Posted on 04/16/2023 5:31:41 AM PDT by FarCenter
Between stalling Sweden and Finland’s bids for NATO membership and threatening a fresh military offensive against Kurds in northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to be capitalising on the world’s focus on Ukraine to strengthen Ankara’s geopolitical standing – even at the expense of NATO and Western partners. Such moves may be targeting a domestic audience ahead of June 2023 presidential elections, with Erdogan trying to galvanise nationalist sentiment as a worsening economic crisis threatens his popularity at home.
In recent weeks, Erdogan has once again complicated Turkey’s relationship with its NATO allies – stalling Swedish and Finnish plans to join the bloc; threatening another military incursion into northern Syria; refusing to join Western sanctions against Russia; and reviving tensions with perennial rival Greece over the Aegean islands.
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Talks in Brussels on Monday on the latest NATO accession bids led to “clear progress” on some issues, a Finnish presidential aide said. But Turkey threw a spanner into the works – demanding Sweden and Finland take action against the "terrorists" of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) before approving their accession – ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Madrid.
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With both presidential and parliamentary elections coming up in a year’s time, Erdogan’s geopolitical chess game with the West could well offer him an electoral boon.
A German Marshall Fund poll published in April showed that 58.3 percent of Turks see the US as the “biggest threat” to Turkey’s “national interests” while 62.4 percent believe European countries want to “divide and disintegrate Turkey as they had the Ottoman Empire in the past”. An even bigger number, 69.8 percent, believe European countries have helped strengthen separatist organisations like the PKK.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
Trump’s fault.
Folks are still trying to figure out how he got elected the last time.
The article overlooks the primary issue tht Ergogan can’t seem to grasp and remedy. The Turkish economy is tetering at the failure level. It has the second highest inflation rate in the world.
His Arab friend have offered help with strings attached and were rebuffed. The Russian losers came to sell oil and they were rebuffed as well. That would have been an amalgamation of desperate losers.
I believe that Erdogan will steal the election using Biden as justification. Erdogan is in way over his head and can’t possibly save his nation.
Turkey is doomed
I don’t think Turkey is a good match for NATO
I concur. NATO should give Turkey the boot, and replace with Sweden and Finland.
“I concur. NATO should give Turkey the boot, and replace with Sweden and Finland.”
May it be so!
Finland is already in so let NATO trade Turkey for Sweden. It’s Erdogan who is blocking Sweden.
If Erdogan wins re-election with a margin, he will support Sweden’s entry into NATO.
He just needs more “flexibility” until after the election.
X actly! He is famous for once saying,” democracy? Democracy is like a train. When you get to your station, you get off”.- wow!
Where’s U.N. voter watchdog jimmuh cawtah when needed? Too soon?
There is no procedure available within NATO’s rules for removing a country.
A method proposed and discarded is to dissolve NATO and create a new organization with such a procedure in the rules. This is deemed too dangerous.
Turkey has an overwhelming advantage. They are the route for nat gas into Europe and they collect a fee for that transit.
No one there is starving. This is the only measurement of economy that matters.
Wait. Do you mean they have honest elections in Turkey, to the point where Erdogan has to worry about the outcome?
That is so “first world”.
Not accurate and I don’t like Erdogan
Not the new destroy the big gas station with nukes country NATO
back when an actual communist HEGEMON USSR was on their border Turkey was a great asset in NATO strategically
Listening posts and air bases etc
I follow Turkey a bit
Erdogan is a despot by our measure hell any measure
He purged and killed quite a few in that junior officers dust up which may have been a false flag
But with Syria he’s actually moving more to accommodation
This Uke war has had a ton of wierd consequences
Provoking realignments outside WOKENATO
In his defense his position politically and geographic is very complicated
Are there any Kemalists left to challenge Erdogan?
When Russia is taken care of, Turkey will become our enemy as they rebuild The Ottoman Empire.
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