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In a show of solidarity with Greece, France said it will boost its military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean in response to Turkey's hydrocarbon exploration and sent in fighter jets and warships to the Greek island of Crete in mid-August.
The territorial dispute between Turkey, Greece and the divided island of Cyprus has been rumbling regionally for years. But, "the region's offshore natural gas resources have changed everything [in the eastern Mediterranean] over the course of the past five years," says Michael Tanchum, a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Studies. This has turned it into "a key battleground in which larger geopolitical fault lines involving the EU and the Middle East and North Africa region converge," he added.
Last year Exxon made the discovery of the largest gas field in the world of 2019 off Crete while defying feeble attempts by the Turkish Navy to blockade the drilling zone. The attempted Turkish Navy blockade of drilling was foiled by warships from Greece and France operating jointly. As noted in the OP France has positioned jet fighters on Crete so it is clear France is the Nato point man on this one.
The bottom line is that Turkey is facing a new East Med alliance of Greece, Crete, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, EU, USA while Putin is for his own twisted reasons twisting Erdogan's arm against Erdogan sending troops to Libya and into Syria.
Nato says Turkey is acting inconsistently with the Charter -- in Libya now too -- yet the Nato member states are taking the regular diplomatic route of waiting out the electoral failure of the offending government, in this case Erdogan. Indeed Erdogan has suddenly lost elections in Ankara and Istanbul that had been long time party strongholds, the Lira has lost half its value since 2018 and his economy continues to suck dates.
Washington and Pentagon have always considered Greece as a principal geostrategic and civilizational factor as we recall Truman took a strong stand against communist insurgents in Greece right after WW II, citing Greece as one of the four global centers of ancient civilization (Greece, Egypt, India, China) from where virtually all originated to include democracy in the United States via Europe, ie, the French Revolution. Chinese who hold fast always to their original and unchanging ancient values still have no clue about the French and American revolutions btw.
Nato members USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany among others have ceased selling military weapons, equipment, spare parts and so on to Turkey given Erdogan and his political party are inconsistent with Nato values as stated in the Charter. Nato is no longer training Turkish forces in Turkey. As Erdogan continues to isolate Turkey the voters continue to express their disapproval.
In the absence of a strong hand on the tiller of the fading Western Alliance, this is inevitable.
As the US retreats into isolationism, which is the Trump Administration’s signature foreign policy, the rest of the world shatters and splinters.
As the article points out, Germany was unable to calm the situation despite its best efforts.
It is interesting to watch from afar as the world readjusts to the fact that the United States is less interested in meddling in general world affairs that don't interest it. It could very well be that the Pax Americana of the last 70 years was a historical anomaly.
As the article points out, Germany was unable to calm the situation despite its best efforts.
It is interesting to watch from afar as the world readjusts to the fact that the United States is less interested in meddling in general world affairs that don't interest it. It could very well be that the Pax Americana of the last 70 years was a historical anomaly.
To be honest, I really wish we'd stay out of everyone's affairs. Beyond helping to mediate, or be a neutral party at most. Because far too many times, we've sunk too much time, money and blood into these sort of things.
"Pax Americana"? Are you serious? How many wars has America got involved in for no other reason but personal gain? How many invasions of sovereign nations, enforced regime changes, support for terrorists etc?
To be honest, I really wish we'd stay out of everyone's affairs. Beyond helping to mediate, or be a neutral party at most. Because far too many times, we've sunk too much time, money and blood into these sort of things.
Yes, mostly the blood of other people in foreign countries.
The U.S. Has a Long History of Provoking Wars. Could Iran Be Next? | The New Yorker
I think that the United States is moving very quickly in that direction. It's fascinating to see how some people support that and some people vehemently argue that the United States should continue muddling up world affairs as they have been.
"Acting presidential"
As the article points out, Germany was unable to calm the situation despite its best efforts.
It is interesting to watch from afar as the world readjusts to the fact that the United States is less interested in meddling in general world affairs that don't interest it. It could very well be that the Pax Americana of the last 70 years was a historical anomaly.
I think that the United States is moving very quickly in that direction. It's fascinating to see how some people support that and some people vehemently argue that the United States should continue muddling up world affairs as they have been.
"Pax Americana"? Are you serious? How many wars has America got involved in for no other reason but personal gain? How many invasions of sovereign nations, enforced regime changes, support for terrorists etc?
Poor Saddam and the Taliban, just minding their own business slaughtering their own people when us evil Americans kicked them out of power. How horrific :roll:
It was their business, their problem. It was a war built on lies and an opportunistic grab for oil, and today's 'democratic' Iraq is a joke. By the way did anyone ask the Iraqi people if they wanted democracy imposed on them by a foreign power?
The truth about Iraq’s democracy - Atlantic Council
Ah yes, the old delusion that people in the Third World don’t want democracy and therefore supporting tyrants like Saddam is a-okay. What a load of crap.
We get most of our oil from countries like Canada and Nigeria. If it was really “all about oil” Maduro would be in The Hague right now and US boots would be in Caracas. The oil conspiracy theory is blatantly lazy at best.
The idea that massacres and borderline genocide— like the Taliban were committing against the Hazara— are “only their problem” is pretty pathetic.
They were not asked. Is imposing democracy on a nation that never knew it or asked for it actually democracy? No, not even close. As for supporting tyrants that's another area of US expertise, so quit the hypocritical outrage. Remember Iran, 1953? A democracy deposed by the FBI to be replaced by a murderous, US-friendly dictator, enthusiastically endorsed by America.
Washington’s Incoherent Policy Towards Dictators | Cato Institute
United States involvement in regime change in Latin America - Wikipedia
Oh look, a classical case of whataboutism. Do you actually think that “regime change” in Latin America means the US can never support democracy? Nobody polled the folks in Nazi Germany if they wanted democracy either; should we have just left poor poorroll Hitler alone then?
The fact of the matter is that anyone who opposed Saddam died. Badly. In lots and lots of pain. He was a psychotic thug who ran the country into the ground, and just about everyone who don’t personally profit from the massacres he committed was ecstatic to see him go.
I do remember the British Empire convincing the US that Mosaddegh(who was getting rather comfortable with the Tudeh) was a major threat.......but again, that’s another case of whataboutism which has nothing to do with supporting democracy. Not that the FBI had anything to do with it, but I get that to a knee jerk anti American we all look alike :lol:
In short, your argument that Iraqis don’t deserve democracy because they “never knew it” is pretty laughable.
Oh look, a classical case of whataboutism. Do you actually think that “regime change” in Latin America means the US can never support democracy? Nobody polled the folks in Nazi Germany if they wanted democracy either; should we have just left poor poorroll Hitler alone then?
The fact of the matter is that anyone who opposed Saddam died. Badly. In lots and lots of pain. He was a psychotic thug who ran the country into the ground, and just about everyone who don’t personally profit from the massacres he committed was ecstatic to see him go.
I do remember the British Empire convincing the US that Mosaddegh(who was getting rather comfortable with the Tudeh) was a major threat.......but again, that’s another case of whataboutism which has nothing to do with supporting democracy. Not that the FBI had anything to do with it, but I get that to a knee jerk anti American we all look alike :lol:
In short, your argument that Iraqis don’t deserve democracy because they “never knew it” is pretty laughable.
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