Deteriorated US/Turkey Relations

President Donald Trump with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on May 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. [image: Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images]US/Turkish relations soured considerably since the 2016 aborted coup attempt to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He blamed the plot on ex-pat cleric Fethullah Gulen, living in Pennsylvania. Washington refuses to extradite him. No evidence indicates his involvement in what happened. He denies accusations against him.

While Erdogan’s relations with America soured, they’ve grown stronger with Russia since hitting a low point after a Turkish F-16 downed a Russian Su-24 attack aircraft in Syrian airspace on November 24, 2015.

On Sunday, the US embassy in Ankara issued a statement, saying “(w)e have suspended all non-immigrant visa services at all US diplomatic facilities in Turkey.”

“Recent events have forced the United States Government to reassess the commitment of the Government of Turkey to the security of US Mission facilities and personnel.”

The announcement followed the arrest of US Istanbul consulate communications officer Metin Topuz, a Turkish national, on charges of political and military espionage, as well as attempting to overthrow the Turkish government.

He’s accused of being a Gulen accomplice. He remains in custody. Washington called the charges against him baseless, Ankara’s action “undermin(ing) and devalu(ing) the longstanding (bilateral) relationship.”

It’s unclear if charges against Topuz are true or false. It’s well known that spies infest all US embassy and consular facilities worldwide, individuals posing as diplomats.

Ankara responded in kind to Washington’s action. On Sunday, its US embassy said “(r)ecent events have forced the Turkish government to reassess the commitment of the government of the United States to the security of Turkish mission facilities and personnel.”

Turkey is a NATO member, its military the alliance’s second largest after America’s. Both countries are “reassess(ing)” their bilateral security commitments.

Ankara appears no longer partnered with America’s Middle East imperial agenda, pursuing its own while cooperating with Russia and Iran.

Washington now treats Turkey as both ally (in NATO) and Eurasian adversary.

Erdogan is playing the Russia and US cards simultaneously, increasingly shifting his allegiance East, away from the West – another body blow to Washington’s imperial agenda.

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Erdogan in Washington

(image: © REUTERS/ Kevin Lamarque)

A thuggish security entourage accompanies Erdogan on his foreign trips, clashing with critics when demonstrations are held.

In April 2016 at Brookings, deplorably invited to speak, they made Washington resemble Ankara, clashing with peaceful demonstrators, protesting his crackdown on press freedom, other human rights abuses, war on Turkish Kurds and support for terrorist groups in Syria.

They assaulted journalists covering his talk, outside and inside the venue, including regime critic Adem Yavuz Arslan. They clashed with DC police after demands to remove protesters were rejected.

During Erdogan’s May 16 White House visit, one of many tinpot despots Trump and congressional leaders support, his thuggish security entourage again instigated street violence, viciously attacking Kurdish protesters.

Twelve people were injured, including a police officer, two arrests made. Diplomatic immunity limits or prevents accountability.

Commenting on the incident, DC police chief Peter Newsham said “we witnessed what appeared to be a brutal attack on peaceful protesters at the Turkish ambassador’s residence.”

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert issued a weak-kneed statement, saying “(w)e are concerned by the violent incidents involving protesters and Turkish security personnel Tuesday evening.”

“Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest. We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms.”

Expect no further action, words without followup. Newsham said “(w)e are going to pursue everything that’s within our legal power to hold the folks that were responsible for their actions.”

He’s powerless to do anything more than complain. Trump warrants justifiable criticism for meeting with tinpot despot Erdogan at the White House.

Last year, even Obama refused to meet him during his Washington visit. A Trump press secretary statement said they met “to discuss how to further strengthen the deep and diverse relationship between our two countries,” including “the need to work together to confront terrorism” – both countries support left unexplained.

Nothing mentioned about Erdogan’s street thugs assaulting peaceful protesters, nothing about his despotic leadership, nothing about the regional menace he represents.

Upcoming Erdogan Meetings with Putin and Trump

After consolidating dictatorial powers by a manipulated referendum, a process OSCE observers said “fell short” of international standards, citing numerous irregularities, Erdogan will meet with Vladimir Putin Wednesday in Sochi, Russia, followed by a May 16-17 meeting with Trump in Washington.

