Editor's note: Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a GPS contributor. You can find all his blog posts here. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Soner Cagaptay.
By Soner Cagaptay, Special to CNN
Washington’s ties with Ankara have improved significantly in recent years thanks to a personal relationship between President Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two leaders have been in frequent contact, building a rapport that has translated into closer Turkish support for the U.S., including Ankara’s 2011 decision to participate in NATO’s crucial missile defense project.
Yet a crisis could be waiting in Syria.
Ankara and Washington both abhor the Syrian regime’s brutal crackdown on demonstrators. But according to some reports, Ankara is hosting the Syrian opposition and possibly even helping arm it.
In contrast, Obama’s cautious policy on Syria appears to be driven by a desire to avoid three things: the political unknown after Bashar al-Assad, war in an election year, and a new military campaign in a Muslim country.
Erdogan might find it increasingly difficult to tolerate Obama’s “wait-and-see” strategy. For the Turks, slaughter in Syria is not an overseas affair, but rather a tragedy close to home that they cannot ignore.
Turkey’s border with Syria spans 510 miles, crisscrossing ethnic groups and families. Some Turks have loved ones in Syria who are in harm’s way. These constituents demand that Erdogan do his utmost to stop the al-Assad regime from perpetrating its crimes.
And many Sunni Turks, including those in the Ankara government, cannot turn a blind eye to the crackdown because they see the violence as a horrifying case of persecution by the Alawites who run the country.
Such religious sensitivities will be heightened later this summer during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts in late July.
When the Syrian uprising began, Ankara initially shied away from confronting Damascus, offering advice instead. But during last year’s Ramadan, Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Damascus to ask al-Assad to halt his crackdown in recognition of that month’s sanctity. Damascus ignored this request, instead sending tanks into Hama to attack civilians. Turkish-Syrian relations collapsed at this moment: Ankara switched to an aggressive posture against al-Assad, calling for action to force him to step down.
Even though Turkey has since backpedalled on some of its war rhetoric, Ankara could become more outspoken again this Ramadan. Moved by Muslim suffering during a holy month, Erdogan might make passionate calls for military action against al-Assad. This would throw a wrench in Ankara’s relationship with Washington: the White House would have to choose between answering to Erdogan’s passion and avoiding a military campaign in an election year.
There is one more reason why Ankara cannot live with the al-Assad regime, even if Washington can. Recent news reports suggest the Syrian regime is allowing the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish terrorist group that targets Turkey, to operate inside Syrian territory.
Turkey views the PKK as an existential threat, and it considers anyone who hosts the group to be an enemy. So even if Washington were to reach a modus vivendi with Damascus, it is hard for Ankara to ever become friends with al-Assad.
The longer Washington delays action against al-Assad, the more nervous Ankara will become about the PKK’s growing strength inside Syria. Eventually, Erdogan will ask Obama to help him oust al-Assad and prevent the PKK from becoming a fighting machine next door. This divergence will test the limits of the Obama-Erdogan relationship.
For the time being, Erdogan might accept U.S. inaction, knowing that Obama’s re-election chances depend on his ability to keep America out of an overseas conflict. But what happens after the U.S. elections in November?
Regardless of the winner, Erdogan will demand help from Washington to end the Syrian regime’s patronage of the PKK. This is because Erdogan, like Obama, has election fever. The Turkish leader wants to become the country’s first popularly elected president in polls to be held in 2013 or 2014. (Until a recent constitutional amendment, Turkish presidents were elected by the country’s parliament.)
Should al-Assad continue to reign despite Erdogan’s outspoken support for regime change, this will tarnish the Turkish leader’s image as the tough guy who gets things done, the very image that has earned him respect and helped him win three successive elections since 2002.
He would also be weakened with the PKK thriving in Syria and using its territory as a springboard to launch attacks against Turkey. Then he would most certainly ask Obama to prove whether he is truly the friend that the Turkish leader thinks he is.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of Soner Cagaptay.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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I understand the President's political re-election scenario but too leave the Syrian/crisis leadership role to the good people of Istanbul is not exactly what I want to see out of my friends in Washington. It would be nice not to have this feeling, and thoughts, like we're boxed in from inaction due to the political situation.
