by Pepe Escobar : Posted with permission
The graphic image of Turkey pivoting away from NATO towards the Russia-China strategic partnership was provided, in more ways than one, by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing right after the G20 in Osaka.
Turkey is a key hub in the emerging New Silk Roads, or Belt and Road Initiative. Erdogan is a master at selling Turkey as the ultimate East-West crossroads. He has also expressed much interest in joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), led by Russia-China, whose annual summit took place in Bishkek a few days before Osaka.
In parallel, against hell and high water – from threats of sanctions by the US Congress to NATO warnings – Erdogan never budged from Ankara’s decision to buy Russian S-400 defense missile systems, a $2.5-billion contract according to Rostec’s Sergei Chemezov.
The S-400s start to be shipped to Turkey as early as this week. According to Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar, their deployment should start by October. Much to Washington’s ire, Turkey is the first NATO member state to buy S-400s.
Xi, as he welcomed Erdogan in Beijing, stressed the message he crafted together with Putin in their previous meetings in St Petersburg, Bishkek and Osaka: China and Turkey should “uphold a multilateral world order with the United Nations at its core, a system based on international law.”
Erdogan, for his part, turned up the charm – from publishing an op-ed in the Global Times extolling a common vision of the future to laying it out in some detail. His target is to consolidate Chinese investment in multiple areas in Turkey, directly or indirectly related to Belt and Road.
BEIJING, CHINA – JULY 02: President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) walk past the honor guards during an official welcoming ceremony at Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on July 02, 2019. Volkan Furuncu / Anadolu Agency
Addressing the extremely sensitive Uighur dossier head on, Erdogan deftly executed a pirouette. He eschewed accusations from his own Foreign Ministry that “torture and political brainwashing” were practiced in Uighur detention camps and would rather comment that Uighurs “live happily” in China. “It is a fact that the peoples of China’s Xinjiang region live happily in China’s development and prosperity. Turkey does not permit any person to incite disharmony in the Turkey-China relationship.”
This is even more startling considering that Erdogan himself, in the past decade, had accused Beijing of genocide. And in a famous 2015 case, hundreds of Uighurs about to be deported from Thailand back to China ended up, after much fanfare, being resettled in Turkey.
New geopolitical caravan
Erdogan seems to have finally realized that the New Silk Roads are the 2.0 digital version of the Ancient Silk Roads whose caravans linked the Middle Kingdom, via trade, to multiple lands of Islam – from Indonesia to Turkey and from Iran to Pakistan.
Before the 16th century, the main line of communication across Eurasia was not maritime, but the chain of steppes and deserts from Sahara to Mongolia, as Arnold Toynbee wonderfully observed. Walking the line we would find merchants, missionaries, travelers, scholars, all the way to Turko-Mongols from Central Asia migrating to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. They all formed the stuff of interconnection and cultural exchange between Europe and Asia – way beyond geographical discontinuity.
Arguably Erdogan is now able to read the new tea leaves. The Russia-China strategic partnership – directly involved in linking Belt and Road with the Eurasia Economic Union and also the International North-South Transportation Corridor – considers Turkey and Iran as absolutely indispensable key hubs for the ongoing, multi-layered Eurasia integration process.
A new Turkey-Iran-Qatar geopolitical and economic axis is slowly but surely evolving in Southwest Asia, ever more linked to Russia-China. The thrust is Eurasia integration, visible for instance via a frenzy of railroad building designed to link the New Silk Roads, and the Russia-Iran transportation corridor, to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea and, eastwards, the Iran-Pakistan corridor to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, one of Belt and Road’s highlights.
This is all being supported by interlocking transportation cooperation agreements involving Turkey-Iran-Qatar and Iran-Iraq-Syria.
The end result not only consolidates Iran as a key Belt and Road connectivity hub and China’s strategic partner, but also by contiguity Turkey – the bridge to Europe.
As Xinjiang is the key hub in Western China connecting to multiple Belt and Road corridors, Erdogan had to find a middle ground – in the process minimizing, to a great extent, waves of disinformation and Western-peddled Sinophobia. Applying Xi Jinping thought, one would say Erdogan opted for privileging cultural understanding and people-to-people exchanges over an ideological battle.