He’s part of the geopolitical landscape problem, not the solution – waging war on Kurds at home and abroad, wanting northern Syria and Iraq annexed, pretending to want conflict resolution.

His belligerence and despotic rule belie his duplicitous rhetoric. According to Turkey’s deputy director for Syria policy Mustafa Yurdakul, he and Putin “will discuss, among other issues, the strengthening of the ceasefire regime, the situation with prisoners and issues of mine clearance.”

Turkish troops invaded northern Syria last August. Erdogan talks peace while waging war.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he and Putin will discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria, offering no further elaboration.

Years of on-and-off peace talks since 2012 produced no resolution, current ones so far achieving no breakthroughs because Washington wants endless war and regime change.

On May 15, Erdogan will meet with Xi Jinping in Beijing. “The date has been fixed,” he said. “I will be traveling to China and (then) to the United States,” adding he hopes his meeting with Trump “will lay the foundation for stronger cooperation.”

He wants US support for Kurdish YPG fighters ended, his top priority. He’ll press for Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen’s extradition to Turkey, falsely accusing him of being behind last July’s failed coup attempt.

Both leaders spoke several times by phone since late January. Trump congratulated Erdogan on his dubious referendum triumph, sharply diverging from EU criticism. The State Department cited “observed (vote-counting) irregularities.”

Another contentious issue is unknown numbers of US troops and armored vehicles deployed along the Syrian/Turkish border – carrying out patrols and reconnaissance flights.

Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis confirmed the deployment – without explaining US forces in Syria support anti-government terrorists.

Trump escalated Obama’s war. Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan denounced continued aggression, saying it complicates conflict resolution efforts.

Prospects for positive results from continuing Geneva and Astana, Kazakhstan talks are dim because Washington wants endless war and regime change.

US/Russia Support Flawed Turkish Constitutional Referendum Results

On Sunday, Turkey’s deplorably weak democracy died. Erdogan’s power-grab succeeded, ending it.

The constitutional referendum lets him declare emergency rule and govern by decree, including dissolving parliament and calling new elections if he wishes.

An OSCE observer mission monitoring the referendum campaign and Sunday’s vote raised serious questions about its legitimacy.

Procedures “fell short” of international standards, it said. Numerous irregularities occurred. On April 17, an OSCE press release said in part:

“The 16 April constitutional referendum in Turkey was contested on an unlevel playing field, and the two sides in the campaign did not have equal opportunities.”

“(L)imitations on fundamental freedoms had a negative effect…(T)he referendum did not live up to Council of Europe standards. The legal framework was inadequate for the holding of a genuinely democratic process.”

“The referendum took place in a political environment in which fundamental freedoms essential to a genuinely democratic process were curtailed under the state of emergency, and the two sides did not have equal opportunities to make their case to the voters.”

“(T)he ‘Yes’ campaign dominated the media coverage and this, along with restrictions on the media, the arrests of journalists and the closure of media outlets, reduced voters’ access to a plurality of views.”

“We observed the misuse of state resources, as well as the obstruction of ‘No’ campaign events. The campaign rhetoric was tarnished by some senior officials equating ‘No’ supporters with terrorist sympathizers, and in numerous cases ‘No’ supporters faced police interventions and violent scuffles at their events.”

Trump ignored campaign and voting irregularities, a manipulated process, letting Erdogan triumph illegitimately.

He called Turkey’s president, congratulated him on his triumph, and thanked him for supporting his April 7 aggression on Syria.

A meaningless State Department statement said:

“We look to the government of Turkey to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all its citizens – regardless of their vote on April 16 – as guaranteed by the Turkish Constitution and in accordance with Turkey’s international commitments, such as under the Helsinki Charter.”

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov issued a statement, saying “(t)he referendum is absolutely a sovereign affair of the Turkish Republic. We believe that everyone should respect the expression of will of the Turkish people.”

Despotism triumphed. Washington and Moscow ignored it.

