Turkish Premier Urges Syrian Leader to Step-Down.....

[MMC]

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[Peter1469]

NATO will not get involved in Syria. It doesn't have enough oil. The same problem that Darfur had.

Oops

[Mister D]

NATO's raison d'être is long gone anyway. Time for a new alliance predicated on new realities

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[Mister D]

I'm not the least inclined to believe these supposed concerns over Syria don't stem from self-interest.

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[Conley]

Yeah.....but why is Turkey so concerned about Syria?

They are probably worried about border security and if the war escalates the effects it will have? Looks like the rebel leader may be hanging out there.

Syrian rebel leader waiting in Turkey
Tracking down and interviewing Colonel Riyad al-Asad close to Turkey's border with Syria is not an easy business.
The colonel's name sounds close to but not quite the same as that of the President he wants to overthrow, Bashar al-Assad.
He is based in a refugee camp at Apaydin, 9 miles (14km) from the town of Antakya and very close to the Syrian border. But he is not allowed to leave the camp, and cannot receive visitors.
To a considerable extent, this is for his own protection. The Turks seem to regard Colonel Asad as a potentially important figure for the future, and are determined that nothing untoward should happen to him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15875399

[Mister D]

Turkey might also be looking to throw its weight around (such as it is) in the Mid East. Remember, influence in your region is sometimes a major factor. It's a major issue with China.

[Conley]

Good point...and maybe Turkey is looking to gain influence in NATO as well.

[Mister D]

True. They are also trying to get into the E.U. Nothing like some good humanitarian credentials. ;)

[MMC]

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[Mister D]

Seems such validates the Russian's point that it is a Civil War. With an Opposition leader being proteced by the Turks. Turkey is in NATO so anything they do will have a direct association with us.

Russia is definitely looking out for specifically Russian concerns in the region which date to Tsarist times. A warm water port has been a Russian foreign policy goal for ages now. Gets cold at Vladivostok! Kind of chilly in the Baltic too. Seriously, this is the Russia that devastated Chechyna (sp?). Does anyone think they are genuinely troubled by bloodshed?

[MMC]

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[Conley]

True. They are also trying to get into the E.U. Nothing like some good humanitarian credentials. ;)

Haha, just what the E.U. needs. You must have one majorly screwed up economy to be trying to get in there. I know there's more to it than just economics, there's a lot of credibility attached and whatnot, but it's funny to me to think of them teetering and then adding Turkey as if that would benefit either side or make much of a difference.

[Mister D]

Haha, just what the E.U. needs. You must have one majorly screwed up economy to be trying to get in there. I know there's more to it than just economics, there's a lot of credibility attached and whatnot, but it's funny to me to think of them teetering and then adding Turkey as if that would benefit either side or make much of a difference.

Turkey has been trying to do that for a decade or more. Maybe much longer. You make a good point though. With the recent problems it makes their entry even less likely.

[Conley]

Right, I know that's been a long term goal for them but at this point it has really lost its luster. Still in Turkish eyes it probably remains significant.

[Mister D]

In some sense I guess Turkey is a product of two different worlds. Moreover, their population is a cline (i.e. a mix of two human breeds).

[Conley]

Yep, they'll always be caught in between the two worlds. It doesn't surprise me that they are an outsider in both.

[Mister D]

That's why their political environment has undertones of east versus west or Islam versus western modernity. Russia has historical identity issues too.

[Conley]

Agreed. Russia is a world unto itself.

[Mister D]

Agreed. Russia is a world unto itself.

Yeah, it has both a European and an Asian identity.