Turkey has been on (some) headlines for some time now, it does look like this great country is on a down slope, the only question is how and when will it stop. It starts with an ambitious prime minister who is close to Islam, who is a devote Muslim and who seems to have fantasies of time long gone, of the Ottoman empire.
Turkey’s prime minister Erdogan has been leading his country since 2003 helped the Turkish economy overcome monstrous problems and in the last few years has been focusing on strengthening ties with Iran and Syria, in what looks like an effort to become a significant leader of that region, maybe even the pan-Arabic leader.
Erdogan has lead a no tolerance policy in everything to do with the Kurdish people (who Turkey bombs and kills whenever diplomatically possible), the Armenian genocide (carried out by Turks from 1912 to probably 1923, murdering a million and a half Armenians within the territory of the Ottoman empire) and the Jewish people state of Israel.
While he instructs his ministers to not respond to any questions about Armenians and Kurds, he is more than happy to give his opinion on Israel. This country has been a close ally of Turkey for the last 25 years and had cooperated with it militarily and economically, however Israel has suddenly become an obsession for prime minister Ardogan, mainly the Gaza blockade and the treatment of Palestinians.
This could all be true and real, however it is very difficult to believe that Turkey is so shocked by an occupation of a territory, because Turkey is unlawfully occupying a part of Cyprus for the past 36 years. Treatment of terrorists who are in a autonomous region is something that the Turkish government regards as a free zone for bombing and deporting locals from, like it currently does with the Kurdish population, and talking about massacres and slaughters (which Israel is not, by any way, doing to the Arabs in or out of its country) is something the Turks know all too well from the Armenian episode. So why in the world would Ardogan make war like threats upon Israel on issues which he and his country has been ankle deep involved in for a much longer time than Israel?
Maybe because they are Jews, and the Palestinian topic is of everlasting interest on the Arab street and Erdogan thinks he could gain points on this. Maybe because the Turkish economy is losing altitude in an alarming rate and is about to lose major credit points on the global economical arena, or maybe as a Muslim the Turkish prime minister simply can not stand the Jews, could be.
Turkey is now said to be looking to partner up with the fastest fundamentalist around – Egypt, in what seems like the non stop dance for political points Erdogan is doing in the Arab world (failed miserably with Bashar Assad, the Iranians too).
So now we are on the doorstep of a physical confrontation between Turkey and Israel, while Turkey’s army just had four of its top general resign because of what they regard as a dangerous Islamisation of the country, which was transformed to secular by the spectacular Ataturk who revived the Turkish people. The prime minister has replaces those generals with his own people, who see things like him, and we are now about to find out if the major investments of the U.S. and Israel in Turkey will not come back to fight in the name of Islam and personal glorification.