Posted on 04/29/2022 12:54:48 PM PDT by Kaslin
To say that the United States’ foreign policy situation has shifted dramatically in the past couple of years would be an understatement. While the world is largely united in its opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, America’s individual relationships with some countries have grown increasingly rocky even as former rivals in other parts of the world seem to be on the mend. For one example, look no further than the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Just this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia for the first time in five years, taking meetings with both Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the King. The two countries had been engaged in a sort of cold war ever since Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated by Saudi infiltrators in Turkey’s capital, but now it appears that both of them are ready to move on.
The killing of columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul sent an already tense and shaky relationship between Turkey and Saudi Arabia into complete free fall.Fast-forward 3 1/2 years later and it appears Turkey and Saudi Arabia are attempting to build a bridge and move on.
In his first trip to Saudi Arabia in five years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan embraced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and sipped traditional Arabic coffee with King Salman before a state dinner and direct talks that ran into the early hours of Friday.
Part of Turkey’s motivation for realigning with Saudi Arabia is no doubt driven by financial concerns. Turkey’s economy is in the tank right now. Inflation there is currently running at more than 60% and the value of the lira is less than half of what it was two years ago. Unemployment is through the roof and government revenue has cratered. Conversely, Saudi Arabia is in the middle of a cash boom caused by vastly increased oil prices. They have money to invest and Turkey would like some of that action. Saudi Arabia is getting something out of the deal as well. Before Erdogan left for his visit, Turkey dropped its ongoing case against 26 Saudi suspects in Khashoggi’s killing and turned it over to the Saudi courts.
Meanwhile, our relationship with Saudi Arabia had gotten to one its most promising states when Donald Trump was president, but now it’s pretty much on the rocks. It’s worth noting that while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was welcoming the Turkish tyrant over for meetings, he’s yet to even place a call to Joe Biden since he was sworn into office. Saudi Arabia also basically thumbed its nose at Biden when he asked them to bump up their oil output last year.
The reason that this alignment is worrisome is that both Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been mostly staying on the fence when it comes to Russia and the invasion of Ukraine. The Saudis are refusing to cut off energy deals with Russia and Erdogan has been very careful not to do anything to directly offend Putin. If we are witnessing the formation of a new, 21st-century axis of evil as many have speculated, Turkey has been leaning further and further toward Russia’s side in recent years. And Saudi Arabia has never seemed particularly interested in any sort of alliance with the United States unless it involves selling us oil.
On top of all of this, there are still simmering resentments over Turkey’s decision to purchase advanced Russian missile systems and fighter jets. This makes them incompatible with NATO defensive and offensive systems and leaves our own military hardware open to potential scrutiny by Russian intelligence agencies. Once the situation in Ukraine stabilizes (assuming it ever does), the world is going to look noticeably different in terms of the various alliances that are being reshaped around the globe. Both Russia and China are likely to wind up with more significant support than we would probably like to see.
How can anyone be surprised at this?
the obvious way to move Gulf hydrocarbons to Europe is via Turkish pipelines.
Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia should bury the hatchet and do business.
You can’t put the Ottoman Band back together without Arabia, and later, Iran under your thumb. Maybe the first part can be done more or less peacefully, but the second has the Sunni/Shia rivalry going.
So, one unreliable Moslem ally is cozying pup to another unreliable Moslem ally. What could possibly go wrong?
What's that? The USA has an actual foreign policy?
I thought Biden and his crew were just making $.it up
on the fly.
“While the world is largely united in its opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”
MIXED is a more accurate term. Per population, roughly 1/3 siding with Russia 1/3 neutral, and 1/3 with the Nazis.
We just have the Western media, but there is more to the world than just the West.
That was the whole purpose of the Syrian civil war. It was intended to overthrow Assad and install a pipeline friendly government. The problem is Russia, since their primary global strategy is centered on controlling energy supplies to Europe. The Qatar-Turkey pipeline would have drastically decreased Russia's geopolitical clout.
Operation Timber Sycamore was CIA Director Petraeus' idea to take advantage of the "Arab Spring" protests to foment a civil war and overthrow Assad. We recruited, trained and armed the rebel forces, many of them associated with Al Qaeda. When that seemed like it wasn't going to work, the plan shifted to splitting the country to just take the east where the pipeline would run. The result is almost 400,000 dead, over 5 million refugees and a devastated Syria. But Assad and Russia remain.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is also mostly about controlling Europe's energy and gaining control over Ukraine's petroleum and gas reserves. If Europe wants to be free of Russia, they either need to fight, or start building nuclear power plants.
Why is that disturbing?
“You can’t put the Ottoman Band back together without Arabia, and later, Iran under your thumb.”
Yup. But you’d also have to take Crimea, southern Ukraine, the Caucasus, the Balkans, Egypt, Irag, Lebanon, Israel, Bulgaria, and Romania. I think Turkey would be content with Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and the Caucasus. But, as a wise man once said, “Ain’t gonna happen!”
Much of the world looks at US as the unreliable ally. Every 4 years, they all have to wonder what a new leader will change. Our leaders regularly sign and implement deals that are not approved by congress, and exist at the whim of whoever lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Even when we do have legit treaties, Presidents have pretty wide power to conduct foreign policy, and undermining the accomplishments of your predecessor seems like a sport to our politicians.
Turkey is in such desperate shape economically that it will cozy next to anyone who will give it money. They are looking at turning off the power and their currency is, for all practical purposes, worthless. All because their leader has zero understanding of economics. He tried to do what China does that used to work for them, except his currency is convertible.
Given the condition they’re in I’m shocked they’re supporting Ukraine as Russia can pay bribes in gas. To me this means “someone” is paying them way more than the asking price for the drones and that’s probably the US.
Democrat administrations are the epitome of incompetence in just about every area of endeavor except figuring out new and inventive ways of looting the nation’s treasury and enhancing themselves. As is the case with all sociopaths, they care nothing about anyone or anything but themselves.
We are unreliable. The more I read of our history, the more I think any treaty I signed with the US would have a definite expiration condition or date.
Not new at all. Erdogan got into power in the first place with the assistance of Saudi money. Turkey and Saudi have been close for a long time.
Syria intervention plan fueled by oil interests, not chemical weapon concern
The US/UK may have run out of ability to keep the Moslem countries at odds with each other. It’s more likely that US/UK opposed pipelines generally, rather than any one pipeline plan specifically.
The US/UK would prefer to keep as much gas and oil transport seaborne as is possible.
T. E. Lawrence, White Courtesy Phone.
With America apparently determined to help Iran become a nuclear power then these two getting together would seem to be the sensible course for them so that they can aid each other to get their own nukes for protection against Iran.
Trump started a roll toward peace in the Middle East. Biden has unraveled that and seems bent on major war, probably with the aim to ultimately destroy Israel.
The scorpion and the frog story, once again -- as Finland said, Russia is not the neighbor we thought, and the same goes for Iran. Khashoggi was a Muslim Bro-hood shill who spread his crap via the Washington ComPost.
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