Turkey and the Geopolitics of the Refugee Crisis (podcast)
http://stopimperialism.org/turkey-and-the-geopolitics-of-the-refugee-cri...
"Eric Draitser of Stopimperialism appears on Radio Sputnik (Sept.15, 2015) to provide his comments on the real reasons for the refugee crisis. He discusses who's to blame, why this is happening now, and the larger geopolitics at play. Draitser notes that Turkey has played a key role in fomenting the war in Syria and facilitating the flow of refugees..."
Turkish 'Double-Dealing' in Fight Against ISIS
http://www.rt.com/op-edge/317425-turkey-kurds-isis-pkk/
"The Turkish government made an agreement with the US to partner in the fight against ISIS. But it seems Ankara is using that as a cover-up to escalate its fight against Kurdish guerillas in Turkey, says Firat Demir, associate professor from the University of Oklahoma.
'I am afraid Turkey is moving on the fast track to civil war and is in a spiral of violence for the past month or two. There is no doubt that for the Kurds, this is going to be, in a sense, the center of a Kurdish movement in Iraq and also in Northern Syria.
Right now in Syria, Kurds are the only viable ground forces that the US and allies can use against ISIS and ISIS targets."
And since this is so, one has to ask why the US is allowing its NATO ally Turkey to effectively degrade these anti-ISIS Kurdish forces.
Bombs in Ankara kill 86 during a peaceful march calling for reconciliation between the government and the PKK.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/10/turkey-suicide-bomb-killed-...
Kurdish media
Demirtas: The State Has Become A Mafia and Serial Killer
"Speaking to reporters in Istanbul before leaving for Ankara in the wake of today's massacre of demonstrators for peace, HDP Co-President Selahattin Demirtas said the bomb attack came during a period of debate of an imminent ceasefire. Demirtas said 'We are facing a state mindset that became a mafia, murderer and serial killer."
86 Killed, 186 Wounded in Deadliest Act of Terrorism in Turkey's History
http://www.todayszaman.com/latest-news_86-killed-wounded-in-deadliest-ac...
"Twin explosions that hit a rally of pro-Kurdish and leftist activists outside Ankara's main train station on Saturday killed 86 people and wounded nearly 200..."
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/russian-jet-shot-down-by-turkish-forces-after-e...
Four days ago:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-russia-...
Funny, because they seem to be able to read their maps when they play this game skirting British, Norwegian, and Canadian airspace.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/07/world/europe/russian-violations-of-air...
Turkish Struggle Against Islamic State Has Been A Ticking Time Bomb
http://www.rt.com/op-edge/318235-turkey-islamic-state-pkk/
"Ankara has become deeply involved in the Islamic State struggle - as well as a fight against the Turkish PKK - a complicated strategy that seems to have opened the door to terrorism, Bashdar Ismaeel, Middle East expert and poliitical analyst told RT."
Russia 'Violated' Turkish Airspace Because Turkey 'Moved' Its Border
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2015/10/russia-violates-turkish-airspace-be...
"Russian planes in Syria 'violated' Turkish airspace the news agencies currently tell us. But an earlier report shows that this claim may well be wrong and that the US pushes Turkey to release such propaganda. It would also be no good reason to start a NATO-Russia war just because such a plane might at times slightly intrude on the Turkish side due to an emergency or other accidental circumstances.
Do we have to mention that the US, France, Britain and Jordan regularly violate Syrian airspace for their pretended ISIS bombing? That Turkey is bombing the PKK in north Iraq without the permission of the Iraqi government? What about Israel's regular air-space violations over Lebanon?"
or an alternative scenario:
Putin's Endgame in Syria - by Mike Whitney
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/09/putins-endgame-in-syria/
"Russia doesn't want to fight a war with Turkey, so Russian generals devised a simple but effective plan to discourage Turkey from taking an action that could lead to a clash between the two nations.
Last week Russian warplanes intruded into Turkish airspace twice..."
Turkey's Surprise Majority
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/turkey-s-surprise-majority-1.3299151
"Brookings Omer Taspinor talks about the AK Party's surprise majority election victory."
