- 12 Oct 2019 00:58
#15041308
This should be obvious to all. Secular Turkey has been hammered with 1000’s now in jail. Erdogan is clearly a revanchist dictator. From a Western point of view, there isn’t much left to hope for.
America’s reputation has been going down hill since Bush jr. He launched the Iraq invasion and failed to respond to Russian aggression in Georgia. Obama supported the ill conceived Libyan intervention, failed to stop China taking the South China Sea islands and failed to respond to Russian annexation of Crimea.
Revanchist powers have been flaunting international norms before Trump came to power. I would place the blame on Bush jr and Blair for setting a standard dictators could exploit.
Regardless, the fact that China is building a navy that can challenge US naval supremacy is enough to end the liberal world order. US naval dominance was the thing that made the international order possible. The reason why. China could do this is because the centre of economic power is shifting to Asia, so they can afford to build a huge navy.
As I see it, there have been three periods since WWII: Cold War until 1989, new world order until 2008, and now we are in a third period of great power competition. This new period is seeing the rise of Eastern powers and the decline of Western powers.
An interesting event recently was Erdogan offering to broker negotiations in Kashmir. That really ticked off the Indians. Erdogan really does think he is an Ottoman Sultan. @Atlantis might be right about the overreach. The link between Pakistan and Turkey does suggest China will step in to replace America in the Middle East. I expect the Saudis to join that axis too. India and Iran have good relations and look to be the opposing axis, along with Oman and Japan. When the West pulls out, it won’t take long for the East to step in.
Exactly.
Turkey should be kicked out of the customs union, the OECD and NATO. As you say, they have made their choices and now it is time for there to be consequences for those choices.
noemon wrote:Turkey has not been an ally for about the past decade and has made it official by allying herself with Russia and buying Russian arms well knowing that it goes against the NATO Charter. Turkey is not an ally and does not wish to be ally conscientiously. I guess by "anybody" you mean anyone of the rogue dictators in some rogue state because noone in Europe would have done such a thing.
This should be obvious to all. Secular Turkey has been hammered with 1000’s now in jail. Erdogan is clearly a revanchist dictator. From a Western point of view, there isn’t much left to hope for.
Trump has destroyed America's reputation and reliability and has empowered Turkey, Iran, Israel, Russia and China to waive international rules, laws and act on their own whims with impunity. He is a liability to global security.
America’s reputation has been going down hill since Bush jr. He launched the Iraq invasion and failed to respond to Russian aggression in Georgia. Obama supported the ill conceived Libyan intervention, failed to stop China taking the South China Sea islands and failed to respond to Russian annexation of Crimea.
Revanchist powers have been flaunting international norms before Trump came to power. I would place the blame on Bush jr and Blair for setting a standard dictators could exploit.
Regardless, the fact that China is building a navy that can challenge US naval supremacy is enough to end the liberal world order. US naval dominance was the thing that made the international order possible. The reason why. China could do this is because the centre of economic power is shifting to Asia, so they can afford to build a huge navy.
As I see it, there have been three periods since WWII: Cold War until 1989, new world order until 2008, and now we are in a third period of great power competition. This new period is seeing the rise of Eastern powers and the decline of Western powers.
An interesting event recently was Erdogan offering to broker negotiations in Kashmir. That really ticked off the Indians. Erdogan really does think he is an Ottoman Sultan. @Atlantis might be right about the overreach. The link between Pakistan and Turkey does suggest China will step in to replace America in the Middle East. I expect the Saudis to join that axis too. India and Iran have good relations and look to be the opposing axis, along with Oman and Japan. When the West pulls out, it won’t take long for the East to step in.
Erdogan's posturing is only relevant to show the total lack of backbone by the EU and the US.
Exactly.
Putting sanctions on Turkey is the only realistic and correct option. Turkey has already gone to Russia and China and she is already attacking western interests in Syria and Cyprus. Pretending to keep Turkey as a "friend" while she is screaming out to the world in the most obvious way possible that she is your enemy is just more weakness on display that further emboldens all these aforementioned actors. Turkey has made her choice, it is high-time the rest of us make our own choices as well.
Turkey should be kicked out of the customs union, the OECD and NATO. As you say, they have made their choices and now it is time for there to be consequences for those choices.