By Stephen Lendman.
Russia, Turkey and Iran formed a trilateral alliance for achieving cessation of hostilities and conflict resolution in Syria – Washington excluded from participation for obvious reasons.
Russian and Iranian goals are clear. Turkish President Erdogan has lots of proving to do. He may be playing the Russian and US cards simultaneously like earlier.
Throughout years of conflict in Syria, he actively aided ISIS, al-Nusra and other terrorist groups. He’s long sought annexation of northern Syrian and Iraqi territory, the latter for its huge oil reserves.
Does a warrior president now support peace? It remains to be seen what he’s up to. He continues waging war on Turkish, Syrian and Iraqi Kurds.
His rapprochement with Putin could go the other way at any time like earlier. Working with him cooperatively is one thing, trusting him another matter entirely. He’ll have to earn it to be accepted as a legitimate partner for regional peace.
His relationship with Washington in recent weeks has been frosty. Senior ministers in his government hinted at denying Washington use of its key Incirlik air base for aerial operations on northern Syria and Iraq – because of US refusal to provide air support for Turkish forces near Al Bab, Syria.
On Sunday, Turkey’s energy minister Berat Albayrak said “(y)esterday, we faced an intense, US-originated cyber attack. These attacks have been carried out systematically on different parts of the Energy Ministry, but we have repelled them all.”
Underground power lines were sabotaged, causing power outages in parts of Istanbul and other areas, he said. If the reports are accurate, it’s clear why Erdogan turned to Russia – Putin eager for cooperative relations provided they’re well-intended, not duplicitous the way Erdogan usually operates.
The NYT is frantic about growing Russian/Turkish ties – excluding Washington while Obama remains in office. Putin very much hopes things will change under Trump – eager to work with him cooperatively on geopolitical issues provided he’s serious about improving ties and combating terrorism, not supporting it like the current US administration.
The Times: “(T)he Obama administration’s efforts to forge a common political and military strategy with the Kremlin on Syria collapsed after Russia supported Syrian forces and Iranian-backed fighters with its air power in the brutal retaking of Aleppo.”
Fact: Geneva I, II, and III good faith Russian initiatives for cessation of hostilities and conflict resolution failed because the Obama administration undermined them – wanting endless war and regime change, not peace and respect for a sovereign independent state.
The Times is frantic about Russian/Iranian/Turkish ties defeating America’s imperial ambitions in Syria and perhaps the region.
Its dismissive about preemptive US wars of aggression against countries threatening no one, considering them humanitarian intervention and democracy building.
Russia fosters global peace and stability. America is the mortal enemy of both.