Democracy to Dictatorship: Turkey’s Erdogan Defends “Democratic” Power Grab

(ANTIMEDIA) Turkey — Turkey’s President Erdogan is firing back against those accusing him of trying to become a dictator. From a Reuters report on Monday:

“A defiant Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan denounced the West’s ‘crusader mentality’ Monday after European monitors criticized a referendum to grant him sweeping new powers, won with a narrow victory laying bare the nation’s divisions.”

Speaking at his palace, he accused his detractors of hypocrisy and said Turkey no longer cares what the West thinks of it.

“We neither see, hear, nor acknowledge the political reports you’ll prepare,” he said. “We’ll continue on our path. Talk to the hand. This country has carried out the most democratic elections, not seen anywhere in the West.”

The vote comes in the wake of a coup attempt last year, after which President Erdogan initiated a highly controversial crackdown on political dissent.

Speaking with USA Today, the University of Cambridge’s Banu Turnaoglu said the election results show that in Turkey, “there’s a very narrow understanding of democracy, because they supported these previous measures of authoritarianism.”

Addressing Erdogan’s reaction to criticism over his increased governmental control — part of which, thus far, has been to tell those in the West to “know your place!” — Turnaoglu says the geopolitical fate of Turkey will now rest squarely on Erdogan’s shoulders.

“If Erdogan reacts to this criticism with emotions and anger,” he said, “it will make Turkey more isolationist, nationalist and Islamic. It will become more unstable.”

Erdogan stated also that he plans to reintroduce the death penalty, a move that would effectively end any chance of Turkey gaining entry into the European Union.

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Turkey Helped Broker Peace in Syria, But Who Are Their Allies?

January 5, 2017   |   Darius Shahtahmasebi

(ANTIMEDIA) — Why can’t Turkey make up its mind regarding developments in the Middle East?

Turkey has been responsible for transporting weapons into Syrian territory that had been looted from Muammar Gaddafi’s armories in Libya. The border between Turkey and Syria came to be known as the “gateway to jihad” as foreign fighters spilled over into Syria to wage war against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Leaked phone calls have also indicated that Turkey provided ISIS members with expensive medical treatment. On top of that, ISIS oil tankers previously crossed into Turkish territory and provided the terror group with $50 million a month in revenue.

When Russia was making significant advances against ISIS, bombing its oil convoys heading for Turkey, Turkey shot down a Russian jet.

Then, Turkey decided to overtly intervene in Syrian territory, targeting the American-backed Kurdish militant group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the Kurdish YPG militia, the strongest force in the SDF. Washington previously designated the Kurds the most effective fighting force against ISIS, and targeting them makes no sense if the rationale for the so-called war on terror — to stop terrorism — is to be taken at face value. Turkey made no real efforts to combat ISIS and was still intent on calling for Assad’s removal.

Although Russian and Turkish relations had begun to deteriorate rapidly, an apology from Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan helped these relations get back on track. In October of this year, Russia and Turkey then signed a gas pipeline deal of their own.

At first, it appeared as if Turkey was focusing less on removing Assad from power in Syria and more on rebuilding relations with Russia. Erdogan even went so far as to signal his intent to join the Russia-China alliance, known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a move that would put Turkey in a quasi-alliance with Syria and Iran.

Then, signaling a completely independent shift from the grasp of Washington — together with Russia and Iran — Turkey was instrumental in establishing a truce at the end of 2016, which was set to be the first step towards Syria’s future stability.

Yet despite all of these developments, Turkey is still very much aligned with the Syrian opposition on the ground and has accused Russia, Iran, and Syria of violating the recently agreed ceasefire.

Missing from Turkey’s assessment of the Iranian-backed attacks in Syria is that Syrian opposition forces in the region currently being targeted in Wadi Barada have the power to cut off the water supply to Damascus’ civilian population. As it stands, the current water supply has been poisoned by diesel. Although some would claim this contamination has been a result of regime bombs, the area of Wadi Barada is purportedly held by al-Qaeda-linked group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which is not supposed to be party to the cease-fire agreement.

