Recep Erdogan Proves Trump’s Point

President of Turkey Recep Erdogan confessed that the only reason for being in the Paris Climate Treaty was to receive more funds from the U.S. and other more wealthy nations. Of course with Trump pulling the United States out of the treaty, there’s no reason to expect the financial benefits. --Proving yet again, for the millionth time, that the whole build of the Paris Climate Treaty had absolutely nothing to do with the fake news climate change. It was completely about redistributing the funds of the nations involved.

Read more at WorldNewsPolitics

Read More......

Turkey seizes all Christian churches in Diyarbakir

(Hat tip: KimR) - Here’s a less than sunny story to start off your Sunday, but since it involves churches I suppose it’s appropriate. We only recently discussed the rather difficult position Barack Obama finds himself in when dealing with the provocative nature of our supposed ally Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. His track record as a positive force for change has been questionable at best, and this week he adds another negative mark to his tally. Read more at Hotair.com Read More......

Mounting Evidence Putin Will Ignite WWIII

(Hat tip: KimR) - Relations between Russia and Turkey have been dismal since late November, when a Turkish fighter jet shot down a Russian bomber on the border with Syria, killing its pilot. That began a war of words between Moscow and Ankara that ought to concern everyone, since the former has several thousand nuclear weapons and the latter is a member of NATO... Read more at the Observer Read More......

Russian-Turkish Tensions Heating Up: Erdogan Says He'll Resign if Putin Proves Turkey Buys ISIS Oil

Tensions between Russia and Turkey continue to rise. Their relationship suffered a deadly blow when Turkey shot down a Russian jet last month. Ever since, Russia's President Putin and his Turkish counterpart Erdogan have gone after each other, both in public and privately. --In the last few days, Putin has accused Turkey of buying ISIS oil. The Russian president is convinced that the terrorist group is shipping massive amounts of oil to the Turkish black market, where it's then sold for a relatively low price.

Read more at PJ Media
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Russia hits back at Turkey by changing Syria 'game'

Russia is striking back after a "stab in the back by an accomplice to terrorists" by changing the "game" in Syria. --Moscow's retaliation is not just about severing economic and diplomatic ties. It is pursuing a policy that could tie Turkey's hands in Syria.

Read more at Al Jazzera
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Europe Will Pay Turkey €3 Billion To Halt Refugee Exodus

In the aftermath of last week's dramatic events which have seen Turkey make a unilateral breach of NATO's unwritten rules of engagement by taking down a Russian jet, coupled with an assault on civil right and expression of speech when two journalists were arrested for exposing Turkish arms smuggling to Syria, culminating with the assassination of a prominent enemy of the state on live TV, one would expect that the "democratic, humanistic" western countries would at least issue a harsh condemnation of Erdogan's behavior.

Read more at Zero Hedge
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Turkish President Erdogan Blasts Vladimir Putin: 'Don't Play with Fire'

A few days ago, Turkish F16-jets shot down a Russian jet. Ever since, tensions between Turkey and Russia have been on the rise. Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly threatened Turkey, and has taken action against Turkish citizens inside Russia. Some construction companies owned by Turks have been raided, trucks delivering flowers have been sent back at the border, and the Russian government has warned Turkish food producers that their goods may no longer be welcome in Russia.

Read more at PJ Media
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Turkey Braces For War With Russia And Sends 20 Tanks And 18 Fighter Jets To Her Borders

Ankara: Turkey has moved 20 tanks to her border with Syria as tensions with Russia continue. --Military sources from Turkey said the tanks were moved by rail to an armored brigade at the western border with Syria. --Reports also say 18 fighter jets were sent on a patrol exercise near the border.

Read more at the Standard
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Turkey to lose tens of billions of dollars after shooting down Russian plane

A number of large-scale projects between Russia and Turkey will possibly be canceled on account of the recent events. Turkey may suffer billions of dollars in losses after it shot down the Russian Su-24 warplane above Syria on November 24.

Read more at Pravda
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Putin: Downing Of Russian Jet Over Syria Stab In The Back By Terrorist Accomplices

Turkey backstabbed Russia by downing the Russian warplane and acted as accomplices of the terrorists, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. The plane was hit by a Turkish warplane as it was traveling 1 km away from the Turkish border, Putin said. The plane posed no threat to Turkish national security, he stressed.

Read more at rt.com
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Another Black Swan? Turkey Holds Snap Elections Amid NATO-Backed Civil War

There’s a potential black swan event taking place in Turkey on Sunday and no one seems to care. That is, the media isn’t devoting nearly enough coverage to Turkish elections considering the impact the outcome will invariably have on the situation in Syria, on the fate of the lira, and on the Pentagon’s strategy with regard to embedding spec ops with the YPG.

Read more at Zero Hedge
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Final pieces in place for Erdoğan’s alleged coup to take over Turkish government

Having made it no secret he seeks to transform Turkey so he can wield absolute authority with no checks and balances, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has allegedly begun the final push to implement a 'palace coup' and wrest control of the Turkish government from its parliament.

Read more at BGN News
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Turkey threatens the major prospects for Eastern Med gas supply

As Europe seeks to diversify its sources of natural gas as an alternative to the politically sensitive Russian supply, a massive off-shore gas source in the Mediterranean is ready for exploration and drilling. There are game-changing stakes at play. --Unfortunately, the Turkish leadership has threatened to use force to stop this from happening.

Read more at Security Europe
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Syrian rebels: Turkey tipped al Qaida group to U.S.-trained fighters

The kidnapping of a group of U.S.-trained moderate Syrians moments after they entered Syria last month to confront the Islamic State was orchestrated by Turkish intelligence, multiple rebel sources have told McClatchy. The rebels say that the tipoff to al Qaida’s Nusra Front enabled Nusra to snatch many of the 54 graduates of the $500 million program on July 29 as soon as they entered Syria, dealing a humiliating blow to the Obama administration’s plans for confronting the Islamic State.

Read more at the Miami Herald
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Senior Western official: Links between Turkey and ISIS are now 'undeniable'

A US-led raid on the compound housing the Islamic State's "chief financial officer" produced evidence that Turkish officials directly dealt with ranking ISIS members, Martin Chulov of the Guardian reported recently. --The officer killed in the raid, Islamic State official Abu Sayyaf, was responsible for directing the terror army's oil and gas operations in Syria. The Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) earns up to $10 million a month selling oil on black markets.

Read more at Yahoo News
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

CNN: Netanyahu defends deadly raid: 'That was not a love boat'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's actions that led to the deaths of nine activists aboard a boat laden with humanitarian supplies for Gaza. Read full story at CNN... Read More......

America is losing the free world

FINANCIAL TIMES, 1/4/2010 by Gideon Rachman (Hat tip: Jeff Limón) - Ever since 1945, the US has regarded itself as the leader of the “free world”. But the Obama administration is facing an unexpected and unwelcome development in global politics. Four of the biggest and most strategically important democracies in the developing world – Brazil, India, South Africa and Turkey – are increasingly at odds with American foreign policy. Rather than siding with the US on the big international issues, they are just as likely to line up with authoritarian powers such as China and Iran.

The US has been slow to pick up on this development, perhaps because it seems so surprising and unnatural. Most Americans assume that fellow democracies will share their values and opinions on international affairs... Read more at FT.com Read More......