It is time for muslim countries to help their own. It is also time for America to help its own, first and foremost, and only.
Can you please leave the right of veto at UN so that we can help ourselves and decide about our matters. Thank you.
Turkey's PM Erdogan might be impatient, but rushing into a war isn't a better option neither. Sanctions and isolation will cripple Assad's regime. He and his butchers might be stronger than the opposition militarily but they have the world opinion against them. How long can Assad and his loyalists hang on to power? Syria is not Iran and has limited resources. Sanctions and a hostile international community will hurt them more. Think about the Vietnam War! The U.S. had the world opinion against them and had to end the war.
This should be handled as a NATO operation. Russia and China are not members and could not block the action. The reason could be the security of Turkey, a NATO member. In any case it is irresponsible for the world to allow this to go on.
Russia and China will go to war with us over this.that is why no ones moves just crys about it.
PKK has never been a friend of Assad regime however PKK donot want to change a brutal dictator by a islamo fascist regime that can be equally bad to Kurds..just like the Turkish regime. Even if Assad goes..Kurds in Turkey, Syria and iraq will stand against Turkish policies in the region until Turkey will be forced to recognise all their legitimate demands for their universal rights like full education in mother tounge and autonomy.
Enough of this right-wing bla-bla-bla bashing of the PKK. The PKK is only seeking to bring to it's people the independence they so well deserve. Just because Turkey has been such a good stooge for the West, it still doesn't give them the right to hold on to Northern Kurdistan!
PKK is a known terrorist organization. There is no difference between Al-Qaeda and PKK. Members of these two terrorist organizations are immoral, ignorant, backward, cowardly murderers!
As an American hammurabi, I find your comment above to be quite offensive as a slap in the face to our Founding Fathers. Calling the PKK terrorists is tantamount to calling our Founding Fathers the same thing. This kind of ignorance is something we can do without!
Quigley, kurds and turks are friends . PKK and her COWARDS SUPPORTERS are going straight to Hell
demanding univcersal rights like full education in mother tounge and autonomy is not a right wing policy!!! Turkish massacare of Kurdish civilians and denying Kurds education in mother tounge and freedom of speech is the act of fascism!!!! Kurds are not fighting for changing Turks language to Kurdish! not for changing Turkish cities names to Turkish!
Kurds in Turkey still forced to have Turkish names and surnames!!! Kurdish cities names changed to Turkish..Kurdish school kids arrested and tourtured for speaking Kurdish and protesting opressive policies of Turkish state.. so who is right wing terrorist here! ????
In response to this very ignorant Marine,
PKK has been recognized as a terrorist organization not only by the Turkish government and the European Union but also the US state department. Look it up before getting insulted this bad!
do your terrorist propaganda somewhere else. this is about the lives of syrian people.
Kurds have suffered most in the hand of syrian regime ..but will never goto a fight to change fascist dictator by a fascist islamist..we watch and see!
I agree with both Quigley and Marine5484 above. The Kurds do deserve to be independent from both Iraq and Turkey but the right-wing news media never talks about this, sadly enough. It talks only about Syria and Bashar al-Assad these days.
The turks want to arm the rebels (Muslim Brotherhood and al qaeda) to kill Syrians, but it's not ok for Syria to arm PKK.
Attention Turkey and Gulf Countries: No American blood, No American Money. Step up and be real men and do it yourself if you want Assad gone. Assad is right, they are all half-men!
Yes, exactly. For all the clamor about this we (USA) did NOTHING to create this problem. Assad started the bloodshed and Syria's neighbors are free to help if they want. I suspect we may offer quiet support of our friends in the area but that is where it should end. Russia and China are the ones who are going to have some explaining to do when all the smoke clears. I personally think the US should offer limited help to our friends but stay out of the fray.