Erdogan Gaining More Powers in Turkey Dangerous Internationally (and podcast)
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/320491-turkey-elections-Erdogan-crisis/
"If the ruling AK party gives sweeping powers to Turkish President Erdogan, the situation in the country might be close to civil war and dangerous domestically and internationally, Ronald Suny of the University of Michigan told RT."
Turkey After the Elections
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/11/07/pers-n07.html
"Erdogan's AKP government is a regime of crisis. The wars carried out by the US and its imperialist allies against Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria have shattered the social and political structures of the entire region. The imperialist powers and the regional elites fight for a re-division of the Middle East and its economic resources..."
Turkey Goes To War - by Mike Whitney
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/06/turkey-goes-to-war/
"A landslide victory in Turkey's November 1 snap elections has removed the last obstacle in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's drive to war. The plan to annex sovereign Syrian territory and use it to launch attacks on the government of Syrian President Bashar al Assad dates back to 2012. We expect Obama to align himself with Ankara..."
Too bad that the left/Kurdish voice lost votes, but that was likely part of the reason for the Erdogan's move to war.
Media Crackdown: Turkish Journos Jailed For 'Treason' Over Gun, Oil Smuggling Claims
Sultan Erdogan's War On...Russia - by Pepe Escobar
"Let's cut to the chase. The notion that Turkey's downing of a Russian Su-24 by a made in USA F-16 was carried out without either a green light or at least pre-arranged 'support' from Washington invites suspension of disbelief..."
Why's The US Hanging Turkey Out to Dry?
http://orientalreview.org/2015/11/25/whys-the-us-hanging-turkey-out-to-dry/
"One can't help but wonder whether this is exactly what the US wanted. Therefore, it can't be discounted that the US put Erdogan up to shooting down the Russian jet precisely to provoke the predictable Russian response in threatening to cancel its forthcoming energy projects with Turkey, the core of the strategic partnership between the two.
Playing The Kurdish Card..."
Prominent Kurdish Lawyer Shot Dead in Southeast Turkey (and vid)
https://www.rt.com/news/323826-turkey-kurdish-lawyer-killed/
"The president of the bar association in southeastern Diyarbakir province has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen while giving a public speech. A campaigner for Kurdish rights, Tahir Alci had been criticized for challenging Turkey's official stance calling the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a terrorist organization. The PKK demands greater autonomy for Turkey's Kurds."
Istanbul Police Fire Tear Gas, Water Cannon At Protest Over Killing of Top Kurdish Lawyer (and vid)
http://www.rt.com/news/323836-tahir-elci-protest-istanbul/
Some 2,000 people gathered in central Istanbul in Turkey as Saturday to protest the killing of a prominent Kurdish lawyer. Police attempted to disperse the crowd with tear gas and water cannon. Protesters grew more and more angry with the police who were 'being incredibly heavy-handed,' RT's William Whitehead reported, adding that people were chanting slogans accusing President Erdogan of being a 'thief' and a 'killer'. Protests are continuing..."
Turkey Arms Supplies to Syria Militants Increased: Syrian Army
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/11/28/439527/Turkey-Syria-army-arms-s...
"Syria's military says Ankara has recently increased its supplies of weapons, ammunition and equipment to militant groups fighting against the government of President Bashar al Assad. The statement added that Turkey had targeted Syrian army positions with a number of mortar shells on Friday night."
Will Turkey Close or Erase Its Border With Syria?
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2015/11/will-turkey-close-or-erase-the-bord...
"There are some new and worrying developments on the ground next to Syria. The Russian Foreign Minister yesterday said Russia is ready to close the Turkish-Syrian border. But Turkey is moving troops to the border.
To me the Turkish deployments so far look offensive, not like preparations to shut off the border..."
'Western European Elites Support Migration Independently Of Their Voters'
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/323968-refugee-crisis-europe-turkey/
"The Western European elites basically support this migration independently of the democratic support of their own voters, and this will give problems. I think Turkey is the only winning side. They got a lot of money.
Turkey has been one of those benefiting from the war in Syria. So we see that Turkey has no direct investment in stopping the war..."