Further, a statement supposedly signed by the so-called White Helmets is making the rounds on social media, asserting anti-Assad rebel groups are responsible for the current water crisis and that they were the ones who cut Damascus’ rebel supply.

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This article (Turkey Helped Broker Peace in Syria, But Who Are Their Allies?) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Darius Shahtahmasebi and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm Eastern/8 pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, please email the error and name of the article to edits@theantimedia.org.

Is Syrian War Over? Putin’s Ceasefire Includes Plan to “Break Up Syria Into Sub-States”

The war could be over in Syria. A peace is being negotiated on Putin’s terms, signaling a drastic shift away from American hegemony and unipolar world order.

Assad’s forces, fully backed by Russia, finally secured a decisive defeat in Aleppo, turning the tide for the factions of “moderate rebels” and “ISIS terrorists” that have been ruling intermittently in pockets of Syria.

Now, with targeted diplomats and larger threats to peace, President Putin has scored a psychological victory over the West, negotiating a peace in Syria in which the U.S. and NATO have no official involvement.

The deal could lead to a new political system in Syria that would break the country into three sub-states, and a formal federal overlay, inherent in the tensions surrounding the embattled state. President Assad would retain power for a short time, before being replaced by a new leader.

According to the Daily Caller:

Russia, Turkey, and Iran are reportedly discussing splitting Syria into three autonomous sub-states in a final deal to end the ongoing Syrian civil war, Reuters reports.

The three sub-states would be regionally autonomous and nominally remain under the power of a federal administrative system. This federal system would retain Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in the beginning, before a less divisive figure took the helm. Assad’s religious sect, Shiite Alawites, would remain in charge of the federal system and have their own zone of influence under the terms of the deal.

The Syrian proposal hearkens back to Vice President Joe Biden’s 2006 proposal to split Iraq into three autonomous sub-states in lieu of pursuing the 2007 troop surge.

[…] Each of the three countries retains a large geopolitical stake in Syria’s future.

Turkey wants to deny Syria’s Kurdish minority a de-facto state on its border, whom they regard as an existential threat on the same level with the Islamic State. Iran wants to retain a friendly Shiite ally along its border, and remains invested in Assad’s leadership. Russia conversely backs Assad but ultimately wants to retain its basing rights in Syria, and broker a successful deal to signal leadership role in world affairs.

[…] After a ceasefire is fully in place, the U.S. and its Gulf-Arab allies would be brought into the negotiations to offer input. The lack of a U.S. role in the ceasefire or beginning framework of the talks is a significant embarrassment to the Obama administration.

The Obama Administration has been conspicuously quiet, having been embarrassed out of the arena some time ago.

Two terms of a disastrous foreign policy, under the misleadership of Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, have undermined U.S. interest, created more terrorism, escalated tensions with Russia and inflamed relations between Muslims and the Western world.

Read more:

Uncensored RAW VIDEO: Russian Ambassador Shot Dead In Turkey

Thwarted Peace? Assassination of Russian Ambassador “A False Flag Operation By the West”

US To “Suspend Diplomatic Engagement” With Russia, Turn to Military Options in Syria

False Flag or Conflict With Russia? Top “Conflict Risks” For CFR Elite in 2017

Propaganda War Exposed In Aleppo: “About To Die, Saying Goodbye… But Available for Interview”

ISIS Fires American-Made Missiles At Syrian Army: “U.S. Funding, Arming ISIS From the Beginning”

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Author: Mac Slavo
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Date: December 28th, 2016
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Putin Just Issued a Chilling Response over Ambassador Assassination

December 20, 2016   |   Darius Shahtahmasebi

(ANTIMEDIA) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response to the murder of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, is disturbing, to say the least. Putin jumped at the opportunity to turn one lone murder into a political tool to continue advancing his policies in the Middle East.

According to state-sponsored news site RT, Putin said in a statement:

“This murder is clearly a provocation aimed at undermining the improvement and normalization of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as undermining the peace process in Syria promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries interested in settling the conflict in Syria.”

Putin then said the “only response” Moscow “should offer” (has he considered any others?) is “stepping up the fight against terrorism” – a very convenient statement, indeed. This was before he added possibly the most chilling statement of his career:

“The killers will feel it.”