Never thought I'd agree with a murderous totalitarian like Assad, but this time he may be right about some leaders being "half-men". Trained as a physician, Assad must know that humans in general are either women (endowed with two X chromosomes) or half-men (with one X and one Y). Strange that he deviates from the Hippocratic oath to "first do no harm".
Sixty eight percent of Americans polled said Bush and the republicans are to be blamed for the state of the US economy! And if you were to factor in the percetage error, the correct percentage would be more like 96% who rightfully believe Bush and the republicans are to be blamed! No, I'm not on the wrong subject because had President Obama inherited a stable and thriving America like Bushinherited from President Clinton, this administration would have had more flexibility to intervene sooner in Syria! Let's face it, the republicans are a bunch of failures and obstructionists! Or more like a cancer cell after kimo has failed!
Your powers of deductive reasoning are astoundingly nonexistant.
that's nonexistent, with an e.
So you're saying that a supposedly credible survey has a margin of error of 28%? By your reasoning then it is equally plausible that only 40% of Americans blame Bush and the Republicans. Don't be a dolt.
I don't know where you obtained the percentages regarding President George W. Bush. We are three and half years post GW Bush This administration and those that support it keep telling us that the fault with the economy, employment, etc is the LAST ADMINISTRATION..that is the problem ... This administration and it's supporters they don't take responsibility its always some one else and you will have people believe it !!!!
So if Obama is re elected and that second term is a failure who do we blame ....I know Ronald Reagan !!!! Get Real !!!
It must also be Bush's fault you don't have an education. Our current President and by extension his followers, have had plenty of time to fix most of our issues. Did you forget BOTH the Senate and House were controled by Dems when he took office. Not to mention the last two years of Bush's term. The President does not make law, congress does. If you want to play the blame game, start looking at the Dem controled congress from 2008 to 2010.
Policy of "we can all get along if we just talk and share campfire stories" is not good policy.
Hope you enjoyed your lesson for the day. The next session will be at President Romney's White House.
When Bush inherited the White House the ecomony was in a recession! Bush pulled it out. Guess you don't remember that.
Wake the World is right. No reason why the Turks can't take action themselves. I would vote for no NATO support here. let's not get into another Proxy war with Russia.
Not only Turks but the whole world can solve its matters if you leave the right of veto at UN.No one will ask you for help after this.Can you send this suggestion to white house.
Wake the world...You need to wake up yourself if you think Alssad is a real man. Anyone that trys to justify killing children is a POS! Alssad has help from outside as well. I bet you just about every country has there hands in Syria's mess. I don't agree, but that's the way the corrupt world leaders work.
Just for you jim:
Report: Rebels Responsible for Houla Massacre
By John Rosenthal, National Review, June 9, 2012 4:00 A.M.
According to a new report in Germany’s leading daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the Houla massacre was in fact committed by anti-Assad Sunni militants, and the bulk of the victims were member of the Alawi and Shia minorities, which have been largely supportive of Assad. For its account of the massacre, the report cites opponents of Assad, who, however, declined to have their names appear in print out of fear of reprisals from armed opposition groups.
According to the article’s sources, the massacre occurred after rebel forces attacked three army-controlled roadblocks outside of Houla. The roadblocks had been set up to protect nearby Alawi majority villages from attacks by Sunni militias. The rebel attacks provoked a call for reinforcements by the besieged army units. Syrian army and rebel forces are reported to have engaged in battle for some 90 minutes, during which time “dozens of soldiers and rebels” were killed.
“According to eyewitness accounts,” the FAZ report continues,
the massacre occurred during this time. Those killed were almost exclusively from families belonging to Houla’s Alawi and Shia minorities. Over 90% of Houla’s population are Sunnis. Several dozen members of a family were slaughtered, which had converted from Sunni to Shia Islam. Members of the Shomaliya, an Alawi family, were also killed, as was the family of a Sunni member of the Syrian parliament who is regarded as a collaborator. Immediately following the massacre, the perpetrators are supposed to have filmed their victims and then presented them as Sunni victims in videos posted on the internet.
