Written by Prof Michel Chossudovsky; Originally appeared at Global Research
A major and far-reaching shift in military alliances is unfolding.
While Turkey is still “officially” a member of NATO, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been developing “friendly relations” with two of America’s staunchest enemies, namely Iran and Russia. (see image right).
US-Turkey military cooperation (including US air force bases in Turkey) dates back to the Cold War. Today Turkey is sleeping with the enemy. And Trump has (“rhetorically”) declared war on Turkey.
We are ready for war, says President Erdogan.
“The secret to successful states is their readiness for war. We are ready with everything we have,” (Erdogan’s statement on August 12, meeting with ambassadors in Ankara)
Erdogan also accuses the US of waging a “financial warfare” against Turkey.
Turkish banks are under attack. In turn, a banking crisis is unfolding in the European Union largely hitting EU banks which hold substantial portions of Turkey’s debt.
According to Turkey’s president:
“It is everyone’s observation that the developments in foreign currency exchange have no financial basis and they are an attack on our country… On the one hand you are a strategic ally and the other you shoot (the country) in the foot. Is something like this acceptable?” (Ahvalnews)
While the media has its eyes riveted on the collapse of the Turkish Lira (which so far in 2018 has lost approximately 40 percent of its value in relation to the US dollar), NATO is in a state of disarray, with one of its member states “at war” with another member state, namely the United States of America.
Turkey by a long shot has the largest conventional forces (after the US) within NATO outpacing France, Britain and Germany, (not to mention its tactical B61 nuclear weapons capabilities).
#NATOExit
Broadly speaking, the US-Turkey rift and its implications for the Atlantic Alliance are either ignored or trivialized by the media. The entire structure of military alliances is defunct. NATO is in a shambles.
Turkey is to acquire Russia’s state of the art S-400 air defense system. Why? Does this mean that Turkey which is a NATO member state will withdraw from the integrated US-NATO-Israel air defense system? Such a decision is tantamount to NATOExit.
“On July 26, the US Congress decided to ban the shipment of F-35 aircraft to Turkey unless Ankara refused to purchase S-400 anti-aircraft systems from Russia.” (Pravda)
The US-Turkey-Israel “Triple Alliance” is Also Defunct
Sharon and Erdogan in 2004
In 1993, Israel and Turkey signed a Memorandum of Understanding leading to the creation of (Israeli-Turkish) “joint committees” to handle so-called regional threats. Under the terms of the Memorandum, Turkey and Israel agreed “to cooperate in gathering intelligence on Syria, Iran, and Iraq and to meet regularly to share assessments pertaining to terrorism and these countries’ military capabilities.”
The triple alliance was also coupled with a 2005 NATO-Israeli military cooperation agreement which included “many areas of common interest, such as the fight against terrorism and joint military exercises.” These military cooperation ties with NATO were viewed by the Israeli military as a means to “enhance Israel’s deterrence capability regarding potential enemies threatening it, mainly Iran and Syria.”
The “triple alliance” linking the US, Israel and Turkey was coordinated by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. It was an integrated and coordinated military command structure pertaining to the broader Middle East. It was based on close bilateral US military ties respectively with Israel and Turkey, coupled with a strong bilateral military relationship between Tel Aviv and Ankara. In this regard, Israel and Turkey have been close partners with the US in planned aerial attacks on Iran since 2005. (See Michel Chossudovsky, May 2005)
Needless to say, that triple alliance is defunct. With Turkey siding with Iran and Russia, it would be “suicide” for US-Israel to even consider waging aerial attacks on Iran.
Moreover, the NATO-Israel 2005 military cooperation agreement which relied heavily on the role of Turkey is dysfunctional.
What this means is that US-Israeli threats directed against Iran are no longer supported by Turkey which has entered into an alliance of convenience with Iran.
The broader Realignment of Military alliances
The shift in military alliances is not limited to Turkey. Following the rift between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is in disarray with Qatar siding with Iran and Turkey against Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Qatar is of utmost strategic significance because it shares with Iran the world’s largest maritime gas fields in the Persian Gulf. (see map below)
The Al-Udeid military base near Doha is America’s largest military base in the Middle East. In turn, Turkey has now established its own military facility in Qatar.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
A profound shift in geopolitical alliances is also occurring in South Asia with the instatement in 2017 of both India and Pakistan as full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Inevitably, this historic shift constitutes a blow against Washington, which has defense and trade agreements with both Pakistan and India. “While India remains firmly aligned with Washington, America’s political stranglehold on Pakistan (through military and intelligence agreements) has been weakened as a result of Pakistan’s trade and investment deals with China.” (Michel Chossudovsky, August 1, 2017)
In other words, this enlargement of the SCO weakens America’s hegemonic ambitions in both South Asia and the broader Eurasian region. It has a bearing on energy pipeline routes, transport corridors, borders and mutual security and maritime rights.