The flags of China and Turkey flutter in Beijing during Erdogan’s visit to China on July 2. Photo: Wang Xin/ ImagineChina / AFP
Ready to mediate
In conjunction with his success at the court of the Dragon King, Erdogan now feels emboldened enough to offer his services as mediator between Tehran and the Trump administration – picking up on a suggestion he made to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G20.
Erdogan would not have made that offer if it had not been discussed previously with Russia and China – which, crucially, are member signatories of the Iran nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA).
It’s easy to see how Russia and China should consider Turkey the perfect mediator: a neighbor of Iran, the proverbial bridge between East and West, and a NATO member. Turkey is certainly much more representative than the EU-3 (France, UK, Germany).
Trump seems to want – or at least gives the impression of imposing – a JCPOA 2.0, without an Obama signature. The Russia-China partnership could easily call his bluff, after clearing it with Tehran, by offering a new negotiating table including Turkey. Even if the ineffective – in every sense – EU-3 remained, there would be real counterbalance in the form of Russia, China and Turkey.
Out of all these important moves in the geopolitical chessboard, one motivation stands out among top players: Eurasian integration cannot significantly progress without challenging the Trumpian sanction obsession.
As always, highly enlightening, And yet, how does one go about bludgeoning the “Trumpian sanction obession” into the dustbin? Is the author saying that creating a parallel JCPOA2 outside of Western control is the way to do that, with Turkey leading the effort? And speaking of the sanctions here, there and everywhere and against everyone, are these really something that is going to compel obedience in anything other than the very short term?
I think the strategy is to whittle the opposition down one at a time, but with a never ending list of offenders, this has taken a while and promises to be so well into the future. I would start w/the kings, in my eyes they seem to be the biggest trouble makers.
Trumpian sanctions are a mistake on the strategic/moral and operational/mental levels of war because they isolate the US from the E3 and creates an opportunity for Eurasian cohesion to increase and to morally and mentally envelope the US from it’s E3 allies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Envelopment
When US leadership has the legitimacy of a moral sewer how long will compelling obedience work? The blow back will be increased Eurasian cohesion, decreased US legitimacy and US allies switching sides.
In principle, I agree with the point of view of Pepe Escobar. However, one should also consider the interests of Syria. It is obvious that the Syrians are not very happy with the actual situation. There are still thousands of terrorists in the northwest of Syria and Turkey plays an active role supporting them. This is not acceptable. Ok, Turkey has here own problems with the USA and Turkey has a lot of Syrian refugees. On the other side, Syria has huge merits for the shift in the balance of power in the Middle East and their wish to finish with the terrorists is 100% justified. Moreover, there are Western military in Syria, completely illegally.
I am well aware that Pepe Escobar knows all this. But I think that the situation in Syria remains of crucial importance and I really hope that Syria will regain the sovereignty of 100% of its territory.
“There are still thousands of terrorists in the northwest of Syria and Turkey plays an active role supporting them. This is not acceptable.”
Well my thoughts exactly, Paul!
Turkey has pivoted to the East but is doing everything to become a regional power in previous Ottoman lands hence the efforts to maintain spheres of influence in Syria and the Balkans where they continue to support the Idlib head choppers, as well as the the Albanian headchoppers and their various “multinational camps” in Kosovo, Bosnia and Albania.
So while Russia and China may welcome the overtures of Erdogan, his neo-ottomanism is diametrically opposed to interests of the Orthodox Christians in the Balkans (Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania Greece etc) as well as Arab states like Syria and perhaps even Lebanon. How will Russia and China square this circle?
Btw, Turkey is NOT at the hub of Belt Road, it is merely a country along it..Pepe, please look at a map and stop this ridiculous fawning over Erdogan!
How are Russia and China ever to overcome their differences? https://www.rand.org/blog/2019/04/a-warming-trend-in-china-russia-relations.html
How are China and India ever to overcome their differences?
https://www.ibtimes.com/good-friends-xi-modi-meet-amid-growing-tensions-trump-2799603
With the US bullying and unable to make and follow through on deals why wouldn’t you mend your differences? It is in everyone’s best interests. Turkey in a box the USA and EU have made for them. The only way they are going to improve their situation is to find a new box.
