Erdogan is a serious threat, to everyone who comes near him

Submitted by Michael S, Feb 26, 2017 at 05:14

Well written, Daniel.

I am apprehensive about Gen. Mattis's upcoming recommendations for US policy in the Middle East. If Pres. Trump is to go "whole hog" after ISIS, as he seems eager to do, he must make a choice:

1. to continue supporting the Syrian Kurds, who have been our staunchest allies in Syria (as have their PKK counterparts in Iraq), or

2. to support our Turkish NATO allies, who are bent on destroying the Syrian Kurds.

Israel and the Saudis are some of our best allies in the region, mainly because of their mutual concern over Iranian ambitions. They are trying to woo the Turks to their cause; but in order to do so, they will necessarily have to:

A. undermine the Syrian Kurds, who will go over to the Russian-Iranian-Syrian-Hizbullah camp, and

B. risk being successful in helping Turkey eradicate both the Kurds and ISIS, leaving Turkey as the new primary Sunni threat in the region.

I hope our President will do none of the above; but will do lip service against ISIS and keep the US out of the Levantine quagmire. Whether we help the Turks eradicate the Syrian Kurds or not, the Turks will ultimately turn against us. We ought to know that about Erdogan by now.

After dividing the ISIS spoil with the Iranians, he will ultimately team up with them on the only mission both of them are ideologically in favor of: destroying Israel. This happened once before in history: when King Croessus of Lydia (of the house of Gog, or Gyges) was suddenly defeated by a surprize attack by the Medes (Kurds) and Persians (Iranians), Croessus joined his new master in attacking Babylon, and eventually, Israel.

The Persian Empire at its height, to which the Ayatollahs aspire, went across Israel into Egypt. Ditto for the Ottoman Empire at its height, to which Erdogan aspires. In both cases, conquering Israel is the key to their ultimate objective, control of Mecca and Medina. Those cities were once held by the Shi'ite Fatimids (religiously akin to the Iranians). When the Ottomans later controlled them, they styled themselves as Califs, paramount authorities in the Islamic world. These are ambitions for Muslims with overblown egos, something which describes both Erdogan and the Ayatollah.

This is the real dynamic in the region, and it has nothing to do with the US, Russia or any outside power. In fact, it doesn't even have that much to do with Israel, except that Israel is in the way. It has a great deal to do with the Saudis, of course, since they are currently the protectors of Mecca and Medina. President Trump and Gen. Mattis need to consider long and hard, before getting caught up in this mess.

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