Pakistan is the gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia, where US influence has been weakened to the benefit of China, Iran and Turkey. China is involved in major investments in mining, not to mention the development of transport routes which seek the integration of Afghanistan into Western China.
Where does Turkey fit in? Turkey is increasingly part of the Eurasian project dominated by China and Russia. In 2017-18, Erdogan had several meetings with both president Xi-Jingping and Vladimir Putin. Erdogan has been contemplating becoming a member of the SCO since 2016 but sofar nothing concrete has emerged.
The Antiwar Movement: #NATOExit People’s Movement
Of crucial significance, the crisis within NATO constitutes a historic opportunity to develop a #NATOExit people’s movement across Europe and North America, a people’s movement pressuring governments to withdraw from the Atlantic Alliance, a movement to eventually dismantle and abolish the military and political apparatus of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Turkey could contribute to the Palestinian Protection Force forming up at the UN and help with clearing the IDF and Israeli government out of the occupied territories and dejudifying our planet. Which is something that would be of great benefit to humanity and go a long way towards rehabilitating the US and making it a productive member of international society, rather than the Jew world order’s prime stalking horse of criminal hegemony and endless fabricated unnecessary war.
That’s so thru that you can’t imagine RichardD
The US would be in panic mode if Turkey were to initiate withdrawal from NATO or even brought up the topic for discussion. Given the economic warfare by the US Turkey has a lot of leverage but I doubt Erdogan would go that far. Nothing to stop him threatening it though.
The US is already panicking. They just recently canceled Pompeo’s trip to North Korea.
Very far from panicking.
Turkey nwver will leave NATO. They would be lost without western money and support. A little push caused fall of turkish lira. Turkey is weak.
FUKUS have made NATO to conspire against Turkey. If Turkey leave NATO then NATO is useless.
putinbeater I think you are on a lost track … When the allience of NATO will harm Turkey like it does now, Turkey will drop NATO like a f. stone.What do you all think ?
Fuck all US and NATO and move forward and let them cry.
Read my lips dear AJ , Turkey does not need more bullshit from America to leave NATO and go elsewhere with its alliance…
With all Russia´s, China´s, Turkey´s “military alliances”, they cant do anything without financing and US controle all global financing.
Just a single wrong move and their banking sector breaks down at home and in Europe and in their trading partners banks, and companies and societies suddenly are without money………………….LOL.
This time its not Lehman Brothers folks, its your banks. Either you are with soup kitchens or you are doing what America tells you to do……………………………………..LOL.
Russia is a sovereign nation it doesnt take orders from the US, hence the empires little tantrums with sanctions. Same goes for China they dont care about US threats not to buy Irans oil. If the world financial system comes down the US would not escape it they would be the biggest soup kitchen by far LOL
Yea mahm
Fuck all US and their allies
russia = country of 280 nations.
This Tommy Jensen character is other a little boy or he misses a few screws AJ …….Lol
Fuck you
You need to spend more time reading the financial news. China and Russia have already built their own version of SWIFT. Germany is already talking about building their own for Europeans. These new systems will work with SWIFT during times of peaceful relations. Worse case scenario, the US will only have Canada and Mexico as users of SWIFT.
Own version of SWIFT. which is still not running.
the million dollar question: which moey will be transferred? russia is poor, china gives shit, turkey has only debts. torky will come on level of venezuela.
This is bs propaganda of benjanyahu.
Russia has no debt hence not poor. US has over 20 tril debt hence very poor and is living on the winds of the past. Take US debt and divide it with the number of the population and u’ll get debt per capita (over 50 mil dolls). Consider other dimension, sending people and crafts to space. Yeah, Russia is very “poor”.
living in denial I see.