It’s a fundamental flaw of these rand corporation libtards. They think differences need to be overcome. They’re wrong.
Of course, rand is trying to create conflict. But they actually believe in their own smoke.
Turkey sits on a global climate sweet spot, and w/the destabilization of both iraq and syria, and the addition of Iran as an ally, it is a deceptively powerful arrangement of a trading corridor, look past it at ones own risk.
“Btw, Turkey is NOT at the hub of Belt Road, it is merely a country along it..Pepe, please look at a map and stop this ridiculous fawning over Erdogan!”
Hmm, I just read this last night:
“Constantinople had fallen to the Islamic Ottoman Turks in 1453, sending many Greek scholars fleeing to Italy, where the classic were rediscovered, accelerating the rise of the Renaissance. The loss of Constantinople, a key crossroads in the Silk Road trade between Europe and Asia, force Europeans to look for sea routes to the East, as the Ottomans imposed stiff tariffs on the Asian caravans bound for Europe.”
—Kenneth C. Davis, America’s Hidden History, p. 1
Looking at the map, it kind of looks like Turkey is a bit of a bottleneck.
But maybe Davis is wrong. Here is a Wiki map of the Silk Road:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road
It looks as though the main route ends in southeastern Turkey and then is a maritime route (to Italy).
Katherine
In Idlib and nearby are 45,000-60,000 die-hard terrorists. The Russian want to kill them all. The Syrians want to kill them all. The Chinese want the 3000-8000 Uyghurs among them to be all killed.
Turkey wants to preserve these proxies for his control of Syrian space and border, as well as to have the largest group leftover in Syria, The US has a few thousand at al Tanf and al Kamal and nestled among the SDF Kurds and tribal traitors to Syria.
It will cost Turkey many hundreds of his own troops to resist what the Syrians will be bringing against the Idlib terrorists.
The US has coaxed the French and British to supply troops to create problems for the Syrians.
How the Russians will greet this is to be determined.
Erdogan has gained an ally in Iran against the Kurds, but risks this if he fights against Syrians and probably elite Hezbollah as they fight to clear out Idlib.
Russia has waited for Erdogan to solve his terrorist problem in Idlib since September. Delays have cost Syrians many troops and have an adverse effect on reconstruction plans.
The deep secret reality is the Qataris and Turkey have sponsored Muslim Brotherhood strategies for a very long time, decades, and the prize was always Syria for the Caliphate they envisioned. Idlib is the end game of that attempt. It was never just just Raqqa.
Now, Iran and the Shiites would be the winners of a long war the MB started, aided by the US, UK, Israel and France and the AQ, ISIS, al Nusra backers.
The Russian intention is clear. They will make the losses for Turkey in Idlib very large. Nothing will alter the Russia goal of clearing Syria of all terrorists, killing as many as they can doing it.
Turkey can do nothing about it, unless the terrorists move across the border and are sealed off by Syrian Army.
Does Erdogan want them inside Turkey? It is his only option, though he recently sent more arms and some very heavy weapons, too.
Erdogan is juggling too many balls to stop. But the trick is soon to come tumbling down.
He has local political challenges internally and a sinking dinar and bad economic signs.
Worst of all, Trump will be pressuring Erdogan with sanctions.
His military adventures in Syria have not helped him. They have painted him into a corner.
“Does Erdogan want them inside Turkey? ”
If he did, wouldn’t he have already repatriated them? This was part of the original plan with Russia and Syria, the reason they delayed the Idlib assault, to give Turkey time to evacuate their crazies. Maybe they don’t answer to him anymore?
Erdogan needs Iranian and Russian oil& gas for Turkey’s economy. He has no choice now but to sacrifice the terrorists, while he looks the other way.
You pose good questions, Serbian Girl.
Erdogan provided medical and military assistance to the terrorists. But they were paid by Qatar and CIA/Mi6. Al Nusra, in particular, belong to CIA and Mossad/IDF. Erdogan is connected culturally to the Uyghurs in Idlib (Turkic-speaking people).
