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Turkey’s ‘Syrian intervention’ scenario

Published: 11 January, 2012, 10:22

AFP Photo / Mustafa Ozer

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TAGS: Arms, Conflict, Middle East, Protest, Politics, Marina Dzhashi, Maria Finoshina, Opposition, War, Syria


Turkey has been keenly watching events unfold in Syria, fearing its near-neighbor’s violence could spill over the border. However, there are fears that Turkish government may not be getting an accurate picture of what is really happening in Syria.

­As soon as Syria's president promised to completely revamp the constitution in an attempt to resolve the crisis in the country, Turkey expressed support for a humanitarian intervention, saying it must do all it can to prevent a civil war.

With the bloody status quo in the Syrian crisis having been maintained for months, there is a danger that violence may start spreading beyond the country’s borders.

And its close neighbor Turkey – once a close friend too – is now a harsh critic of Damascus.

“Syria's first priority should be to listen to its people and meet their demands, not to denounce others; instead of massacring its people, it should listen to them,” says Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Faruk Logoglu, the deputy chairman of the Republican People's Party in Turkey, is a harsh critic himself, but he is critical of the Turkish government.

Ankara is on the side of the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian National Council – a military and diplomatic force aimed at overthrowing the regime of Bashar al-Assad. It supports a “buffer zone” and a “humanitarian corridor” - which some fear could bring Turkish troops to Syrian soil.

“What does that mean according to international law? It means aggression against a country, it means war,” Faruk Logoglu says.

But any intervention would be different from the one in Libya – since Russia and China have made it clear: no more no-fly zone resolutions. It means the role of regional players like Turkey increases dramatically.

But Faruk claims Ankara’s behavior is irresponsible and risky.

“It is the larger implications beyond the bilateral context of Turkey and Syria as such. The situation in Syria must be handled with great care by all powers. And unfortunately I do not see that care, especially from the Turkish government,” he says.

Oytun Orhan works for the Middle East Strategic Studies Center, based in Ankara.

It is sponsored by the Turkish Foreign Ministry to help shape policy. And its opinion on Syria is clear.

“The regime of Syria is killing its own people,” says Oytun Orhan, Middle East analyst the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM).

Or not always that clear.

“Nobody has objective information as to what is going on in Syria,” says Oytun Orhan.

The center’s specialists have not been to Syria for over a year.

It means the picture they paint for officials in Ankara is unlikely to be an accurate one.

The sources of some videos are often questionable, so it is easy to be misled or get a false picture of what is really happening.

Although that does not stop researchers from coming to firm conclusions.

“The military option, this is the last option Turkey does not want to see. But this is an option,” says Oytun Orhan.

Turkey may have declared it does not welcome a military solution to the Syrian crisis, but it has not ruled it out either, playing an “if” game: if there is massive migration from its troubled neighbor Turkey says it will have to protect its own people.

And while officially Ankara insists it wants peace and stability in the region, its troops are ready just kilometers from the border with Syria.

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0

During Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Zbigniew Brzezinski's Grand Chessboard strategy of fabricating a fundamentalist brand of Islam throughout central Asia kicks off to surround the Soviets. But soon they realized Ben Laden and Taliban were too limited in scope and neither Americans, nor Israelis or British are hard wired to smoothly run the project. The answer comes with Turkey: NATO member, speaks Turkish, prone to manipulation, wears the same Sunni brand Islam. They spot Fethollah Gulen there. Brought and settled him in the US (Pennsylvania). From 2001, Afghanistan's heroin heads to London by CIA thru Gulen's organization in Turkey, and from London spread throughout the world. Unwittingly right at the wrong time and wrong place shows up Sibel Edmond who blows the whistle later. Gulen quickly turns into a Turkic version of Al Capone whose over $25 Billion money helps create the Justice and Development Party in Turkey and win the election in 2002. Abdullah Gul and Recep Tayyip Erdogan (along with his wife allegedly both crypto-Jews) have meticulously turned Turkey to a very dangerous Trojan Horse. Ask for one (just one) policy example that Turkish government has taken against Israel that cannot be reversed in two weeks time.

Alex McShera January 12, 2012, 07:16
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Turkey hypocritically employs the Council on Foreign Relations ‘human rights’ tactic against Syria in some vain hope that the chaos of the Baa’th Party’s demise will lead to Turkey ‘acquiring’ more Syrian land. Turkey already stole Iskanderun and Galicia from Syria what does it want know, Damascus? Now the Mavi Marmara incident begins to make more sense. It was so Turkey could gain the trust of certain Arab countries in order to lay the ground work for its recent role in Egypt, Libya and Syria. That is how the Turkish leadership operates, it would use the suffering of Palestinians to curry favour with its American masters.

John Ellis January 12, 2012, 00:12
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BEST OF ALL GOOD --- FREE SYRIA FROM DARKNESS

Assad as President of Syria could be the best of all good, but instead he is only the best of all evils. But still, he is the only salvation from a foreign invasion by the most greedy and corrupt Empire builders in all the Western world.

So, exactly what would it take for Assad to be the best of all good? Simple, bar all mainstream media from Syria, let not the gullible mainstream public receive another word of brainwash darkness which is so essential before anyone can enrich themselves upon our misery in darkness.

Just imagine the massive shock of it for all the mainstream public who need a daily dose of mental darkness to pacify their addiction to darkness. For not even Al Jazeera News, especially not Al Jazeera News, could turn light into darkness. For then the true light from media like RT News, Press TY, Real News and Flash Points could in short order have them all running for daylight.