This #SundayMorning we're turning our attention to Europe's biggest bully, who has been enabled by Trump and is now threatening the stability of NATO.
No, it's not Belarus's Lukashenko.
It's Turkish dictator Erdogan & his neo-Ottoman ambitions.
(THREAD)
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
(2) When the US last truly paid attention to Erdogan he was busy invading Northern Syria. committing atrocities against the Kurdish people and enabled by Donald Trump.
Turkey is still carrying out its campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Kurds today.
independent.co.uk/voices/erdogan…
(3) Recently however, perhaps out of desparation as the pandemic rages in Turkey, Erdogan has flexed his considerable military muscle elsewhere.
Turkish forces expanded their operations in Libya, where they're fighting a proxy war of sorts with Russia.
cyprus-mail.com/2020/08/17/put…
(4) Erdogan has also pursued conflicts over the Mediterranean with both Greece and France, inciting strong rebukes from the EU & the threat of sanctions.
Just last month, Greek & Turkish ships collided in what appeared to be a provaction by Erdogan.
dw.com/en/eu-turkey-s…
(5) Emboldened by the vacuum of leadership Trump has left, Turkey has simultaneously been bombing Kurds in Iraq under cover of the conflict there.
Human Rights Watch claims Turkey is conducting these strikes without regard for civilian loss of life.
theguardian.com/world/2020/jun…
(6) Erdogan's aggression has neighbors like Armenia and Israel more than a little worried as Turkey moves to expand influence and power in the region.
Many foreign policy experts warn Erdogan is seeking to re-establish boundaries of the Ottoman Empire.
foreignpolicy.com/2016/10/23/tur…
(7) There are also growing concerns about a nuclear Turkey. Erdogan has made public statements indicating he'll seek developing the bomb.
Most worrisome is US nuclear weapons housed on a base in Turkey could be leveraged to Erdogan's advantage.
foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/01/tur…
(8) It's clear Erdogan may be escalating in part because he's running out of time. Once his enabler Trump is no longer in office, a Biden administration is going to be much less likely to ignore Turkey's aggression in the Mediteranean towards NATO allies.
aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/e…
(9) Turkey often tries to portray themselves as innocent in the eyes of the world and a champion of refugees, but Erdogan weaponizes those same people and uses them to bully his neighbors.
The Kurds are all too familar with his brand of ethnic cleansing.
cnbc.com/2019/10/10/tur…
(10) The fight for democracy in Belarus is important, but Turkey's Erdogan is a more dangerous threat to the region & the world than Lukashenko could ever be.
The longer the United States & European allies stay silent, the more emboldened he'll become.
time.com/5885650/erdoga…
(END) Thanks for stopping by for our #SundayMorning thread, suggestion courtesy of @damitall1 . Come back next week and we'll do this again.
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