Erdogan possesses survival skills, but he has shown poor instincts and misjudgment for military moves. His operations within Syria have proven to be unsuccessful versus the Kurds. They may not be right on his border, but they pose a perpetual threat that ties down his military in a costly posture.
His flank geopolitically with the US is naked. They can strike him many different ways whenever they choose, and eventually they will. Right now they are shaking his economy, so their “hand” is not so evident, but they expect him to face very serious economic challenges that could end his rule.
He has run to China for financial help, investment and probably tourism (which provides hard dollars directly into his economy).
The only reason the Kurds are quiet is the US is using them to hold vast swaths of Syria to deny the Syrian government oil and agriculture (and water).
Erdogan has a propensity to bite the hand of his “allies”. He and Qatar are ideological brothers (Muslim Brotherhood). Qatar and Iran are bedfellows in the shared gas fields. So, the arrangement of their alliance is very strained by the clash against the terrorists in Idlib. Turkey and Qatar are the benefactors of al Nusra, et al, and Iran, Syria and Hezbollah are determined to liquidate the terrorists.
How this ends is problematic. It is highly unlikely that some “wise” solution will result.
All stakeholders (US, Israel, UK, France, CIA, Mossad, Qatar, Gulf States and Saudi Arabia) are moving to extend the war and keep Idlib as a frozen conflict zone.
@Larchmonter445 – As the question posted by Serbian Girl,
How do you think Russia and China (and may be even Iran)
1) should
and
2) could
respond-contribute to or destabilised or profit from the situation, in particular to Turkey as “crossroad”? Given your very astute analysis…
Do you smell one of those colours coming on soon….???
and let’s not overlook – S400 is now OFFICIALLY dsiplay on that land… He seems like one of those boys who just loves his toys… and can’t wait for “The Value” to materialised….
Much appreciate your thoughts. Peace.
Russia knows how and is using Erdogan as their add-on. He needs Russia more every day.
China invests. They think long term. They don’t have any goals in the region other than connectivity and oil.
They never get “involved”. Their technique is friendship to all. Of course, Uyghurs trained as terrorists are a big concern for them, and Erdogan has been told the Uyghurs of Idlib better not be coming to Afghan, Pakistan or Xinjiang. Beyond that, China will invest in Turkey and would like to do infrastructure for him. Ports, airports, high-speed rail, 5G, and maybe sell some military weapons, too.
What Turkey wants with military weapons systems is to do what India does, and get technology transfers and build their own versions. It usually begins with co-development, if they use Russian weapons. The problem with Turkey is they are going broke. Erdogan has crushed their booming economy of several years ago. So right now, he’s more beggar than Sultan. Though he has enormous power among the Muslim Brotherhood. Especially after he rushed in troops to save Qatar from overthrow by Saudis.
Some think he would leave NATO if he could get into SCO. I don’t think he would do that. There are many out of sight links of NATO into Turkey that he can never break.Some of these are ratlines of supply, transport and communication to and from the terrorists. NATO has been a large logistics support to the terrorists. Recall the Bulgarian and Ukrainian heavy weapons that moved into Syria during the war. They will have to expel him and they won’t do that unless war breaks out regionally.
Turkey is crucial to all and as the Black Sea has become a lake of confrontation of forces, more so than ever, passage for NATO and Russia has to be assured. There is no work-around possible. He is starting a second passage from Med to Black Sea to assure all the increased military and commercial traffic.
Erdogan is a Janus character. Everyone knows that and acts accordingly.
And not too popular with Egypt regarding Libya these days….
Erdogan can do his pivot to the East only when it is safe to do so. By “safe” I mean that the inevitable sanctions, color revolution and all the other nice things Hegemon has in its arsenal can be withstood with the support of trade, military activities or merely military strength, and a stabilized region where Turkey does not have to worry about Kurds, Irag or Israel, and a newly restored Syria finds it beneficial to let the past stay in the past.
Its all about money, and by making Turkey an integral part of the New Trade Corridors, Putin is providing those assurances.
The solution is political and economic.
There was sabotage of an oil pipeline going to Ceyhan last week from Iraq????
Thank You Pepe for the excellent article.
