Miscellaneous News

Randomuser said:

Turkey is part of NATO for one. These guys can talk tough all they want but when the pressure is turned up, we know who they will side with.

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Turkey is part of Nato because of a historical anomaly when it was a neighbour of the Soviet Union and was ruled by Baath party like pro-western governments. Erdogan and Akp have always been the biggest opponent to that ideology. Even before Erdogan, Islamists tried many times to gain power in Turkey through elections but that was thwarted by the pro-western military.

That pro-western, US kowtowing Turkey is gone now. Turkey under Erdogan is heavily anti-west. It has the tech and GDP to become the new leader of the Middle East.

tamsen_ikard said:

Turkey is part of Nato because of a historical anomaly when it was a neighbour of the Soviet Union and was ruled by Baath party like pro-western governments. Erdogan and Akp have always been the biggest opponent to that ideology. Even before Erdogan, Islamists tried many times to gain power in Turkey through elections but that was thwarted by the pro-western military.

That pro-western, US kowtowing Turkey is gone now. Turkey under Erdogan is heavily anti-west. It has the tech and GDP to become the new leader of the Middle East.

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Ever the optimist huh?

I am actually beginning to think being "anti west" on the surface is the new "cool" thing to grift people with.

tamsen_ikard said:

Assad and its Baath party concept was way outdated. It started as a socialist secular ideology suitable for Arabs created by the soviet union. But this kind of ideology will never get popularity in the Middle East dominated by Islam. People seem extremely sad by Assad's ousting. But I don't see why what happens next is bad. If Turkish backed islamist gain power, they will be as anti-Israel and anti-US. Probably even more aggressive than Assad ever was.

Turkey under Erdogan is no US friend. Its an independent power with ambition to bring back Ottoman times. if Turkey backed Islamist control Syria, they will bring new trouble to the western backed regimes. What if Jordan falls next? that will be a big blow to Israel. Egypt is also a ripe target to fall to Islamists with Turkish backing. Rise of independent power centers is good for the world and bad for western hegemony.

If Russia and Iran are smart, they will form new alliances and friendships with the new Regime in Syria. The biggest threat to Syria is the US backed Kurds. If they are ousted from power and US forces are gone, that will be much better for Russia and Iran.

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The opportunist only knows how to extort and stab in the back, and truly responsible leaders can only be born when facing strong enemies.
I am quite skeptical whether Syria can maintain its integrity in the future.
And I believe that under the shadow of imperialism, any ideology with resistance intentions will receive equal treatment: crushed. Imperialism doesn't care which ideas are 'outdated' or 'suitable'.

Bellum_Romanum said:

It's no wonder the Russians are fond of India (Jai Hinds) they are cut from the same idiotic cloth.

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I wouldn't equate the Russians with the Jai Hinds. While the Russians do have an over-inflated sense of their power, they actually did have have some power and achievements that are worthy to be feared or admired. What the Russians lacked is sufficient self-criticism. While they have the capability to learn and adapt on the tactical side of battles, they lack self-reflection when it comes to strategic planning.

The Jai Hinds are just hopeless clowns. They have no power and achievements of note compared to the true major powers, yet they indulge themselves in Supapowar fantasies. Their kind are almost certain to remain in below-mediocrity.

tamsen_ikard said:

But I don't see why what happens next is bad. If Turkish backed islamist gain power, they will be as anti-Israel and anti-US. Probably even more aggressive than Assad ever was.

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There is nothing to suggest that HTS terrorists will turn against those who brought them to power. HTS commander even gave an interview for Times of Israel where he stated he hopes they can be friends with Israel.

It's over. Israel has beaten AoR into submission and for an extended period of time they will not be seriously challenged. I hate to say this but I am rather sure that Netanyahu will become Israeli national hero who defeated all of Israeli adversaries and successfully pulled another land grab.

RedBaron said:

There is nothing to suggest that HTS terrorists will turn against those who brought them to power. HTS commander even gave an interview for Times of Israel where he stated he hopes they can be friends with Israel.

It's over. Israel has beaten AoR into submission and for an extended period of time they will not be seriously challenged. I hate to say this but I am rather sure that Netanyahu will become Israeli national hero who defeated all of Israeli adversaries and successfully pulled another land grab.

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I just saw his interview on CNN, he said he is a refugee from the Golan Heights who's family lost everything due to Israeli invasion. I find it hard to imagine an Islamist with that kind of history will be a friend to Israel. This is probably their strategy to gain acceptance from the west temporarily and then pounce. Taliban also had a facade of becoming more moderate when they initially came to power. They did not impose their extreme ideology on day 1, they gradually brought it in.

Africablack said:

The Russians need to grow up and change their archaic view of the world. They also need to cut their cloth according to their size and stop their illusions of being a super power. That war (yes, war) they started will not give them the results they want, instead it galvanized the west against them to their detriment. Even if they take Ukraine tomorrow, what will they really gain from swallowing a large country full of people who don't like them? It's asinine. You have to give people a good reason to want to be in your corner and not force them into it. China does this through trade and has become the most traded country on Earth, it's virtually indispensable today. Just look at how the west has no choice but to deal with and play nice when push comes to shove.

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You must have the memory of a goldfish or western media.

Russia tried everything else first, even a preferential trade deal with Ukraine, just like China did with ECFA with Taiwan.



15B euros and 40% natural gas discount is gigantic for Ukraine. The eurobonds alone was 10% of their entire GDP at the time. There is no country in the world that will loan you that.

Ukraine then had a coup, which overthrew president Yakunovich, and turned extremely hostile towards Russia. And Donbass then seceded. Why? Because the ethnic Russians there cannot tolerate rejection of a 10% GDP loan and 40% natural gas discount and further repression of their ethnic identity, when Ukraine was already only at 1/4 Russian GDP per capita in 2014.

It was only then that Russia made it's move on Crimea, where the Ukrainian forces collapsed within hours.

China needs to learn that man does not live by bread and bridges alone. Westerners understand this very well.

This is a big victory for the US and Israel and a big defeat for Russia and Iran who lose important positions in the Middle East and weaken further in the diplomacy and military sphere.

Not being able to make strong allies or not being able to influence and strengthen allies is also a failure, and yes, a worrying responsibility for the future.

Everything has a price and this omission of China in the world's conflicts means that the BRICS are seen more as a losers' club than a real alternative to Western hegemony and bullying policies.

After guaranteeing control of the Middle East without difficulties, the US will now try to contain Russia. Trump will probably try to reach an agreement with Putin, which, if it doesn't work, will try to further strangle Russia's economy and military arm to its limits. Iran is just an irrelevant satellite.

Afterwards, it will be a free path to isolate China if it does not give in to blackmail. I could be wrong, of course, but I don't see this passive Chinese approach as sustainable for long. The West will not tolerate competition.

Turkey is an opportunist and not a Western puppet. It's not just the Middle East that was part of the Ottoman Empire. With the rapid decline of the European military, economics and demographics and Islamization of their populations, potentially Ankara's eyes might move NW instead of SE within the next decade especially if it can consolidate its gains in Syria and build up its might and influence. After all, historically the biggest Islamic threat the West has faced came not from Arabs but from Turks. Turkey might not be China's, Russia's or Iran's friend but they can be beneficial if the right conditions and incentives are set.