CrossTalk: Erdogan's Blunder
"Crime and now punishment: So far the Russians are succeeding on all counts. The situation in Syria has been stabilized, the Syrian army is on the offensive, and negotiations are underway. Is this why Turkey shot down the Russian jet over Syrian airspace?
Mark Sleboda, Dmitry Babich
Turkey's Free Press Under Seige, Opposition Voices Being Silenced (and vid)
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/12/01/439829/Turkey-free-press-under-...
"Turkey is pressing ahead with its campaign of silencing voices of dissent. In recent days, Ankara has arrested several opposition figures and journalists on charges of disclosing Turkey's links with anti-government militants in Syria..."
It doesn't look good for NATO for one of our members to be fully supporting ISIS by sending them arms and equipment and by paying ISIS millions of dollars for their blood-oil.
War is a business.
Syrian rebels are throwing US supplied $60'000 missles at their opponents with the after though a protestor picks up a rock and throws it through a glass window.
The Russian military would roll over most NATO countries and put a hell of a dent into the biggest ones. We like to puff out our chest and postue but in a fight we'd get the worst of it and NATO knows it. I have a sinking suspicion Turkey isn't going to get the support from NATO it thinks it will (especially considering their support of ISIS the more it becomes common knowledge)
NATO is indeed a paper tiger and Turkey has already come out of this a big loser. The Turk-stream pipeline is dead. Its substantial Russian tourism market is dead. Agricultural trade is dead. It is exposed on its support for vicious takfiri terrorism, and its leader as a dangerous double-dealing back-stabber. Erdogan's political future may be less than solid given all of this and revelations that continue to become public:
Meet the Man Who Funds ISIS: Bilal Erdogan, the Son of Turkey's President
http://www.mintpressnews.com/211624-2/211624/
"One name keeps popping up as the primary culprit of regional demand for the Islamic State's 'terrorist oil' - that of Turkish president Recep Erdogan's son: Bilal Erdogan..."
Turkey has already come out of this a big loser. The Turk-stream pipeline is dead. Its substantial Russian tourism market is dead. Agricultural trade is dead......
The geopolitical strategic potential now is staggering, given the Russian economic blockade...who is to replace this southern Meditteranian trading partner? For The Russians and its partners? Could our Fairtrade allies step into this to the benefit of the Peoples organizations? Hmm! Fascinating!
Seventeen seconds over Turkey
https://bangordailynews.com/2015/11/30/opinion/contributors/seventeen-se...
Next stop civil war for Turkey?
http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/6076891-dyer-next-stop-civil-war-fo...
Russia Presents Proof of [NATO member] Turkey's Role in ISIS Oil-Trade (and vid)
https://www.rt.com/news/324263-russia-briefing-isis-funding/
"The Russian Defense Ministry held a major briefing on new findings concerning IS funding in Moscow on Wednesday. According to Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, Russia is aware of three main oil smuggling routes to Turkey.
'Today we present only some of the facts that confirm a whole team of bandits and Turkish elites stealing oil from their neighbors, is operating in the region,' Antonov said, adding that this 'oil in large quantities' enters the territory of Turkey via 'live oil pipelines' consisting of thousands of oil trucks.
Antonov added that Turkey is the main buyer of smuggled oil coming from Iraq and Syria. 'According to our data, the top political leadership of the country - President Erdogan and his family is involved in this."
***US-Led Coalition Not Striking ISIS Oil Trucks Despite Evidence - Russia's General Staff (and vid)***
https://www.rt.com/news/324336-isis-oil-trade-us-coalition/
Despite mounting evidence of ISIS oil smuggling, the US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria is not striking convoys of oil trucks heading to Turkey, Russia's General Staff has said.
'It's hard not to notice' the thousands of trucks used by terrorists for oil smuggling, Lieutenant General Sergey Rudskoy, deputy commander of the General Staff, said at a briefing in Moscow on Wednesday.
'However, we see no strikes on these convoys by the coalition'...With the US and its allies [CANADA] unwilling to act, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported the locations where IS oil tankers are concentrated, Rudskoy said.
