Turkey

Turkey and NATO: From Loveless to Hateful Marriage. By Burak Bekdil

https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/turkey-nato-hateful-marriage/

Excerpt: Erdoğan prepares to launch his campaign for presidential elections scheduled for November 2019. At a time of rising xenophobia and anti-western sentiments across Turkey, his campaign will undoubtedly target the “evil powers of the West,” adding to the isolationist Turkish psyche. Russian President Vladimir Putin could not have possibly found a better partner for his attempts to divide and weaken NATO. (Continuing to share intelligence and weapons systems and to include Turkey in NATO exercises is idiocy -- way beyond wishful thinking. As reported below, Turkey is in league with U.S. enemies and frenimies. Under Erdogan and foreseeable leaders, it is anti-Western and inimical to our allies in the region, most notably the Kurds (who are most notably responsible with American assistance for defeating ISIS). Did you know that Turkey has threatened to invade Greece to recover Aegean Greek isles it controlled under the Ottoman Empire until Greek independence, achieved by 1832? See https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11954/turkey-threats-greek-islands. Remember, Erdogan is a strong supporter of Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood (including its episodic takeover of Egypt). Turkey should be read the riot act and threatened with expulsion from NATO. It will find its erstwhile "allies," Russia and China to be anything but interested in eroding its sovereignty and freedom of action. As for cozying up to Iran, that would be the rattle snake befriending the gila monster. Yours truly, Larry Greenberg)