According to the news, the killer has already felt it. He’s dead. He was killed by Turkish special forces who surrounded the building.

The world is already on edge as rumors are starting to spread that this murder is World War III’s version of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the culminating incident that sparked World War I after years of mounting tension.

Though this is a tragic, cold-blooded death that will clearly exacerbate tensions between regional powers, Putin’s violent, warmongering rhetoric in response will not help any attempts to initiate a “peace process.” Aleppo has already been won, and in that sense, Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have already succeeded in achieving their goals.

His advisers should caution him not to get too ahead of himself.

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This article (Putin Just Issued a Chilling Response over Ambassador Assassination) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Darius Shahtahmasebi and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm Eastern/8 pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, please email the error and name of the article to edits@theantimedia.org.

Battle For Mosul Not What It Seems

(image credit: AP)

The battle for Mosul is more about redeploying thousands of US-supported ISIS fighters to Syria, along with perhaps letting Turkish forces move in to control evacuated areas.

Erdogan long coveted Mosul. He may think now’s his chance to seize the city and its lucrative oil reserves, claiming it’s a buffer zone against Kurdish fighters, similar to his northern Syria occupation.

According to Syrian parliamentarian Hohammad Kheir Akam, “(t)he US has opened a southern side of Mosul (corridor) to the terrorists to” let thousands of its fighters enter Syria.

US-led coalition warplanes easily spot their convoys. Yet they’re allowed to move freely – America supporting terrorists it claims to oppose.

Iraqi Ansarullah al-Nujaba Movement spokesman Hashem al-Moussavi said “Washington is still continuing its military support for the terrorists in” his country, airdropping them weapons and other supplies.

“Our forces have filmed US aircraft while dropping military aids for” ISIS terrorist fighters, he said. Iraq’s Hassan Abdel Hadi said government forces are concerned about US aerial attacks, impeding their advance to ISIS-controlled areas.

“Unfortunately, there are still some people in Iraq who have been deceived by the US-led coalition, while Washington supports ISIL and is trying to compensate for the damage done” to their fighters by government forces, he explained.

Last Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov said US-led coalition warplanes struck a funeral procession. “Dozens of Iraqi civilians died, including women and children,” he explained.

“Russian reconnaissance pinpointed two jets conducting airstrikes on Daquq, located 30 kilometers to the south of Kirkuk, where, according to our data, there are no ISIS fighters,” – a willful war crime.

They’re “almost a daily routine for the (US-led) international coalition. Too often weddings, funerals, hospitals, police stations, and humanitarian convoys are being hit by the coalition warplanes.”

Russian General Sergey Rudskoy said “(w)e are closely monitoring the situation around Mosul. So far we see no substantial progress in liberating this city from…ISIS” since operations began on October 16 – because no effort is made to do it.

Last week, a coalition airstrike targeted a mosque south of Kirkuk, killing over a dozen women and children. A southern Mosul girl’s school was struck. US-led coalition warplanes were operating in the area, clearly responsible for what happened.

On October 25, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported over 60 civilians killed, over 200 others injured on airstrikes on residential areas in Mosul – locations where no ISIS fighters were present.

So far, no fighting inside Mosul was reported. By the time, so-called liberating forces enter the city, ISIS fighters will be gone – redeployed to Syria to combat government troops and civilians.

Moscow letting this happen without resistance so far makes the battle to liberate Syria harder. Is an offensive planned to rectify this blunder, compounded by failing to launch airstrikes against al-Nusra terrorists in eastern Aleppo since October 18?

According to General Rudskoy, Russian Aerospace forces are monitoring the situation in the area of the Syrian-Iraqi border day and night with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles and other reconnaissance means.”

“Russian planes are on patrol missions in the airspace and are ready to immediately deliver strikes against terrorists.” Aerial operations “in a 10-km zone around Aleppo” remain suspended. “The moratorium…will be extended.”

The longer Russia delays full-scale aerial operations against US-supported terrorists infesting eastern Aleppo, the harder the struggle ahead to liberate the city and all key parts of Syria.