The FAZ report echoes eyewitness accounts collected from refugees from the Houla region by members of the Monastery of St. James in Qara, Syria. According to monastery sources cited by the Dutch Middle East expert Martin Janssen, armed rebels murdered “entire Alawi families” in the village of Taldo in the Houla region.
Already at the beginning of April, Mother Agnès-Mariam de la Croix of the St. James Monastery warned of rebel atrocities’ being repackaged in both Arab and Western media accounts as regime atrocities. She cited the case of a massacre in the Khalidiya neighborhood in Homs. According to an account published in French on the monastery’s website, rebels gathered Christian and Alawi hostages in a building in Khalidiya and blew up the building with dynamite. They then attributed the crime to the regular Syrian army. “Even though this act has been attributed to regular army forces . . . , the evidence and testimony are irrefutable: It was an operation undertaken by armed groups affiliated
All those articles and sources you have quoted actually came from government workers, sympathizers and cronies. There are thousands and thousands of examples of the Syrian government torturing people to get them to say what they want them to say. Recently, Al-Shabihah pulled over a bus or construction workers, lined them up, had them say pro-government slogans and summarily executed them, to make it seem that the rebels were responsible.
The most unbiased source of all, the UN mission, confirmed that the massacre was the work of the Syrian government. This was based on the fact that there were tracks of military personnel units and tank and artillery shells throughout the city, of which the rebels do not possess. The city was actually controlled by the rebels before being attacked by the government, as reported by the UN team. The rebels retreated before any of those videos were produced. Why would the rebels need to break through if they already controlled the area? It is the government that carried out these atrocities and noone else. The UN Security Council (including Syria's close friends Russia and China) condemned the Syrian government for the massacres. Moon and Annan have squarely placed the blame for the massacre as well as other massacres, and the brunt of the violence on Bashar and his thugs. Robert King, a western photojournalist, recently reported that the areas controlled by rebels are peaceful, with people going about business as usual. He also spent a majority of his time with the syrian military, and indicated that areas controlled by the government were barren wastelands. This shows you who is protecting the people of Syria and making them feel comfortable. Every journalist who does not work for the Syrian government, has reported that the government is shelling cities, killing children and women, and summarily executing their citizens. There have been many reports of phyisicians who are helping the injured being arrested and tortured, having their clinics bombed and having the government do everything they can to prevent them from caring for the wounded. You obviously do not watch the news other than SANA.
After Houla reached such international condemnation, the military has been trying to limit the movement of the UN team (military and government sympathizers blocking entry into Qubeir, etc.) to evaluate massacres and areas that the government is shelling. This has been reported by the UN team, not rebels. The UN team has also indicated that the military has frequently been firing small arms at them to scare them away.
The Syrian government is brutal, will kill anything and anyone that gets in its way, and that includes women and children by proxy. This is Macchiavellian politics taken to the extreme.
You sir, are a government sympathizer or a government employee, using the same tactics of diversion, lies and using false sources to try and make a case that this is not the government's work. But if you do a search, there are 10,000 articles discussing all the horrible atrocities the Syrian government is conducting for every mention of what the Syrian government claims.
What a PIG.
Whole world knows it was Shabeeha who commited the massacres.
Finally, a response that makes sense and has some data behind it. Bravo.
YES jim, the children were killed by sunnis, the same crazies that crash air crafts into buildings, the same crazies that go into markets and blow themselves up (killing their own), the same crazies that want to wipe Israel off the map.
Wake up boy!
You have forgotten to mention the King of crazies ( Sir George W Bush).
Wake the world ,wake up !!! wake up, everyone who reads your retarded comments know that you are not an American and you blame other Syrians most likely sunnis killing children for Asad (Alawite)'s crimes. Wake yourself up ...
When you have a minority group try to rule/dictate a country for decades eventually this happens...
I say no to American or European intervention in Syria, the latest comments from people from Middle East that I just saw were clear, they want the west to stay out of the Middle East. So I say let the Arab Leauge and the Turks handle Syria on their own. We got rid of Saddam Hussein from Iraq and what we got was a boot from Iraqis and more hatefull remarks from their people. I just like to see how much blood will be spilled by the Arabs and Turks trying to get rid of Assad on their own. Maybe then they will have little appreciation when someone wants to do a dirty job for them.
