Posted on 01/26/2018 8:05:33 PM PST by BenLurkin
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his troops recently advanced on the Kurdish stronghold of Afrin only after Ankara got a green light from Russia. Moscow has denied giving such assent, but Erdogan on Monday said that indeed, Turkey had an agreement with Russia to launch the offensive.
It’s a page straight from the Kremlin playbook. Moscow is capitalizing on the discord between the U.S. and Turkey over the Kurds to cozy up to a member of NATO, an alliance the Kremlin still regards as an existential threat on its western border. Aggravate the rift between Washington and Ankara, Moscow figures, and Ankara’s ties with the West will continue to weaken. The winner in all this? You guessed it, the bare-chested former KGB agent.
In November 2015, Turkey and Russia were at each other’s throats. Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian bomber that Ankara claimed had violated Turkish airspace over the Turkish-Syrian border. Tempers between the two nations flared. Since then, however, ties between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have deepened.
...
If Turkey wrests control of Afrin from the Syrian Kurds, it may not stop there. Kurdish troops maintain chunks of territory in northern Syria, and Turkish troops could push toward them after Afrin. That could put Turkish forces in direct conflict with U.S. troops who are training and advising the Kurds.
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The U.S. cannot afford to abandon the Syrian Kurds, partly out of loyalty and partly because Washington needs them along border regions to prevent a comeback by Islamic State. Though defeated in both Syria and Iraq, Islamic State fighters control a 4,000-mile stretch of the Euphrates River Valley. The Kurds’ presence also serves as a vital counterbalance to Iran and Russia’s influence in Syria.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
If a choice is needed, and it looks like Erdogan is forcing It—Russia would be far far far far far better for America than the islamic turkey regime. Far better.
Great title- but it’s China, not Russia, that pulls Turkey into it’s orbit.
Russia IMO would like to see Turkey ‘quadmired’ with the Kurds.
The choice isn’t partnership with Turkey or Russia. The choice is having Turkey standing with NATO against Russia, or not. Russia is just trying to peel apart NATO.
Couldn't be anyone else, they control all elections, revolutions, coups, bots, even global warming and Obama's birth certificate.
Turkey is doing a way better job of peeling apart NATO than Russia ever could. They'll encourage the Turks to keep causing problems, but their real goal is Turkey once again being the "Sick man of Europe" and in an economic mess like Greece but still in NATO to drag it down.
I’d like to see turkey the H out Of NATO. And a better ( always careful) coordination with Russia.
The US needs to shut down Incirlik AB, start shutting down the US Embassy and consulates in Turkey and pull out of there. The people tried to get rid of Erdogan, but as with the Iranians, when you have an Islamist occupying the White House, there’s only so much you can do. Now that the islamist is gone, it’s time to rethink that whole arrangement.
This will backfire. On Russia.
Maybe but not while Putin is president.
Our two best options in Syria are (1) overthrow Assad and replace him with a known quantity who would be an improvement, or (2) get out and let Assad retake his entire country so that their brutal dictator will at least have a stable country. There is no one available for option 1. We have to accept option 2.
The Democrats/Deep State are using Russia conspiracies to their advantage.
Why? so they too can behave like Russia! All their censorship, all the “anti-extremism” measures. Just where do you think they get their example from?!
RUSSIA! Where every law restricting press and speech and religious evangelism/worship falls under the category of “anti-extremism” “anti-terrorism.”
Now we are getting a taste of what it’s like to live there and the struggle to have a,political,voice and genuine opposition. How else do you think Putin’s managed to last longer in power than Stalin?
Fair elections? Hah!
The river is 1740 miles long.
Well sure - but they control both sides of the river. And some other stuff.
That must be it.
If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Why he was Obama's favorite world leader.
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