Turkey will start coming under pressure from the United States over its stance on the Middle East crisis very soon, according to Jonathan Schanzer, who is senior vice president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, one of the most influential think-tanks in Washington.
NATO will not kick out Turkey. It is the controlling the Bosporus and is the gate from Europe to the Middle East.
It would be a huge blow to NATOs ability to project military power in the region.
Erdogan knows that and used this as leverage a lot over the past decade.
Given that anything went so far, including trading oil with Daesh and allowing supplies and fighters to pass through Turkey, i doubt anything but staunch words to come out now.
Also i am asking myself how much more soft power the US and Europe can afford to loose over Israel.
Question is - how much does it take until NATO says "the liability to keep you in is far greater than the benefit you offer."
Personally, I'd say Turkey is very close to the point where the remaining NATO members say "better a horrible end than endless horror." And the day THAT happens, I don't want to be turkish citizen and witness what might happen to the already dwindling economy...
Yeah, "being a massive asshole" isn't enough. Even "only sending one guy with a pointy stick to help" isn't enough to kick someone out, since nations get to define their own level of help
Every time people says this kind of stupid stuff they seem to forget that NATO needs Turkey mlre than Turkey needs NATO.
And loosing an ally like that to make Israel happy? That would reveals itself very soon a very stupid idea.
I wouldn't say that, but they both desperately need each other for sure. Russia has always wanted and will always want the dardenelles and the bosphorus and Turkey will always be in a military pissing match with them over it, no matter how cordial their outward relationship is. Geography drives politics there. That said, the idea that having the dardenelles in their pocket isn't a massive win for NATO is ridiculous. Turkey is one of the US''s most important strategic allies no matter what.
Given how Russia is stalling in Ukraine, i doubt Turkey to be at threat from them anytime soon.
Also if NATO would kick out Turkey, the logical next step for Turkey would be to work on a more aligned Middle East, kicking out US and Russian influence. Everything the US has done in the Middle East was and is focused on maintaining a destabilized and divided Middle East.
If the US would drive Turkey from NATO they would need to escalate into another war to keepthe region destabalized. I am not sure if the US population wants another Vietnam style foreign "adventure"
This hack works for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies which is a Zionist lobby group. Netanyahu doesnt need Turkey siding with the Palestinians (they've already recalled their ambassador) so we're seeing pro Israel "think tanks" making threats
Apparently yes. From what I heard Erdoğan is saying that Sweden hasn't done enough in the fight against pkk.
At this point I'm ready to withdraw our application. If we have to compromise our core values to appease a semi-democratic two-bit dictator then I'm not so sure nato is a good fit for us.
Ever since they cut the power to Incirlik airbase they've been on the US' bad side.
Edit: the power to Incirlik airbase was temporarily cut in the immediate fallout of the failed coup attempt in Turkey. The base was surrounded by Turkish armed forces. If memory serves, this lasted quite a while.
That's where the US nukes were/are. Probably were.
Turkey will start coming under pressure from the United States over its stance on the Middle East crisis very soon
No it fucking won't. Turkeys job is to host the nukes aimed at its neighbor Iran and make any staging of warfare or "special operation" by a NATO army, US being far and away the main one, possible without breaking out into hostilities with the countries that are being waged war on. The US needs them to condemn the Palestinian genocide lest they fall out with all their southern neighbours. Erdogan has received even less tut-tuts than Netanyahu over his own forays into genocide that's no coincidence.