Team Regime Change needs a regime change to get rid of the corrupt politicians and the control fraudsters.
Maybe my comment is a bit out of context but look at casey here. He is asking the same question I am asking. Hermann Goering alluded to it during WW2 ”of course the people don’t want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece?”
I think 99 percent of the readers on this site are some poor slob like myself. Also they are wondering if Putin and Xi Jinping will Stop Trump. I doubt it. They will just replace one enslavement system with a different one. It is up to us to make our own life better. People need to look to themselves to fix their life and from that we get real progress. One person at a time. It is not rocket science but it is easy to forget that we are all linked together. A symphony in motion with each our own part to play.
Not just Trump and Putin.
Pepe absolutely nails the vital point of geopolitics circa: Trump.
The US Hegemony and Global Dominance is virulent and successful due solely by the power of Sanctions.
The strategy of Russia and China/Putin and Xi must defeat the sanctions regimes that are abounding against nation after nation, corporation after corporation and individuals/officials after individuals/officials.
With the secondary sanctioning power that the US uses (to force compliance by vassal states), or states that attempt to assist the target nations, the effect of the US Sanctions is stunningly effect and total.
Sanctions are financial at basis. They represent banking, trade resolutions, use of Dollars, movement of currencies, gold assets held in escrow, investment flows in or out, foreign aid, tourism, and various forms of visas. Their impact is profound against most nations. They affect every sector of a nation’s economy.
And as Pepe writes, the future of Eurasia depends on the defeat of the Sanctions Regime as the ultimate weapon of mass destruction of a nation’s economy, society and government.
Turkey is claiming its civilizational right place.
Just like China and Iran which have been humiliated by westerners.
It seems it is a stoeyboard cooked with Putin and Xi support aiming at putting nails in the USD coffin by giving 2 options to Europeans.
You either go to World War or defy the USD …
Interesting to get a glimpse into Iran strategy.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980419001022
“If the Europeans do not act upon their undertakings, we will take the third and fourth steps and we will withdraw from the nuclear deal in the fourth step and will adopt other measures too in that phase,” Abolfazl Hassanbeigi told FNA on Wednesday.
The Europeans should know that if they continue this trend, they should buy a barrel of oil at the price of $200, while we will also have a free hand to pull out of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty),” he added.”
Turkey strategy with S400 Will also lead to change.
Second half of 2019 Will be interesting…
The JCPOA is dead as a door nail. The EU just requested a convening of the Joint Commission. To deal with Iran’s formal complaint? Oh, no, that won’t do. The Commission has to deal with Iran’s “compliance issues.”
This is how Iran’s case was first referred to the UNSC back in the early 2000’s. The mechanism is this:
1) You notice some technical violation of an agreement or at least some dispute.
2) You undermine the dispute resolution process.
3) You declare the party in “non-compliance”.
4) You wash your hands of it and refer it to the UNSC.
5) The US seizes on “non-compliance” and turns it into a “breach” and it becomes a casus belli for going to war.
The neocons have moved on, anyway. Their goal now is a “covert blockade” of Iranian oil tankers, implemented by as many different parties as possible to conceal the direct US cause and also to get the public used to Iranian tanker seizures. First we had the British seize an Iranian tanker in the Med. Now Egypt – a US ally – has detained a Ukrainian tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Suez Canal.
At the same time, the US is pushing for more countries to send ships to the Persian Gulf to “protect shipping” – ostensibly from Iranian attacks. But the real goal is to get more countries’ navies in the Gulf. Then the US will pressure those countries to join it in blockading all Iranian oil shipments.
This will force Iran to close the Straits of Hormuz to all shipping, thus “justifying” a US Navy – and other countries’ navies – attacking Iranian navy ships, thus starting the Iran war. Most importantly, it will allow the US to claim that *Iran* started the war by closing the Straits – not the US for implementing a blockade. Nine nine percent of the US electorate don’t know that a blockade is an act of war.