Tommy Jensen it’s that kind of thinking who bracht your country on a edge of abyss .Every country is free and honourable in itself . Their is no obeying at all ,what do you think ? Your master Trump tryed a economic warfare against many countries and what happened? It backfired hughly. In case of Turkey when Americans continue disrespecting Turkey they have the blessing of the Turks to kick out all the American bases out of Turkey……..lol this time for us ……Lol
FUKUS have made NATO group as a conspiracy against Turkey.
Rob. the bases are not shut down yet but will be soon if the American’s continue this road to harm Turkey .They must understand that when Turkey leaves NATO then Israel will also not be safe anymore because it’s thanks to radars in the American bases who are keeping Israel from an attack from Iran or Russia…So stop with playing with fire please.
You are talking of 2017.
With the various positive developments raised in this article, it gives the world hope that the anchor around it’s neck will, in the not to distant future, be removed. This would give rise to trading between countries to the benefit of the people instead of wars that benefit the very few in Israel, US, Britain and France. I look forward to the day that the US cannot afford to war for Israel, cannot afford over 800 bases around the world, cannot overthrow a country’s democratically elected government or assassinate it’s leaders and the possibility that everyday Americans too will benefit from the loss of money used by Zionists and other lobbies to control the government. I only hope these things come to pass within my lifetime.
I join jour vision TiredOfBsToo…
US and UK looking for Abadi and Salman type leaderships to voluntarily work for US and UK in Middle East.
I don’t know if this synopsis of his is correct or not. In looking at the latest western threat, CW FF, I have to wonder how these tankers of chlorine got into Syria. Through Iraq?…or Turkey? Are not the 2 groups accused of setting up this latest CW attack supported by Turkey as well? Erdogan is playing a very deadly game. Hopefully it’s Russian roulette. Sure would have loved to be in the room when Turkish and Russian officials met the other day about Idlib/Hama.
Turkey is a solid ( see Korea war and several others like Irak or Afganistan) member of NATO already over 60 years. We , the Turks do believe that paster Brunson is just a reason to achieve other US goals. The other goals are to stop Turkey to buy the Russian air defense system S-400 . But in the past we saw that the covering of the Turkish air space by NATO, was only 30% . So we asked them first to sell us the necessary technology to defend our country. The Americans had no adequate technology ( no like Russia has) and the others whom had the technology wished not to share it with Turkey. So the Turks where forced to look elsewhere in order of defending their gap in aerial defense.First they went to China wat was unaccepted by the other NATO members so that went out of window. So they turned around to Russia because their was many members of NATO whom are actively using the predecessor of S-400 namely the Greek and Bulgarian and others.. So it could not be so that it was forbidden only for Turkey to use this much needed air defense system. But the capacity of the S-400 is of that order that one can easily shut down the most advanced aircraft of the US the F35. So even targets in space could be neutralized when necessary with the S-400. So it’s hurting the US more than they ever wished so.But the 4 corners of Turkey are beeing turned into burning borders by the US . And one country does the most economically trade with his neighbors. So that was no more an option for us. And seeing that the Trump administration is using a anti-moslim course seemed for Turkey that it was time to choose eggs for their money instead of dry pledges. So the buying of the S-400 went thru and is already payed for. In begin 2019 they will be deployed in Turkey. Me personally, I would throw out all the American bases from Turkey and would negotiate new terms for replacing them back again. That is what’s Trump doing with every country ( not only Turkey) so he must be held accountable for his crazy actions. That would be one of the few reasons that this sick man would understand. If there is no more any interested party poor replacing the bases so Turkey must seek other country’s or other alliance’s to work with not later than today . They already did a membership demands to the Brics( Brazil,Russia, India,China and South Africa) . It looks like the demand of Turkey will met very positively by the BRICS and it would be the economically togetherness of T-BRICS. It is still not too late to mend wounds that the Trump administration has caused in the Turkish-American relationship. But the Americans must immediately stop their economic warfare and the Turkish lira did not lose 40% of his value but it is around 20% .What is a lot.So if America does not want a global shift to the east and diminish her interests for a big part, it must reconsider her attack ( also by arming the Koerdische terrorists) on his allianced partner Turkey. We all see that Turkey has practically the whole Islamic world behind itself and also a few others like Russia and China .So it’s high time that mister Trump stands up and smell the coffee instead of bullying and threatening Turkey. Because when this will go on for a little while, one must not be shocked that Turkey will seek other alternatives for her American headique .