Adam, it will take real men to remove Assad. the Turks and Gulf states are "half-men". Look at them begging us to wipe out Assad and the Persians.
Again, NO AMERICAN BLOOD, NO AMERICAN MONEY.
If I were you I would not call a Turk a half man to their face which I doubt you have the guts to do. I remember Turkey having among the most feared soldiers in the Vietnamese war. They also held off the Brits in WWI so I do not know what you base this half man thing on. My personal feeling is the Turks would already be in there if it were not for their past history as the Ottoman empire. The middle east still views them with caution and Turkey also has this in mind.
Wake the world ,wake up !!! wake up, everyone who reads your retarded comments know that you are not an American and you blame other Syrians most likely sunnis killing children for Asad (Alawite)'s crimes. Wake yourself up ...
Arabs and Turks and Americans are 1000 times more men than coward nazis . At least US , Arab states and Turkey are working for peace . do you want these countries to support Assad and give him salutes ?
I think this sort of operation needs the help of the US, whether it be weapons support, or heavy political support. I agree that US soldiers should never touch Syrian ground, but there is a massacre clearly occuring, and the world (Arab states, Turkey, US and everyone else) cannot sit around and watch.
It is a cyclical argument. "the Arabs should take care of it!"
The Arabs and Turks respond, "We need help!"
Throughout this process tens of thousand of people have been killed, and so far the diplomatic solutions have failed. Bashar is a dictator who will continue killing either until there is noone left or nobody questions him anymore.
Imagine if this was occuring on your doorstep or in your country, how would you feel? This is about human life, women, children... innocent lives!
Firstly, the initial reports of Turkey serving as an agent of weapons shipments into Syria arose more than 6 months ago – so not a recent practice. Secondly, if a nation ships arms into another nation to an opposition group it is entirely likely the other nation will reciprocate in kind – specifically given that Turkey has a restive population of Kurds ( approx 25% of net population ) whose own aspirations have often, with significant brutality, been put down. US estimates place the number of Kurds killed in these kinds of operations at ~ 30 000 in the near to mid past. It is possible the Turks attempted ( by arms surplies ) to unseat Assad quickly in the hopes of preventing the uprising spreading across their own borders, clearly that did not happen and a dangerous game may prove to have backfired. Will Obama be pressurized? I would hope not as we are not in the position of protecting a nation such as Turkey from the consequences of its own actions or from a segment of its population.
Well said!!
And will Turkey and the US take in all the Christians (many of them Armenians, who got killed in the last century's first genocide by the Turks) and Alawite/Shias if the rebels take over/
Actually first genocide was Herero genocide done by Germans in 20 th century .
Sound familiar? Can you spell P.A.K.I.S.T.A.N?
In this whole article, the local neighbors are never mentioned.
The local neighbors such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia ( the largest and richest), UAE, Yemen and Oman are
completely absent, vacant, invisible. Not one of these local neighbors seem to have an interest in solving this local
problem.
Please stop looking to the West, since I always here how you hate us, please look to the East, the source and the solution to your problems.
The Rational American
You have given a very good suggestion, can you please leave the right of veto so that we can decide our matters without USA.
Turkey has the second largest army in NATO (after the U.S.), why do they need the U.S. to handle a situation right on their doorstep?
Because USA will veto any solution at UN. Don't try to become smart.
Turkey doesn't need permission or support from anyone to use their own Army. Not very bright are you?
Why would the USA veto anything, when they know Russia and China already will? The USA could back action and earn brownie points and then wring their hands and say "alas but it was vetoed".
And no, Turkey doesn't really need anyone's permission. God knows the US didn't exactly wait for permission before some of it's operations.
If Turkey does not need permission why they are looking towards USA.
The leaders of China and Russia for whatever reasons continue to support a man who will most likely end up like Con. Gadhafi. Turkey must rally the international community, including the so-called Arab leaders–Insha’Allah.