In the meantime, the US just sanctioned three more Hezbollah officials, including two who are members of Lebanon’s Parliament. The US is also pushing the line that Iranian militias in Iraq killed over 600 US soldiers during the Iraq war. You see the connection? As Gareth Porter points out, the US deaths in Iraq weren’t from Iranians per se, but Iranian militias who used IEDs *provided by Hezbollah’s offshoot in Iraq.*
So now the US can say “Hezbollah killed US troops in Iraq” and “Iranian proxies killed US troops in Iraq” – and who is the biggest “Iranian proxy”? Hezbollah.
You see how every possible avenue of “justifying” a war with Iran and/or Hezbollah is being constructed by the US? And not one in a thousand US citizens have any idea what’s going on, except what they read in the mainstream media about “Iran is in breach of the JCPOA” and “Iran is killing US soldiers” and “Iran has a nuclear weapons program.”
When the Iran war starts, Iran, China and Turkey can forget about the BRI for the next thirty years.
Lot of talk about this war for quite some time, perhaps we should talk about why it has yet to start, their could be a raging war over there right now and no one would know about it unless you have short wave and a translator.
Yes, the ‘hawks’ can confidently count on the Americans stupidity and amoralism.
Never hurts to be #1 at something and in the majority about it.
Yawnnn…
Sure the US is trying its best… Clumsily… And without credibility whatsoever…
The US is incapable of war. And is giving helping hand by holding the nails that will seal the USD coffin.
Besides, the US softpower is soiled and defiled again and again and again…
Dramatic.
The softies do get a bad rap, but the U.S. has shown its cards, gone all in, yet blindingly has a losing hand.
As the pawns slowly wake to this realization they throw a fit, but the larger pieces are baked in denial and currently refuse to admit their system is setting up for a crash. And once said crash is about to occur, they just change pieces and continue marching along.
“The US is incapable of war.”
Seriously?
Tell that to the half million to one million dead Iraqis.
Perhaps you overlooked that 1/2 the U.S. population is the equivalent of the zombified walking dead, or have you been locked up in a closet the past decade or so.
50%?
About 60% of eligibles vote in US presidential elections in nearly equal measure for either dem or gop war party.
If we say 50% of those who do not vote are also zombies then 80% of entire population are zombies.
That percentage is probably a little low but is repeated globally.
That’s not ‘war’-that’s genocide for fun. A ‘turkey-shoot’.
“Erdogan now feels emboldened enough to offer his services as mediator between Tehran and the Trump administration”
Erdogan. Mediator. Tehran. Trump. Good joke, Pepe !
Erdogan now feels emboldened enough to offer his services as mediator between Tehran and the Trump administration”
Erdogan. Mediator. Tehran. Trump. Good joke, Pepe !
This may be a case where Russia and China coach and otherwise enable Erdogan to assume the role of greater statesman. I’m speculating, but if true, it opens doors for him and Turkey that were not visible before.
If Erdogan is a link in the formation of the great silk road, does it not make it easier for him to allow the destructive elements in Idlib to be removed in whatever fashion works best.
Truly, the container ship is mightier than the sword.
Turkey can be a construction powerhouse for Russia,Iran and Iraq traded in return for energy, both oil and gas. Horticulture too, they have just built a 100m capacity airport FASTER than the Chinese !! The turks have just realised they have been used as a shield for Israel, its time to lock their economy with Russia,China,India and Iran there is NO NEED for the West anymore all tech is avialble via the Silk Road.
Erdogan a mediator between the USA and Iran?
There is nothing to mediate. There was a mediated deal, it’s called JCPOA, took years to negotiate, and was blessed by the UNSC. Such a deal is between states, not between presidents. That the USA withdraw univocally proves that a deal with the USA is useless. You can best burn the paper it’s written on, then at least it gives some heat value.
Even if a mediation could give some solid results, it’s useless without inviting the elephant in the room at the table: Israel, since they dictate the USA actions in the ME.
Israel has a psychopatical obsession with Iran, which is imho a strange mix of fear of Hezbollah, pure racism, Purim-infected revengial hate, and the strange strategy altogether to see the Old Testament as a history book and a geopolitical manifest, blessed by their chosen jealous God. Eretz Israel is based on a fairytale, when that cannot be put back into its real proportion I fear the worst.