The deputy commander stressed that defeating IS would be impossible without curbing its main source of income - the illegal oil trade - and urged the coalition to strike IS oil infrastructure."
***'NO WAY WEST WAS UNAWARE OF ISIS-TURKEY OIL TRADE' (and vid)***
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/324337-turkey-isis-oil-russia/
"What will be the reaction of Ankara's Western allies following Moscow's revelations that Turkey is involved in the ISIS oil smuggling, RT asked experts..."
***In Canada, the usual stunned and stupid silent complicity...***
'Allah Took Their Sanity': Putin Accuses Turkish (NATO) Leadership of 'Aiding Terror' (and vid)
https://www.rt.com/news/324537-putin-annual-address-terrorism/
"...Putin said Russia still cannot comprehend why the downing of the plane happened. 'We were prepared to cooperate with Turkey on most sensitive issues and go further than their allies. Allah knows why they did it. Apparently Allah decided to punish the ruling clique in Turkey by taking their sanity.' Putin said.
Putin stressed that Moscow's anger over the incident is directed at particular individuals and not at the Turkish people. 'We have many friends in Turkey,' he said. 'They should know that we do not equate them and that part of the current Turkish leadership, whcih holds a direct responsibility for the deaths of our troops in Syria,' he said.
He added that the killing of Russia's officers would have long term consequences for those responsible. 'We will not forget this aid to terrorists. We have always considered betrayal the worst and most shameful act. Let those who shot our pilots in the back, who hypocritically try to justify themselves and their actions and cover up the crimes of terrorists, know it...."
'Everyone Knows What's Going On': Istanbul Residents On Turkey-ISIS Oil Trade (and vid)
https://www.rt.com/news/324668-istanbul-residents-isis-oil/
"RT's Harry Fear asked people on the streets of Istanbul what they make of the report presented by the Russian Defense Ministry, which claims Erdogan and his family benefit from oil products smuggled by Islamic State from Syria and Iraqi territory. Erdogan earlier promised to step down if such claims are proven true..."
It's quite likely that satellite pictures of Erdogan himself driving a fuel tanker across the border wouldn't suffice to hold him to his promise. It's unfortunate that Turkey is being 'represented' like this. Putin is right though about friends in Turkey in no way equating with the depredations of the current regime. Great storytellers, and they can hold a drink too.
Amazing country with an amazing culture and history. This current slaphead and his delusions of grandeur considerably less so. Something tells me brand Erdogan is probably not a goer politically for very much longer.. And the Empire of Chaos's current crop of compradors, eg Poroshenko, Sakashvilli, Erdogan etc are rather low criminal types even for the Yanqui satrapy..
Amazing country with an amazing culture and history.
Yes. Twelve thousand year old pictographs found in southern Turkey are quite amazing, considering that far more time had transpired between the time when those were made and when the Epic of Gilgamesh was written, than the later era and our own time today. Something on the order of magnitude of seven to eight thousand years in the difference going back in time.
And just look how far we've come...
Erdogan Blackmails NATO Allies - by Mike Whitney
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/12/03/erdogan-blackmails-nato-allies/
"...I smell that a trap is being laid, likely via a treacherous Turkey, to somehow threaten Russia with, or involve it in, a wider war. This would include miltary attacks in east Ukraine or Crimea as well as in Syria. Obama demanded European backing in case the issue gets out of hand. No other reason I have found explains the current panic.
The terrorists the 'west' supports in Syria are in trouble. The real terrorist sympathizers need to rush to their help. It is a start of all-out war on Syria and its Russian protectors. Is that what's going on? Has Turkish President Erdogan found out how to hoodwink the NATO allies into a confrontation with Russia that will help him achieve his goal of toppling Assad and stealing Syrian territory.
Let's summarize: Erdogan intentionally releases tens of thousands of Syrian refugees into Europe to put pressure on EU politicians who quickly lose the support of their people and face the meteoric rise of right wing parties. And then the next thing you know, Merkel, Hollande and every other EU leader is looking to cut a deal with Erdogan to keep the refugees in Turkey.\
Isn't that how it all went down? Except we're missing one important factoid here, because according to the first op-ed 'the increase in military cooperation within NATO...and the piling up of NATO forces near Turkey's border took place in parallel with the deal between Ankara and Brussels.'
