We should never have gotten involved in Syria. It is far worse now than it was. We should have let nature take it’s course there whoever won. Same with Libya, Egypt...
The foreign policy failures of this president will haunt us for half a century.
The collapse of the Soviet Union, and the ensuing establishment of buffer states in the Caucasus, removed the need for Turkey’s dependence on the United States. Then the radical moslems infiltrated Turkey’s government, and with 0bama’s ineptitude and/or approval, Turkey is playing the radical moslem game now.
Times change, and bad leaders like 0bama don’t cope well.
Turkey is becoming a sharia state. Time for us to downscale our friend level with them.
Most of Turkey opposes Erdogan and his radical agenda. He doesn’t give a whit about the suffering in Syria. For him, it’s all about Assad. I accept that Assad’s an evil tyrant (no defender of Christians either as some dupes say). But first we defeat the most radical terrorists in the world, ISIS. Then, we’ll deal with Assad.
I thought Erdogan and Obama were BFF’s? Seriously. Obama shares Erdogan’s hopes for Sharia, Caliphate, etc.. Obama’s most difficult challenge is helping to promote and expand the Caliphate while at the same time APPEARING to fight against ISIS.
The terms of our alliance with Turkey:
1. We pretend that Turkey is an ally populated by non-existent moderate muslims.
2. The Turks let us pretend they are allies as long as we keep sending them billions of American dollars.
he increasingly hostile divergence of views between Turkey and the United States over Syria is testing the durability of their 60-year alliance, to the point where some are starting to question whether the two countries still can be considered allies at all.
The big break was with the inept Clinton administration. They ignored the alliance, and the secular government that was a good ally during the cold war was no longer there by the end of his terms. When we needed their cooperation in dealing with Iraq, it was made clear that it had been replaced by a different government with no friendliness towards us - and little cooperation.
Obama is just finishing off the last of the cooperativeness.
Much as I would love to blame it all on Obola, the fact is it was stupid to even engage in Deseret Shield. EVERYONE gets brutalized who interferes in that rathole area of Earth. Bush1 was dumb enough to get involved and things have only been a series of disasters ever since. No matter what we do it will somehow get torn apart by the eternal local hatreds.
hussein can check that off in his How to Destroy America book.
Erdogan used to be obama’s favorite muzzie world pal. Seems the Clown in Chief is burning bridges with everyone.
Obama is going to have both Israel and the entire muzzie world hating us before he’s done.
There are now two types of leaders in the world — 1) those like Mr. Erdogan of Turkey who understand that the U.S. president is an unprincipled egomaniac who would rather play golf than help them in a time of crisis, and 2) those who continue to delude themselves that Obama is a trustworthy ally until they discover he’s been listening in on their private phone conversations or that one of his top aides has called him ‘’a chickensh**.’’
These “signs” have been there for some time.
When our “great NATO ally” Turkey, gave support for U.S. led airstrikes during the 1st Gulf War, is was NOT a popular policy among the people of Turkey, and may have helped in the rise of the Islamist, Mr Erdogan, who, when it came to the 2003 invasion of Iraq refused to allow bases in Turkey to be used for U.S. airstrikes, or for any U.S. forces to transit Turkey in order to get into Iraq.
Turkey’s policies vis-a-vis ISIS are not “new” signs, but a continuation of signs it has actually be broadcasting for some time.
Why? The modern state of Turkey is a somewhat artificial construct, carved out of the old Ottoman Empire, with help in their own way from Britain and France.
Yes, the Kurds were part of the Ottoman Empire. Well, matter of fact so was Iraq, Syria (including the Levant), Palestine and Jordan and a good part of Arabia at the start of WWI. Yet, just about everyone but the Kurds got some natural territory of their own, for themselves, when the WWI treaties were sealed. No one, least of all Turkey, wanted to cede any right of “self determination” to the Kurds, though as a distinct people with their own culture for more years than many others in the region - back to biblical times - probably no others in the region were more deserving.
For Turkey to admit that is to admit the artificiality of its own borders.
More of Obama’s plan going into action. Fundamental change is well under way.
Erdogan wants it to crumble. Ataturk is turning in his grave.
The U.S. doesn’t have close ties with Turkey, but the U.K. does.
and well said, C19fan:Turkey’s refusal to allow the United States to use its bases to launch attacks against the Islamic StateTurkey’s refusal to allow the United States to use its bases to launch attacks against the Saddam's paradise...
He is throwing Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey under the bus so we play nice with Iran.Turkey's been throwing the US under the bus, over and over, since the Islamofascist Erdogan took over, *and yet* whatever follows his sorry ass won't be an improvement. Also, contrary to my usual bitching (and reprising things I've said in the past), Zero's foreign policy has been to help create a Middle East where everyone is at odds with former allies, and new alliances built -- meaning it has been a triumph.