Turkey is not foolish. The good relationship with US is, Turkish to supply Turkish-delights and to woo Turkish not to have conflict with J-State. Except these, nothing could convinced Turkey to act beyond...its People interest.
Unlike other Muslim Countries, Turkish acts by what its People want. It always consulted its People before it reacts. That's why it keep denying the Armenian massacre too.
The Armenian issue you have raised actually happened in the Ottoman Empire according to the most Turks here in Mogadishu, and has nothing to do with modern Turkey. Don’t listen to Sarkozy’s/ EU propaganda machines!
Germany is responsible for the Armenian massacres ,Germany still denies it. turks are protecting germans and don't want armenians to become enemies of turks and muslims.
Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan: how can you point your finger toward Assad knowing your own country committed genocide. Remember April 24, 1915?
The turks butchered 1.50 million Armenians.
It is clear that you are anti-Turkish so I imagine you should be carrying some Armenian-Greek or Kurdish blood in you. And I guess you are not living in Armenia, Greece or Iraqi Kurdistan as the young generation living close to Turkey in their homelands have changed just like their Turkish neighbours. They are not bound by their racist ancestors' ideas any more and can clearly see peace and opportunities. I hope one day you can start to see and value alternative ideas.
Germany is responsible for Armenian Genocide not Turkey . Germans butchered 1.5 million armenians .this is why most of the countries in the world rejects the armenian tragedy as genocide because germany is responsible
How much concession can a government can go to to welcome a single person into Turkey. Read the current Turkish news to understand the level.
Turkey doesn't need the US or NATO. It can handle the Syrian army and the PKK on it's own. This is an opportunity for Turkey to become more influential in the Arab world, and become more united with the Gulf States. These nations are worried about Iran's growing influence and reach, and realize that Syria is the lynchpin to the who northern area, along with central Iraq.
This article is insane. We have almost gone broke helping Islamic countries. We need to remove ourselves from the Islamic world. what we need to do is protect ourselvs from them. Islam is a fascist idioligy whose goal is to control the world by force if they can.
@Tahir
Your rants against the USA using its veto is clear. You have a problem with the US protecting Israel from the 56 Islamic countries. Considering that these 56 Islamic countries have whipped out 90% of minorities over the past century we need to protect ourselves from you.
...you can have sliced turkey...turkey on a roll...baked turkey...broiled turkey...turkey with stuffing...turkey leg...butterball turkey...turkey with bacon...turkey with sweet potato...turkey salad...turkey pastrami...
Happy Thanks givening.
This is a load...let them fight their civil war without us..we need to sit these foreign wars out that have no purpose. and so far none of them have..our men and women are getting killed for no reason,,,,other than what our corrupt government tells us...which is a daily helping of BS..
Opinion: This oped is rediculous and nonsensacle.
How about some Israeli boots on syria ?
how about some rational and relevant thoughts from you?
According to the author of 'The post-American World' (Fareed Zakaria: Release 2.0, ISBN 978-0-393-08 180-0 hard cover):
On page 12; "...Worldwide Islamist movements-Pakistani-backed militants in India,...Sunni jihadists in Egypt", making it so difficult for peace to exist.
On Page 81; Nail Ferguson (the Jewish Atheist who married and have a Son Somalian Atheist, Ayan Hirssi Ali), said, "...the British empire is responsible for the Worldwide spread of...".
On Page 84; Jawaharlal Nehru; India's independent first Prime Minister believed, ending his Country "backwardness", required borrowing Political and economical tools from the West. Therefore, Syria better to do the same with consultations, rather than confrontations. Finally, Mr. Nehru called himself, "The last English man to rule India", because he is spared.
On Page 85; it says, Non-Western leaders who admired the West, have been most impressed by its SUPPERIORITY at producing Wealth and winning wars". So, why U.S want the big time defeated Ottoman Empire Mind-Set (Turkey), to do the reconciliation job on Syria? I think, if U.S can't do it, Turkey can not.
