There is a long history of conflict going back to Ottoman-Persian days, so this is hardly a shock:
The Turkish military said on Feb. 6 that one soldier was killed and five more were wounded in a mortar attack while attempting to set up a military outpost in northwest Syria. The Turkish military statement did not include any details about who had attacked its soldiers, but Arab News – an English-language daily based in Saudi Arabia – claimed that the attack had been carried out by “Iranian militias.” A Saudi media outlet has an interest in playing this up, but various other reports simply noted that “pro-regime forces” had carried out an attack on Turkish forces. Either way, Turkey and Iran are on a collision course.
But what is a shock to me is that Turkey is pulling away from NATO in favor of a budding friendship with Russia--which also has a long history of conflict with the Ottoman Empire.
If Turkey is on a collision course with Iran, who is better prepared to assist Turkey?
Russia which lacks even a border with Iran in post-Soviet Russia?
Or America which has the military power and ground and sea access to fight Russia along with a lot of Arab allies eager to counter Iran?
And given that Turkey's incursion into Syria is primarily aimed at resisting the Russian and Iranian backed Assad offensive into the northwest, how does it make sense to threaten America and our Kurdish allies nearby?
Erdogan may have imperial ambitions. But Turkey lacks the power in their post-
I know this is confusing. Turkey is fighting Assad and threatening to fight America. Russia is backing Assad but green-lighted Turkey's more ambitious incursion. Russia opposes Iranian influence in Syria but sides with Iran to back Assad.
But where in this clusterfuck does the solution of stiff-arming NATO and embracing Russia make sense for Turkey?
It has to make sense to Erdogan even if it makes little sense to me. His rational is clearly not my rational. But how do you have to look at this to make sense?
UPDATE: Secretary of Defense Mattis is trying to find common ground on military issues with the Turks.