Get it? So there was a quid pro quo that no one wants to talk about. In order words, German, France and the UK agreed to support Erdogan's loony plan to conduct military operations in Syria, risking a serious dust-up with Russia, in order to save their own miserable political careers. Boy, if that doesn't take the cake, then I don't know what does."
*'Incursion': Baghdad Demands Turkey Withdraw 'Training' Troops From Northern Iraq*
https://www.rt.com/news/324787-turkish-troops-deployed-iraq/
"The Iraqi foreign ministry said in a statement early on Saturday, that the Turkish troops were acting in violation of the country's sovereignty and demanded the forces withdraw immediately.
'Around one armed battalion,' has entered the northern Nineveh region, according to the statement from the Iraqi Prime Minister's media office, as quoted by Reuters. The foreign ministry called Turkey's move 'an incursion', stressing that the military operation had not been coordinated with the Iraqi government.
According to a Reuters source, the US-led coalition was aware of Turkey's move..."
Did Turkey Just Invade Iraq To Protect Erdogan's Oil Smuggling Routes?
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-05/did-turkey-just-invade-iraq-pro...
"...Here we go again, watching as the Turkish military crosses the Iraqi border as though it's not even there, chasing 'terrorists' up into the mountains. What's different this time around, is that this isn't a Kurd-chasing mission.
According to Hurriyet, 'Turks will have a permanent military base in the Bashiqa region of Mosul as the Turkish forces in the region training the Peshmerga forces have been reinforced,' adding that 'the deal regarding the base was signed between Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) President Massoud Barzani - and Turkish Foreign Minister Feridin Sinirlioglu, during the latter's visit to northern Iraq on Nov 4.'
What's important to remember here is that although Erdogan is no fan of Kurds, Ankara is friendly with the KRG and indeed Barzani's 632,000 b/d oil operation...Oil sales via Turkey are crucial to the government in Erbil. You might also remember that there seems to be some commingling going on when it comes to Turkish and ISIS crude.
**It seems extraordinarily convenient that just as Russia is making an all-out effort to expose Turkey's role in financing Islamic State's lucrative oil operation and also to destroy ISIS oil convoys in Syria, that Ankara would dispatch troops and two dozen tanks to the place in Iraq where some reports suggest the heart of ISIS' Iraq oil operation lies..."**
Gotcha, mo fo.
Erdogan may very well be toast, and his visions of a neo-Ottoman, Caliphate burned to a crisp. Couldn't happen to a nicer Gollum.
Turkish Hospitals Reportedly Treating Jihadists Wounded in Syria
Turkey To Deploy Over 2,000 Soldiers To Iraq?
http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkey-to-deploy-over-2000-soldiers-...
"It has now been reported in Turkish media that Erdogan is set to escalate the situation further by having in excess of 2,000 soldiers in Iraq..."
President To Visit Turkey
"President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko to visit Turkey in early 2016. It was stated by him following negotiations with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 'We expect significant breakthroughs from this visit.
According to Petro Poroshenko, the President of Turkey provided details of the violations of Turkish airspace by the Russian Su-24. In his turn, the Ukrainian President informed on the situation in Donbas..."
Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion Seeks to Found Private Military Corporation, Send Troops to Fight Russia in Syria
http://fortruss.blogspot.ca/2015/12/azov-seeks-to-found-private-military...
"Fighters of the Azov regiment are ready to be sent to Syria and participate in combat operations on the side of the Western coalition,' the founder of the regiment, Andrey Biletsky stated live on channel 112 Ukraine, on Nov 26.
'Given the cooling of relations and the clashes between Russia and Turkish interests in Syria, it is perfectly logical for Turkey to seek contacts with Ukraine. Azov could perfectly carry out this function of collecting a foreign legion and sending it to Syria against the Russians.'
Aren't you proud to be allies with both of these fine western leaders Canucklheads, and for CF to be training Ukrainian Nazi troops like Azov?