I understand that this is a big deal for Turkey. It is right next door to them. But I find the line "...For the time being, Erdogan might accept U.S. inaction..." a bit contrived. Brutally, what other choice does he have? He can try to shame the US into action. He can try to cajole and prod the US into action. But if the US is feeling tapped out after 10 years of war and says "look, no, we're NOT getting involved here, deal with it"... What else can Erdogan do but accept that?
Inaction has nothing to do with the elections year. we Americans are finished wasting our children's futures and our nation's treasure helping Islamic countries who will only hate us more in the end... If there's ever an end.
When has it ever been good for the US? Get used to the new world order.
Kurds are ambivalent towards joining the Syrian resistance, but the rise of alawism and shiism in Iraq have pushed Kurds onto the side of Turkey. The issue of Kurds is ncreasingly in favour of Turkey, and the wisdom of an autonomous unified Kurdistan under the influence of Turkey becoming is increasingly practical and beneficial for Turkey. The economic cooperation and oil expedition between Kurdish Iraq is at unprecedented levels.
With both allies of the United States coming to terms with one another and facing the same sets of adversaries, Turkey is perceiving better opportunities to persuade the US to bolster its influence in the Middle-east.
Turkey sees itself as the viable centre of a Euro-equivalent for the near east – imagine a Dubai the size of Turkey – the reemergence of the Turkish empire exhibited thro cultural and financial influence without being hobbled by military investments. The US will do the dirty military dirty work, as usually presumed.
And the words of the prophet Mohammed becoming fulfilled – the conquest of a far away northern unnamed holy city for the glory of Islam looks more and more like Istanbul than Jerusalem.
Interesting. Erdogan vehemently denies that the Armenian Genocide took place, but is worked up at the thought of the Syrian Alawite government slaughtering Sunni Muslims. Meanwhile, on both counts the US State Department dithers. Did you ever wonder what those clowns do to earn their lavish salaries and perks?
Ad hominem?
"towards men" is not the answer.
Germany is responsible for Armenian Genocide ,germans still denies it . Erdogan is protecting germans and at the same time he does not want to make armenians upset . it is not easy to deal with the hardest region in the world . igive him some credit .
Oh! those Germans. Such a bad dudes. Thanks Yorgi for changing history. I am learning something new everyday.
socrates, turks have no problem with germans infect so many turks like germans. no, german people are not bad people they are hard working people. erdogan is doing to hardest job in the world , usually we don't give him credit and usually see him as bad person because he is muslim,from an ester country, etc.. but actually this guy is trying very very hard not make anyone upset including armenians . i am myself christian with arabic decent . i did also see erdogan as an enemy becuase he was a muslim. but if erdogan and many people are against the assad the devil butchering my people i will be at erdogans side. i lived in syria turkey and iran . i know the people of this region very well and i don't think this region deserves to be this low .
test comment
if turks interefere in Syria we Kurds will be forced to side with the fascist dictator Assad because he is still better than Turks regime towards Kurds
The Turkish president urging Obama to intervene in Syria. Poor baby. Since when some Muslim president is telling a US president to intervene in another country. This has been the plan all along. Another big mistake. Irak. Afghanistan and Libya very soon taken over by Muslim militants. By the way, Clinton, there was coup d' etait in Egypt, no more democracy, but this time is working on our side so just do as you don't know anything. You are such a joke.
I am glad to see that someone can see through the clouds of "smile and screw", "eat – wipe your mouth and say you have not eaten" .
Obama encouraged and praised the Arab Spring – as did Ms Clinton. Now it's gone totally pear-shaped, there's not a murmur from either of them.
ALL thinking Americans [that excludes Dem supporters] KNEW exactly where the "Arab Spring" was headed. Obama and H.Clinton showed a massive error of judgement!
Turkey has their own military. Let them and the other Islamic countries intervene in Syria and leave us out. I am tired of the US spending our blood at treasure on wars around the globe.
I think we need to support Turkey on this one. The Turks are decisive in such matters and they will quickly put Assad out of action in days.
Why is Obama concerned about re-election? He already announced to the Russian Medvedev, AND the world on open mic, that he's definitely back 'in' in November!
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