Former Soviet Overtones in Russian Pushback of NATO Influences in Ukraine

Submitted by M Tovey (United States), Jan 24, 2022 at 13:22

For Dr. Pipes:
In view of former KGB opeerative Putin's regression for aggresion sake, does what you perceived here still have validation; or is there the real threat that Russia fears NATO enough to make several overtures that would tend to go to guns because that's what Putin has always wanted, to return to the Soviet mentality that was driven by the ancient ideologies of empire, in spite of the tenuous relations that may degrade with the CCP running in the same mode that caused the construction of the great wall.
Islam interfered with that, right?

[GeoPolitica: What about the Russia-Turkey-Iran partnership?
Daniel Pipes: It's a bit like talking about the German-Italy-Japan partnership in World War II; in both cases, the trio share little that is constructive; mostly, they share opposition to common enemies. That will not get them or their alliance very far.]

[GeoPolitica: Will Turkey leave NATO to join Russia in creating a new geo-strategic alliance?
Daniel Pipes: No, the Turkish leadership wishes to play off the two sides and NATO membership helps greatly to maintain a balance. By the way, this fits into a larger Muslim impulse toward neutralism. As I wrote 40 years ago: "Nasser epitomized this tendency when he played the United States and Soviet Union off against each other, knowing just how far he could go, extracting maximum benefits from both sides. It has been mostly Muslim leaders who have emulated him in this characteristically Muslim skill—for example, in Algeria, North Yemen, and pre-1978 Afghanistan." This pattern goes back to a Muslim wariness of getting too close to foreign powers.]

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