Only Erdogan can stop Erdogan

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Sep 20, 2017 at 03:58

Bravo, Daniel!

I believe Erdogan considers any room in which he is not personally present, to consist of "empty chairs and walls".

Through this exercise, we can see why NATO is as ineffective as it is, and the US Administration along with them. How can a group that is so at war with itself, and with its own principles, carry out a coherent, effective policy?

No matter how much Trump and the rest of NATO bend over backwards to please Erdogan, he is bound to continue on his course: and that course is aligned with Iran, Hizbullah, Assad and Russia, not with the US. President Trump has now joined with them, in trying to prevent an independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Up until this week, I had thought Kurdistan's Barzani would duck out at the last minute, canceling the referendum in exchange for some handsome reward from Trump. But now, I think the referendum has taken on a life of his own: the PEOPLE of Kurdistan demand it, and Barzani must comply. Here is the latest from him:

"Irbil- Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani asserted on Tuesday that the region has decided to proceed with the referendum next Monday and asked for an alternative guaranteeing independence to be presented in three days."

-- https://english.aawsat.com/said/news-middle-east/barzani-demands-finding-substitute-referendum-3-days

Trump cannot cave in to these demands, because he had become an errand boy of Erdogan. It looks as though the Turkish Army, which is already massing on the Iraqi Kurdistan border, will soon be physically intervening; and Trump will not be able to stop them, any more than he is able to stop Assad's forces, backed by the Russians, from defying him in Syria.

I have been wrong many times about the timing of this; but we will see how it turns out, certainly in the next few weeks. Trump has become very, very weak; and the's the strongest actor in NATO outside of Erdogan. The more he blusters about Syria, Hizbullah, the South China Sea and North Korea, the more he shows himself to be weak; and leaders on ALL those fronts have begun calling his bluff.

NATO cannot stop Erdogan. Russia CAN stop him, but won't; because he is fighting for their interests. Only Erdogan can stop Erdogan; and given enough rope to hang himself, he will.

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