Things Noticeable this week

[palo5]

Originally Posted by Puhbear69

What's totally incomprehensible to me: the Russians accept the Turkish bombardment of the Kurds in Syria.

They know the targets and tell the Kurds. It only has to look like the Turks are winning something

Russia is wooing Turkey away from Nato. Co-operation with Asia will be better for Turkey

[Puhbear69]

Originally Posted by palo5

They know the targets and tell the Kurds. It only has to look like the Turks are winning something

Russia is wooing Turkey away from Nato. Co-operation with Asia will be better for Turkey

Do you really believe (except "away from Nato") in this (sorry) bullshit ?

Only without Erdowahn there will be -possibly- a better Turkey.

[haroldeye]

Russia doesn't have a very Kurd friendly history either.

[Puhbear69]

Originally Posted by haroldeye

Russia doesn't have a very Kurd friendly history either.

Why ? (I haven't this info) Can you verify your statement ?

[haroldeye]

The area the Kurds would call Kurdistan takes in parts of Syria, Iraq, Turkey and the old Russian Empire. The Kurds wanted independance and none of the states wanted to give them it. Russia was one of those states.

[Puhbear69]

Originally Posted by haroldeye

The area the Kurds would call Kurdistan takes in parts of Syria, Iraq, Turkey and the old Russian Empire. The Kurds wanted independance and none of the states wanted to give them it. Russia was one of those states.

Yes, the Kurds are an own ethnic group in that mentioned countries.

After WWI the Osman rich was finished, and the borders of the countries you mentioned were more or less, by the British and French, haphazardly created with a lineal. Ethnic groups were out of interest by them, it was still a very sloppy work.
The Kurds found themselves in three different countries.

Many of the conflicts of that region were created with that borderline.

But what Russia had to do with it that's still incomprehensible to me. They have had other problems at this time.

[Brecht]

Yet another Turkish act of aggression against Syria is green-lighted by Russia this time. It's obvious that the Russians hope that Turkey will break away from the NATO. But the growing split between Turkey and other NATO members is just an episode in an already crisis-ridden alliance. Berlin is turning its back on Washington, too, by backing Turkey's operation against the Kurdish PYD/YPG which is a part of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

The Kurds made a grave mistake by becoming a US proxy. Instead of considering the whole picture and expressing solidarity with all Syrians who defended their country against the NATO-backed ISIS, they placed their bet on ethnic separatism. Obviously their plan didn't work and they are let down by their "friends" in Washington. Another lesson in imperialism. The Syrian government is clearly not happy about this Turkish invasion but they were told to sit tight by their Russian allies and to let Erdogan believe in a pipe dream a little longer.

Of course, this Russian-Turkish alliance is not going to last and sooner or later, the megalomaniacal Erdogan is going to become another major factor of destabilization in the Middle East as his appetite will keep growing. I feel sorry for the Kurds in Syria and understand their historical aspirations. But their leadership made the wrong decision and is now left on its own.

[Puhbear69]

Originally Posted by Brecht

[...]

Of course, this Russian-Turkish alliance is not going to last and sooner or later, the megalomaniacal Erdogan [...] .

That's why I call him Erowahn ( Erdo ... a wahn = [ENG] mania / delusions).

Yes indeed, an other lesson in imperialism.

I feel sorry for the Kurds too, they got punked once again.
And for the German governmental losers: Go to the bright red with shame.

[otokonomidori]

Originally Posted by palo5

Russia is wooing Turkey away from Nato.

I suppose they [ Russia ] need all the friends they can get .

Someone once observed that Russian stories rarely have happy endings.

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by Brecht

Yet another Turkish act of aggression against Syria is green-lighted by Russia this time. It's obvious that the Russians hope that Turkey will break away from the NATO. But the growing split between Turkey and other NATO members is just an episode in an already crisis-ridden alliance. Berlin is turning its back on Washington, too, by backing Turkey's operation against the Kurdish PYD/YPG which is a part of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

The Kurds made a grave mistake by becoming a US proxy. Instead of considering the whole picture and expressing solidarity with all Syrians who defended their country against the NATO-backed ISIS, they placed their bet on ethnic separatism. Obviously their plan didn't work and they are let down by their "friends" in Washington. Another lesson in imperialism. The Syrian government is clearly not happy about this Turkish invasion but they were told to sit tight by their Russian allies and to let Erdogan believe in a pipe dream a little longer.

Of course, this Russian-Turkish alliance is not going to last and sooner or later, the megalomaniacal Erdogan is going to become another major factor of destabilization in the Middle East as his appetite will keep growing. I feel sorry for the Kurds in Syria and understand their historical aspirations. But their leadership made the wrong decision and is now left on its own.

A very thoughtful reading of a complex history and state of play.

I would only highlight that the Kurds really do have reason to be grateful to the US — they were real winners from the US invasion of Iraq. They have, in Iraq, the first real Kurdish autonomy there’s been in modern history. That’s not a small thing — Iraqi Kurdistan is nominally part of Iraq, but effectively autonomous.

The trouble for the Kurds is that their aspirations happen to irritate not just one or two nations, but ( at least) four: iran, iraq, Syria and Turkey. That’s a very tough hand to play. They got Iraq exactly right, but as you say p, overplayed their hand in Syria;they had some reason to feel that they were owed, being the most reliable fighters against ISIS at a time when the Iraqi and Syrian militaries were collapsing.

One of the mysteries I noted a while back was the curious behavior of ISIS, when they were almost at the gates of Baghdad, to turn north and strike the Kurds. A strange military logic, but as politics, perhaps this was to curry favor with the Turks?