The ‘Sultan of Swing’ might have too many ‘issues’ at stake. Besides the internal economical problems, he’s meddling with Lybia (stealing oil again?), and dangerously claiming gas drilling rights in an area almost completely around Cyprus and including a part of the EZ of Greece, with Turkish military assisting Turkish drilling ships. With that he is starting to overplay his hands.
Cheers, Rob
The top image of Erdogan and Xi Jinping in Beijing, side by side against a backdrop of expressionless honor guards, gives a highly potent political expression. i daren’t say more.
Another aspect of the zpc/nwo war against those not under their control:
Jeff Brown
Chinese Philosophy is Humbly Winning against Western Imperialism in Hong Kong
https://dissidentvoice.org/2019/07/chinese-philosophy-is-humbly-winning-against-western-imperialism-in-hong-kong/
“Sometimes they get caught in the act. Below is a photo of an obvious Western spook directing Hong Kong protestors. This clown’s t-shirt says “Freedom” and for social media in China, the big yellow characters paraphrase, “Be on the lookout for these evil devils”. I have been informed by locals that his name is Brian Kern and he is a well-known CIA/color revolution operative in Hong Kong. All in a day’s imperial chaos and mayhem:
The Chinese social media text above says that these people were being paid HK$1,000 to march for a day, HK$2,000 for chanting against the government and HK$5,000 for tearing the place up.
All this kind of blatant evidence is widely circulated across Chinese social media, so everybody except Westerners knows exactly what is going on. Beijing is publicly calling for investigations into “foreign meddling” of the very violent Hong Kong protests turned riots. Again, it’s not rocket science, except for uninformed Westerners.”
I have NEVER heard any Austfailian presstitute dare utter the words ‘Colour Revolution’, ‘regime change’, ‘Gene Sharp’, ‘Robert Helvey’, ‘Strategic Non-Violence’ or the acronyms ‘NED’, ‘IRI’, ‘IDI’, or ‘CANVAS’. The world is one-dimensional to these lying hypocrites.
Personally think China and Russia need the Sultan more than NATO. NATO has figured out it can strangle Russia in many other ways and can post it’s line via Ukraine or Poland or Romania. End of the day NATO is there to dismantle Russia. Turkey has become a pia. They tried to take him out and that was a black eye.
Though Russia and China are coming in with an economic angle, they are also getting a border with NATO in their own terms. I think the Sultan sees this, and is ready to dance. What does he want in return? Well his economy is in the tank and he realizes he’ll never be EU. They may even stop calling Turkey, Europe.
Right now the Sultan wants goodies and he’s getting them for a great price. He’ll make transit money too… Sometimes, as they say, the easiest way to get rich is to get in the rich guys way.
Finally, its the old adage. Enemy of my enemy is…
What happens if Sultan is removed,biologically or by other means. And the ” new ” ( highly corrupted ) power in Turkey closes the Bosporus straits ? Joining the EU and its immoral,hypocrite and coward foreign policies towards Russia,China and Iran,dictated by Global elites ?
“What happens if Sultan is…”
Pointless comment.
“What happens if Sultan is removed”
with one turk gone, there is still another down the street to make my kebab
Not every turk down the road is a Sultan.
And there is a problem with the authoritarian regimes when the head is chopped off or damaged.It creates a power vacuum . It is not like in the Western world where the real power belongs to the Hydra in the swamp (the Deep State ). And for every head chopped off, the Hydra would regrow two heads…
The idea behind the message : It is highly likely that the Deep state will try fix the problems with the Turks this way ( cheap method ),Turkey is full of NATO specialists,military bases,fifth to N columns, Gulens,etc. They missed once ,it is true.
Or the method could be a color revolution,or Cambridge Analytica ,Facebook or a Washinchock.
This is a possibility that can not be ignored . The paid price would be too high.
@ Hack
Iraq was not ideologically united.
And had no allies or strategical depth.
Besides Russia and China were not in the shape as they are today.
Iraq war was cheap and the US not bankrupt yet.
The point is Iran would be expensive in lives, money and political credibility. Whereas the US is broke in all those spheres.
This is over.
US is finished in ME and will be flushed away in due time.
Iran only need to play wise and smart and let History take its due course.