Azov Battalion: 'Heroes' of Ukraine
(NATO) Turkey Gets Impunity For Whatever It Does: Turkish Troops Deployed in N Iraq
"The Arab League has condemned deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, saying it amounts to 'an intervention'. Dan Glazebrook, analyst, interviewed.
* NATO-Canada, like Turkey, also has troops in N Iraq, also in aid of the pro-US Kurdish proxy in furtherance of the dismemberment of Iraq, also, like Canada's still continuing bombing, completely and outrageously in violation of international law. Nobody notices. Nothing is said.
It's important to be clear that Turkey's troops in Syria and Iraq are there in violation of international law; the bombing of the US regime and its NATO vassals/satellites (UK, France, Canada, etc., etc.) in Syria are also in violation of international law. None of these countries have got, or sought, the permission of the host countries (Syria, Iraq in particular) ; they simply rampage like barbarians.
Only the Russians have permission of the host country - in their case Syria. And, it's no coincidence that the Russians are the only sober participants that actually acknowledge that
(a) ground troops are essential to defeating DAESH; bombing by itself may actually worsen things, especially if, as with the NATO jackboot regimes, they are bombing the civilian population and giving loving kisses to ISIS;
(b) the Syrian Arab Army is essential to defeating DAESH - this army has suffered over 85,000 casualties in this fight;
(c) strangling the DAESH revenue stream by cutting off their oil trade through Turkey, etc. is essential.
The NATO jackboot regimes refuse to acknowledge any of this; instead, they take their lead from the brutal and barbaric hegemon in Washington ... a hegemon that is incapable of acknowleging mistakes and instead, happily warms the prospect for World War III ...
"The NATO jackboot regimes refuse to acknowledge any of this"
Of course not...they are clearly acting according to plan, as they prepare their peoples for total surveillance state.....and yes are provoking a WWIII scenario, assuming I suppose that the Russians will be forced to back down!
Given this, how to proceed?
Bury head deeper into sand. Ignore all current events. Dream of NDP victory.
I know it's easy to be cynical, but this doesn't wash, watching the courage of so many peoples organizing to defend themselves before these onslaughts, whomever may be in control.
Thanks to the many here who have tried to explore these courageous efforts.
The problem for us of course is that we are fast approaching some kind of new reality...as the waves of financial chaos and economic stagnation reach our shores...and with the daily accelerating threats of WWIII...somehow somewhere here there will develop the seeds of resistance!
ISIS Smuggles Majority of Oil Through Turkey, Says Iraqi PM Amid 'Sovereignty Violation' Rift (and vid)
https://www.rt.com/news/325044-isis-oil-turkey-iraq/
"Amid discord in relations over a serious violation of Iraq's sovereignty by Turkey's deployment of ground troops, Iraqi PM Haider al Abadi accused its neighbor of being a hub for the 'majority' of illegal oil smuggling operations by ISIS terrorists..."
Is Erdogan's Mosul Escapade Blackmail For Another Qatar-Turkey Pipeline?
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2015/12/is-erdogans-mosul-escapade-blackmai...
"The Turkish move to annex Mosul is further developing into a serious conflict. Iraq has demanded that Turkey remove its soldiers and heavy weapons from the 'training base' near Mosul within 48 hours.
The US was informed but Iraq was not? That makes it look as if the US is behind this..."
Turkey Returns to Mosul Leading Another 'Arab Revolt'
http://atimes.com/2015/12/turkey-returns-to-mosul-leading-another-arab-r...
"With the announcement last week of the setting up of two Turkish military bases in the Middle East - Qatar and Iraq - the geopolitics of the region is set for a historic transformation.
Turkey says it proposes to train the Kurdish Peshmerga in northern Iraq owing allegiance to Massoud Barzani, and help him liberate Mosul from the clutches of the Islamic State. But Erdogan's main purpose lies elsewhere:
First, weaken the Kurdish separatists from Turkey belonging to the PKK operating out of sanctuaries in northern Iraq, and secondly, defeat the plan by the militant Syrian Kurdish groups to consolidate their presence along Turkey's border and to create a corridor connecting Rojava (their homeland) with the Mediterranean, which could help them evacuate the region's oil to the world market.
