John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN MOON OF ALABAMA
“WaPo Gives Campaign Space To Main Sponsor Of ISIS Who Also Jails More Journalists Than Anyone Else
“Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan uses the recent terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand to whip up support for local elections in Turkey”
Erdogan is an interesting character.
Definitely, a bit unbalanced and prone to violence, but then that has been the case for many consequential figures in history.
He does make some pointed and welcome comments on some matters.
However, the next day he is sometimes perfectly capable of saying or doing something that seems absurd.
But he does have a powerful, often shrewd, intelligence.
Look how he is able to keep Washington totally off-balance on many matters.
Now he's getting his F-35s despite acquiring Russia's S-400 anti-craft missile system. Washington is concerned over S-400’s powerful radars and computers being able to store F-35 characteristics for future use. Washington threatened him time and again, and it is Washington who has backed down.
Ditto for Europe, which has paid him extortionate amounts of money to house enough refugees in camps to populate a large city.
The threat of their being sent packing in the direction of Europe has been a powerful tool, and he has used it to maximum benefit. And, of course, at one and the same time, he is legitimately claim to the Muslim world that he is a protector of millions of Muslims.
He is the only figure in NATO to directly criticize America's protected and immensely spoiled colony, Israel, and he manages to get away with it. There’s, of course, a lot to criticize there, starting with out-and-out atrocities and massive oppression, but for the US or France or Britain, such words simply cannot be uttered.
The leverage of Turkey's geographical position and its NATO membership gives him a powerful tool, and he uses it effectively. The United States would be horrified by Turkey’s leaving NATO.
I have little doubt that the United States was instrumental in the attempted coup in Turkey a few years back. They may have used the Gϋlen movement, Gϋlen himself being a refugee in the US, the kind of thing so often done by CIA, but Gϋlen just provides a fig leaf-decency covering.
Erdogan is only too happy to play along, having gained new leverage against the US. He keeps demanding the US extradite Gϋlen, but it won't. Well, if he was responsible for a coup in a key allied state, why not?
Remember, NATO keeps fifty nuclear bombs in a bunker at the big Turkish NATO base, Incirlik. It's a very strategic place.
Putin, the master statesman, seized on the blunder immediately. His people having caught chatter on intercepted radio signals during the coup, he warned and assisted Erdogan. In one swift blow, he restored decent relations with Turkey and helped America once again to make a fool of itself.
Readers may like:
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2018/06/22/john-chuckman-comment-sometimes-you-side-with-the-devil-the-case-of-turkeys-election-and-erdogan-picking-your-battles-and-allies-strategically-in-the-murkiness-of-world-affairs/
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2017/09/07/john-chuckman-comment-one-of-the-worlds-genuine-evil-geniuses-turkeys-erdogan-and-political-lessons-he-offers/
