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Φανή Πεταλίδου
Ιδρύτρια της Πρωινής
΄Έτος Ίδρυσης 1977
ΑρχικήEnglishPutin marches on

Putin marches on

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Russia’s new ties with Turkey leaves the U.S. more vulnerable

By John R. Bolton – Washington Times

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow demonstrated clearly America’s deteriorating position in both Europe and the Middle East. Following Turkey’s failed military coup, Mr. Erdogan’s maneuverings, including mass arrests of his political opposition, are accelerating his acquisition of unchecked domestic power, thereby enabling him to reverse his country’s secular constitution and render it an Islamicist state.

The implications for Ankara’s membership in NATO and the West more broadly could hardly be clearer. And who was waiting to host Mr. Erdogan’s first postcoup meeting with a foreign leader but Mr. Putin in Moscow. Although Russian-Turkish history has been complicated, to say the least, often adversarial militarily and politically, Mr. Putin knows how to seize the main chance when it appears.

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Distancing Turkey from NATO would be just the start. Regaining Black Sea naval dominance and ensuring unhindered Russian access to the Mediterranean through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles have been Kremlin ambitions for centuries. In today’s environment, persuading Turkey to leave the tacit alliance working to overthrow Syria’s Bashar Assad regime, a Moscow ally, would be a critical step forward for Russia’s increasing influence in the Middle East. Whether Mr. Erdogan is prepared to go further and join the Russia-Iran regional axis is unclear at this point, but the possibility is obvious.

Hiving off NATO’s southeastern anchor would also bolster Mr. Putin’s continued continental meddling in former components of the Soviet Union and members of the defunct Warsaw Pact. By annexing Crimea, Moscow violated America’s solemn determination since 1945 not to allow national borders in Europe to be changed by military force, and faced insignificant consequences as a result. Now, Russia is digging in, installing sophisticated S-400 air-defense systems in Crimea, and accusing Ukraine of dangerous provocations. NATO headquarters is rightly concerned that more Russian military incursions into Ukrainian territory may follow.

The Baltic countries are near panic that Mr. Putin will provoke incidents before President Obama leaves office, taking advantage both of his weakness and the uncertain transition period that will occur no matter who wins the presidency in November. Moscow has already launched extensive cyber-attacks against the Baltics, and trumped-up charges of mistreating ethnic Russians could easily provide a pretext for military intervention.

Mr. Putin is vigorously exploiting not only Mr. Obama’s weakness and inattention, but also the urban legend that the European Union is (or should be) the major force for keeping peace on the Continent. This mythology, ignoring or belittling NATO’s central role in deterring Moscow’s adventurism and belligerence, is widely held among Western European elites. By contrast, Eastern and Central European countries increasingly realize that economic integration, however desirable, will not alone provide for the common defense. Too many Western Europeans still fail to grasp this basic point, a failure Mr. Putin long ago seized upon.

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