Barzani has been Turkey's longstanding friend. But Ankara has noted the frequent visits to Erbil lately by the famous Iranian general of the Iranian Revolutionary Gards, Qasem Soleimani and the growing proximity developing between Syrian Kurds (who are aligned with the Turkish PKK) and Moscow.
Unsurprisingly, Turkey is coordinating with Saudi Arabia and Qatar - with the tacit support of Washington - given the anti-Iranian, anti-Russian thrust of its move to establish military control over Mosul region, which is hugely strategic. Erdogan intends to sap the capacity of Russia and Iran to use the Kurdish separatist card against Turkey, which in turn would give Ankara a free hand to push through the 'regime change' agenda in Syria, seize control of the vast hydrocarbon reserves of the region...
and to rally the Sunni Arab countries under its leadership. To be sure Erdogan has a fight on his hands..."
"The NATO jackboot regimes refuse to acknowledge any of this"
Of course not...they are clearly acting according to plan, as they prepare their peoples for total surveillance state.....and yes are provoking a WWIII scenario, assuming I suppose that the Russians will be forced to back down!
Given this, how to proceed?
I'm a little surprised by the question. Our own Canadian peace movement is in dire need of strengthening. Fighting for peace will never be out of fashion for this socialist.
You've got an anti-war organization in your area? Join it. There isn't one? Create it.
Foreign Policy Diary - The Russia-Turkish Standoff: Bosphorus Blockade (and vid)
http://thesaker.is/foreign-policy-diary-the-russia-turkey-standoff-bosph...
Turkish straits crisis
Turkey's Imperial Motive in Attacking Syria and Iraq
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2015/12/turkeys-imperial-motives-in-attacki...
"...An effort to expand Turkey into the space of the former Ottoman empire and 'to allow the emergence of the Mosul-based 'Sunnistan' and to enable cooperation between the KRG and the Sunni bodies in Syria and Iraq under the security umbrella of the Turkish military..."
It's almost comical to see Gollum in Ankara (President Erdogan) back-pedalling like mad now. Let's remember - at the time of the incident involving Turkey shooting down a Russian military aircraft, the regime didn't bother to "inform" Russia and simply fled to a meeting with their NATO allies. The meeting concluded Turkey was blameless, etc..
Now, Erdogan says "pilot error". bwa ha ha ha. Of course, this is a kind of fake apology, etc. The errors are all by the Russian pilots who were shot down - one of whom who was strafed with gunfire while parachuting to safety - and none by the Turkish military or their political authorities.
These liars should get their stories straight. The Turkish PM was busy saying "I told them to fire", virtually the day after the incident. Mine you, no one believed such idiotic claims - it was all Turkish bluster - as it would have been "difficult" to say the least, for the military to contact political leaders over a 17 second incursion.
‘Pilot’s mistake’ mustn’t hurt Russia-Turkey ties: Erdoğan
Supplemental: Turkish media is full of the same bullshit as the US State Department. It's quite comical. Here's an example of the fresh animal droppings from a retired Turkish diplomat.
Now in the U.S. and Europe - especially in Germany and the U.K. – there is a conviction about the need to stand up to Russia. The recent downing of the Russian jet by Turkey was seen from that angle; some thought “at last one country has stood up to the irrational Russian advances on the borders of NATO.”
Did you get that? Russian ADVANCES on the borders of NATO. tee hee. Don't these idiots know that NATO has expanded - contrary to all those sacred promises to Gorbachev - right to the borders of Russia?
apparently not.
Worries over the Russian "Return" to the Middle East by NATO
The Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, has torn the hide off the Yanqui and Turkish regimes for failing to report to the Security Council - as they are required to by international law - the Islamic State group’s illegal oil activities.
US & Turkey complicit in ISIS oil smuggling - Russian UN envoy
Turkey, US failed to notify UN Security Council of ISIS oil smuggling - Russian UN envoy Churkin
"We've just been to the Pentagon and two several star generals were telling us about (US-led) coalition actions. I asked them a very simple question: you've been flying there for a year, we've been there for two months and already provided many photos showing that oil is smuggled through the Turkish border. Didn't you know about it? They must have known, and if they did, they should have reported it to the Security Council,” the Russian UN envoy told RIA Novosti in an interview.
