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While Erdogan is behind the wheel, Turkey will keep suffering his power-plays. Its very unfortunate that he doesn't want any conflict resolution, just power gam

While Erdogan is behind the wheel, Turkey will keep suffering his power-plays. Its very unfortunate that he doesn't want any conflict resolution, just power games (don't forget blocking social media sites in Turkey etc). I have a feeling that Turks do want to progress and be part of the westernized world but he is keeping them behind. A week ago he converted a highly valuable world heritage monument into a mosque knowing it will damage his relationships with Europe. Reopening Famagusta is only gonna make things worse. Generally speaking the area has been conflicted from all sides, e.g Israel-Palestine etc, and it feels like noone really wants to fix things up and let the area heal for generations to come? I mean come on people we are in 2020 and we act like we are 70 years ago... we should be thinking out of the box. Although I am biased on this subject as I legally own land that I can't use or visit in Famagusta, I thought I'd share my opinion.

StavrosK 6y ago
My Turkish friends tell me that Turkey is divided between the ultra-conservative, iisolationist nationalists m that Erdoğan appeals to, and the more liberal people who don't like any of this at all. A friend of mine has told me that the only way he'll return to Turkey is to attend Erdoğan's funeral. I sympathize with him, he's as sad about the current situation as I am (though from the other side).
- onemoresoop 6y ago
  What side are you from?
  - bryanrasmussen 6y ago
    I think from the name he is sad from the Greek side?
    - StavrosK 6y ago
      That is correct.
temp-dude-87844 6y ago
Erdogan is applying the same strategy used by Russia, in that he's keen to always push as far as the International Community is willing to tolerate. And they're apparently willing to tolerate a lot, because Turkey possesses immense geostrategic leverage, and he knows this. Other regimes that like to push against the grain, like in Poland and Hungary, wish they were as relevant as Turkey. This sort of act is one where a couple western countries throw out some sanctions against some state-adjacent figures, but nothing too severe; then in a few years, those sanctions quietly go away during an effort to "normalize" relations.
stevenjohns 6y ago
70 years ago the post-Ottoman Middle East began to unite under a pan-Arabist identity (the brainchild of diaspora Greeks, funny enough). The progressive West spent the next 70 years ensuring that identity never took hold. Specifically on Turkey, the West more or less gave Erdogan the green light for expansion by 1) installing a neutered puppet government in Northern Iraq that is unable to control its borders and 2) supporting anti-Turkish militias against the Syrian government and as a direct consequence set the scene for Turkey to begin occupation. So it’s hardly surprising he begins to flirt a bit more with Cyprus as well.
- 616c 6y ago
  I'd like to see the source on diaspora Greeks please.
  - cblconfederate 6y ago
    probably referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurji_Zaydan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurji_Zaydan who was an orthodox christian, but lebanese, not greek
golemiprague 6y ago
The Israeli-Arab conflict is maybe the least serious conflict of the region, albeit with the highest PR. Turkey has conflicts now in Cyprus, Libya, Kurdistan and Syria, on their borders, beyond them and over the seas. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the last 10 years in internal Arab conflicts all over the middle east which is higher numbers than the Israeli Arab conflict since its inception. Millions of refugees, active involvement of the US and European armies and all that on much larger land than tiny Israel. I just don't understand why this conflict is the poster child of all ME conflicts. And another small question, why it is called the Israeli - Palestinian conflict when so many other Arabs are involved and why the name "Palestinians" was appropriated by Arabs when both Arabs, Jews and others lived in this region for thousands of years and the Arabs were the ones that colonised the area long after Jews were living there. The name was coined by the Romans who conquered Judea, it is basically a name given to a Jewish area to humiliate them as if it belongs to the Philistines, a European invading tribe that used to live there and was already extinct by the time the Romans conquered it. It is a bit like the n word. Only Jews should be able to call themselves "Palestinians". Arabs calling themselves Palestinians is almost like Europeans calling themselves Navajo and the n word together. I am just surprised this thing is acceptable at this day and age.

StavrosK 6y ago

My Turkish friends tell me that Turkey is divided between the ultra-conservative, iisolationist nationalists m that Erdoğan appeals to, and the more liberal people who don't like any of this at all. A friend of mine has told me that the only way he'll return to Turkey is to attend Erdoğan's funeral. I sympathize with him, he's as sad about the current situation as I am (though from the other side).

onemoresoop 6y ago
What side are you from?
- bryanrasmussen 6y ago
  I think from the name he is sad from the Greek side?
  - StavrosK 6y ago
    That is correct.

temp-dude-87844 6y ago

Erdogan is applying the same strategy used by Russia, in that he's keen to always push as far as the International Community is willing to tolerate. And they're apparently willing to tolerate a lot, because Turkey possesses immense geostrategic leverage, and he knows this. Other regimes that like to push against the grain, like in Poland and Hungary, wish they were as relevant as Turkey. This sort of act is one where a couple western countries throw out some sanctions against some state-adjacent figures, but nothing too severe; then in a few years, those sanctions quietly go away during an effort to "normalize" relations.

stevenjohns 6y ago

70 years ago the post-Ottoman Middle East began to unite under a pan-Arabist identity (the brainchild of diaspora Greeks, funny enough). The progressive West spent the next 70 years ensuring that identity never took hold. Specifically on Turkey, the West more or less gave Erdogan the green light for expansion by 1) installing a neutered puppet government in Northern Iraq that is unable to control its borders and 2) supporting anti-Turkish militias against the Syrian government and as a direct consequence set the scene for Turkey to begin occupation. So it’s hardly surprising he begins to flirt a bit more with Cyprus as well.

616c 6y ago
I'd like to see the source on diaspora Greeks please.
- cblconfederate 6y ago
  probably referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurji_Zaydan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurji_Zaydan who was an orthodox christian, but lebanese, not greek

golemiprague 6y ago

The Israeli-Arab conflict is maybe the least serious conflict of the region, albeit with the highest PR. Turkey has conflicts now in Cyprus, Libya, Kurdistan and Syria, on their borders, beyond them and over the seas. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the last 10 years in internal Arab conflicts all over the middle east which is higher numbers than the Israeli Arab conflict since its inception. Millions of refugees, active involvement of the US and European armies and all that on much larger land than tiny Israel. I just don't understand why this conflict is the poster child of all ME conflicts. And another small question, why it is called the Israeli - Palestinian conflict when so many other Arabs are involved and why the name "Palestinians" was appropriated by Arabs when both Arabs, Jews and others lived in this region for thousands of years and the Arabs were the ones that colonised the area long after Jews were living there. The name was coined by the Romans who conquered Judea, it is basically a name given to a Jewish area to humiliate them as if it belongs to the Philistines, a European invading tribe that used to live there and was already extinct by the time the Romans conquered it. It is a bit like the n word. Only Jews should be able to call themselves "Palestinians". Arabs calling themselves Palestinians is almost like Europeans calling themselves Navajo and the n word together. I am just surprised this thing is acceptable at this day and age.