Posted on 11/23/2018 9:54:59 AM PST by Texas Fossil
I am already sick of Turkey.
I suspect that many Americans feel this way, about the bird and the country. Yet a small group of Washington foreign policy hands — at State Department, at Pentagon and in congressional offices — continue to make the case for Turkey as a “strategically important” partner to the US. On paper, the country looks good: It sits at the center of many of Americas most pressing foreign policy concerns, it is a member of NATO, it's stable, and it can offer foreign partners access to its airbases and intelligence cooperation. I used to think of all of these as strong points. Now, I think they are mostly overrated, and often available elsewhere.
Last year, a friend of mine took 11 people out for Thanksgiving dinner; nine of them ordered steak, one ate pasta, and only one had turkey. Nothing happened to them. The sun came up the next morning. And so, Ive been wondering: If, maybe, its time to rethink what we eat on Americas national day of thanks (anyone for tacos?), could it also be time to rethink what it means to say the United States has a strategic partnership with Turkey?
When Donald Trump was elected president, it seemed the Turks might warm to him, thanks to his railing on the campaign trail against the American “establishment,” which Turkish leaders perceive to be unfailingly hostile to Ankara. Trump and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, fist-bumped at a meeting of NATO leaders in July and have spoken warmly about each other. But the U.S.-Turkey relationship still has major fault lines when it comes to Syria, Russia, Iran, the treatment of Americans in Turkey and the fate of Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania resident whom the Turks accuse of masterminding the failed 2016 coup détat in Turkey..
(Excerpt) Read more at francenews7.com ...
Turkey is using the Khashoggi assassination as a weapon to divide the Anti-ISIS coalition and poison the relations between the US and Saudi Arabia. You must remember that Turkey destroyed 2 prior Saudi Arabian nations. In one they captured the King of SA and took him to Istanbul and beheaded him.
The Long Struggle for Supremacy in the Muslim World
original https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-long-struggle-for-supremacy-in-the-muslim-world-1540572987 (pay walled)
Under Efdogan the Islamist, Turkey has become a dictatorship. Nothing but propaganda comes out of Turkey. And they are extending the reach of that operation to other nations at an expanding basis.
Turkey's Neo Ottoman goal is to conquer all the neighboring countries and kill the inhabitants who oppose and make slaves of the rest. Iran is somewhat aligned with them. They both openly support Islamist Terrorists.
The influence of Russia is also important. Turkey is playing that against the US. Russia's true position? They always seek their own National (at times personal) interest.
It is time for reality check in our foreign policy with Turkey.
Europe is terrified because Turkey is the gatekeeper to the Middle East - kick them out of NATO and Erdogan can get revenge by unleashing a vast flood of young male “refugees”.
I say, let the Russians turn it back into Constantinople.
I thought this was a post Thanksgiving thread.
I ate so much of it yesterday at lunch that I did not eat leftovers last night.
It was a great tasting turkey and the dressing was incredible. But enough is enough. smile.
I watched a cooking show the other day that suggested people cook chicken on Thanksgiving. Turkey is so hard to cook. It gets dry so easily. It so big and unwieldy.
If out at a good restaurant, I would have lamb first if the offered it, then a good cut of steak ... ribeye for me.
There are ways of stopping the hoards at the border.
Good goal.
Erdogan needs to be ‘replaced’ with someone more cooperative with Germany and Israel. Not many able candidates fill that bill.
Then your wife should be congratulated for being a good cook!!! bCooking a mist turkey with good gravy. Keep her!
All I had yesterday was left over pizza from the night before.........
The title is original, complete without the ‘ in I’m.
I saw this first in Politico, original trimmed down version. When I tried to post it from there I was reminded to post it as a blog. So I looked for a better source and found this one.
It is an improvement on the original.
This issue has been batted about on FR for a long time. It is not simple, but it is clear that Turkey under Erdogan is incompatible with Western Values and Turkey opposes our natural allies in the Middle East. This will not get better under Erdogan the Islamist Dictator.
I thought Turkey was incompatible with red wine.
I’ve never eaten lamb. I like goat if cooked right.
My preference is rib eye steak.
Wife and I share duties in the kitchen on holidays. We have the process of cooking turkey down pat. Slow cook in foil pan with tightly sealed foil cover.
On smaller things I bag wrap in wide foil. I do the 3 seams by folding them 3 times on the seams and crimp sealing it. Very tight seal.
I’d share with you. smile.
Kemalists would have dealt with him in normal times. They are not much different, but aren’t Islamists.
Yes, Turkey is their “Mexico” - the last stop before assaulting the civilized West.
Well if you hurry over, you can have some pizza with me for lunch too..........LOL!
Yet he builds the case to do just that, and I am inclined to do just that. 8>)
I would even support an attack by Saudi Arabia, with the U.S. adding backup support. That would succeed in shaking the you know what out of the Iranians and give the Iranian people a reason to push even harder against the Mullahs. It would also shake up the rest of the Middle East.
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