CANADA'S NATO ALLY ERDOGAN'S TURKEY IMPLEMENTS POLICE STATE - MEDIA CRACKDOWN - ATTACKS KURDS 'ETHNIC CLEANSING' IN PROGRESS
Turkish Troops 'Raiding Civilian Homes' in Kurdish City of Silopi (and vid)
http://www.rt.com/news/326292-turkey-silopi-kurds-crackdown/
"The Turkish army has reportedly sent military vehicles, including tanks, into civilian areas in its predominantly Kurdish southeast. Local activists have posted frightening photos on social media. The People's Democracy Party (HDP) published a series of photos of what is said to be a fresh raid by the Turkish Army.
'The world and those justifying this cruelty know well this isn't an 'anti-terror' action. This is an ethnic cleansing and genocide operation,' the party tweeted. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to continue the operation until the area is cleansed of Kurdish militants..."
Critical Voices in Turkey Facing Intimidation
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/326296-turkey-mp-opposition-erdem/
"As authoritarianism deepens in Turkey, it can't be ruled out that the majority AKP party will put on trial the lawmaker who alleged ISIS shipped sarin gas to Syria through Turkey, Dr Aykan Erdamir, a former member of the Turkish Parliament told RT.
Prosecutors opened a case against a Turkish opposition MP after his interview with RT where he alleged that a deadly chemical agent was supplied to jihadists in Syria via Turkey. Eren Erdem is being accused of treason. According to Erdem's Twitter accoun, he has received a number of death threats, and a nationalist organization called the OTTOMAN HEARTHS (fascists associated with 'Grey Wolves') plans to target his house..."
Turkish MP Investigated For "Treason' After Sarin Gas Claims
Israel and Turkey on Verge of Dramatic Revival of Ties
"Secret meeting paves way for warming relations: also provides for Israel selling gas to Turkey and laying pipeline
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Portrait of a Backstabbing Pasha - by James Petras
http://www.unz.com/jpetras/recep-tayyip-erdogan-portrait-of-a-backstabbi...
"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a long and ignoble history of betraying political associates, trading partners and military allies; of pledging friendship and then bombing his 'friends' and murdering citizens; of negotiating 'in good faith' and then killing rivals; of playing democrat then behaving like an ordinary demagogic dictator.."
NATO Turkey's Tanks & Troops Raiding Civilian Homes in Kurdish Areas
The Turkish Army has sent military vehicles, tanks, into civilian areas in its predominantly Kurdish southeast, attacking its proxy ISIS' main enemies, the Kurds.
#OccupiedTaksim #TwitterKurds #Hevallo
Kurds Resist State-Imposed Curfew in Turkey
https://roarmag.org/essays/turkey-curfew-kurdish-resistance/
"The scenes of destruction in the Kurdish towns and neighborhoods placed under curfew by the Turkish authorities do not just resemble a war zone. This is a war of government against its own people. A total war, in which a government is indiscriminately targeting a civilian population, killing the youth, destroying homes, burning down historical monuments..."
Ukraine & Turkey: A Love Story
http://fortruss.blogspot.ca/2015/12/ukraine-turkey-love-story.html
"A sudden friendship has broken out between Ukraine and Turkey, taking the existing one to a new level. As it became known yesterday, Ukraine plans to establish a military base on the border with Crimea via Turkey. In addition, the politicians revealed plans to create a military unit. The unit which will be part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and will report to the Ministry of Defense of the country, will be located in the Kherson region..."
Turkey's Ergogan Meets Hamas Leader Meshaal in Istanbul
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-turkey-hamas-idUSKBN0U20PC20151220
"Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met with Khaled Meshaal, leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas, on Saturday in Istanbul, Turkish presidential sources said, a day after Israel and Turkey said they were close to patching up a five-year political rift.
A source from Erdogan's office said Meshaal 'briefed Erdogan on the latest developments in the region', without giving further details."
