27:44 AM PDT by codder too
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To: E. Pluribus Unum; All

My heart bleeds for them...NOT! Remember when, even before the current psychopath took power there, the last or next to last psychopath in power refused to let us overfly them to support our troops in Iraq? Screw the Turks...how they ever got into NATO in the first place is a mystery to me.


15 posted on 10/06/2015 11:33:23 AM PDT by notdownwidems (Washington DC has become the enemy of free people everywhere)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
"The country faces a toxic combination of political polarization, government instability, economic slowdown, and threats of violence—from both inside and outside Turkey—that could soon add up to a catastrophe."

He writes like this is a bad thing.

16 posted on 10/06/2015 11:34:39 AM PDT by circlecity
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“News” outlets like Atlantic, Salon, HuffPo are the most shallow, superficial and stupid out there

I’m no fan of Turkey, but if these losers are predicting chaos, the country will probably wind up just fine.


17 posted on 10/06/2015 11:40:15 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: circlecity

I want to see this ISIS thing go all the way to Europe. They wanted them, they got them.

No sympathy here.


18 posted on 10/06/2015 11:40:45 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Jews For Cruz)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Biblically speaking, Turkey is in the driver’s seat and will be for awhile. I lived there for 6 yrs. 85-91. Sad to see it go this way. I met many very nice people there.


19 posted on 10/06/2015 12:10:33 PM PDT by Lake Living
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Russia is now on Turkeys southern flank.(i.e. Syria) Russia's goal is control of the entire Southern Mediterranean coast from Turkey to the Atlantic. When the aforementioned goal is achieved Russia will have flanked Europe's south. Russia will eventually move into the Baltic states thus flanking Europe in the North. By controlling the northern and southern European flanks Russia Russia will eventually achieve a "Grand Cannae" over NATO forces.

Do not forget "kiddies" in WWII we flanked Europe on the south and invaded Europe from the south through Italy and southern France.

Russia is the future as the Western degeneracy is no longer spiritually and physiologically able to mount effective resistance to Russia's actions. They may ultimately save us from the Third World conquest./p>

20 posted on 10/06/2015 12:11:51 PM PDT by AEMILIUS PAULUS
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