The West has been meddling in Turkey for a very long time. During the Cuban missile crisis, what’s lost on most people is the US placed missiles in Turkey aimed at Russia. That truth is always omitted from the common narrative concerning that chapter in US/USSR history. The PKK has long functioned as a destabilizing check on Turkey- It’s self evident to those of us that have been paying attention- Feel free to disagree, it makes no difference to me. I’ve gathered up enough information over the many years to feel very comfortable saying this.
The Turkish involvement in Syria began under the tutelage of Dovataglu – He was THE power at that time. Erdogan was a figure head.
The US attempted to overthrow Erdogan in 2016- That’s a fact.
And than Turkey dared to hold a referendum to change the constitution- The US has been incensed ever since- More incensed than usual that is!
What’s that saying in real estate? Location. Location, Location. Turkey’s location on the planet is equal to prime real estate in some desired locale.
*Turkey is the land bridge between Asia and the Middle East
*Turkey is also nation state that ties Europe to the Middle East
*An ability to traverse or an ability to deny travel in the Turkish Straits is extremely geo-strategically significant- To say the least.
*Particularly if one has an eye to marginalizing Russia!
I followed that report up with others including the US’s incessant obsession with delegitimizing the referendum- The PKK telling the US to choose Turkey or the alleged democratic PKK kurds. As if the PKK is anything other than a violent criminal (drug/human trafficking) cult!!
What ever happens in this election- And I still am of the mind it’s Erdogan and the AKP’s to win the US and friends are going to make trouble. Lots of it.
Indeed, there is no reason to believe that an opposition victory will produce the kind of ally Western powers are hoping for. In fact, a closer examination of the opposition coalition suggests that if it does come to power, even winning both the presidency and the majority in parliament, its ability to govern will be dangerously undermined by the vast ideological rifts dividing its members, a motley mix of six political parties spanning Turkey’s entire political spectrum, from leftist democrats to right-wing Islamists and nationalists.It may even mean more instability.
This increased instability is what the US wants. It’s what the US is counting on, which is why they’ve been courting the opposition. Openly.
Other challenges facing the opposition are much more daunting. Making the constitutional changes needed to take power away from the presidency and return it to the parliament – which requires a three-fifths supermajority – appears unattainable for the foreseeable future
The US never like that the Turkish people voted to make these changes. It did not serve the Empire’s interests and was too democratic for their (US) dictatorial tastes.
Turkey’s election is not only taking place during a tumultuous period domestically, but at a time when Turkey lies at the centre of major international upheavals.The war in Ukraine, for instance, has shifted the regional calculus. Turkey has tried to play both sides, maintaining its ties to its NATO allies by negotiating the transit of grain exports from Ukraine through the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits and banning the transit of Russian warships heading to the Black Sea, while at the same time refusing to enforce Western sanctions against Russia. Its reliance on Russian oil imports has only deepened since the war started. Russian engineers are building Turkey’s first nuclear power plant and Russian tourists continue to visit Turkish cities and beach resorts in droves.
One of the first steps any new government will need to take is to reprofessionalize the foreign service, which, like the domestic bureaucracy, has become deeply politicized under AK Party rule. The process will be painful and laborious, and as with the purge of partisan bureaucrats, AK Party diplomats are likely to resist.
The US will make sure this happens- They want the instability so Turkey can be re ordered.
“Most Turks support the Turkish military’s operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq and its U.S.-backed affiliate in northern Syria. But the opposition is banking on the support of the Kurdish-led HDP”
And the US is counting on this to resolve the Syrian problem once and for all- To balkanize the country as they have always planned.Put the final nail in the coffin of Iraq and begin destroying Iran some time, not too far, down the road.
Given all that, one can understand why Western leaders would be quietly cheering the diverse coalition that has come together for this election to defeat Mr. Erdogan: Turkey coming in from the authoritarian cold would deal a major blow to the likes of Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump and Mr. Orban
