Explain Turkey to me

[Tamas]

Paging Sheilbh, mostly.

-the escalating sabre-rattling with Israel (I know the fascists jews help fuel the fire, but Turkey started it in earnest)
-the warning of Cyprus, to no go forward with the jew-funded gas drilling in the East Med
-the warning of EU to not let Cyprus be EU prez

What's the play here? What justifies this rather sudden retardism of Turkish foreign policy? Is Erdogan falling THAT fast in the polls? Are they heading to a debt crisis? They anticipate a mid east war and want to be on the forefront, earning ph3t loot?

[Ideologue]

Islam.  There, Turkey explained.

You were kidding about Israel being fascist, right, Horthy?

[Tamas]

Islam.  There, Turkey explained.

You were kidding about Israel being fascist, right, Horthy?

Well, their foreign minister comes off as a... well, a Russian. What he is.

[Zanza]

Their foreign policy goal is to establish themselves as a regional power that needs to be taken into account. To do that, they have to show strength versus the West, show support for Arab matters and to play to the domestic audience.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Yes, I think it is perfectly ordinary hubris. Turkey is enjoying rapid economic growth (8.8%) and it's budget deficit is only 1.55 of GDP, so they are feeling rather superior right now. Time to throw their weight around, get leadership of the muslim world, despatch a corps of Bashi-Bazouks to Bulgaria............all that sort of thing.

However, hubris leads to nemesis, their current account balance is -9.8% of GDP, so at some point the shit will hit the fan and they will be humbled............having lost some friends. Twas ever thus.

[Ed Anger]

Its a bird.

[Siege]

Islam.  There, Turkey explained.

You beat me to it.

[Martinus]

Its a bird.

[Eddie Teach]

Its a bird.

A fat bird, so more tender than other birds.

[Viking]

Turkey before alienating friends and asserting dominance

Turkey after alienating friends and asserting dominance


Turkey before alienating friends and asserting dominance

Turkey after alienating friends and asserting dominance



But seriously. Turkey after the Cold War conducted some serious reforms of their economy and their politics. Those reforms have driven the economy into high gear growth, soon it might catch Mexico in per capita GDP and they have enabled the usually excluded anatolian majority to influence politics. This results in assertive cryto-islamists in government.

To be honest, the EU has  not exactly treated Turkey fairly (Greek Cypriot referendum being the most recent and outrageous screw-the-turks moment). If we ever get to the point where we have to ask ourselves "who lost Turkey" then the answer is not the AKP, but rather the Elyseé Palace and the German Chancellery.

[Eddie Teach]

That's baloney, Turks are responsible for their own destiny.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

When people say that the turks have been part of European history they are of course correct.
Problem is that the Turks have an image-problem cause they were invaders and occupiers with a wrong religion.

[DGuller]

Saying that Turks have been part of European history is like saying that Mongols have been part of Russian history.  Maybe that's correct, but it's not exactly the selling point one would want to use.

[Barrister]

Saying that Turks have been part of European history is like saying that Mongols have been part of Russian history.  Maybe that's correct, but it's not exactly the selling point one would want to use.

Except pretty much everyone's history in Europe is one of invasion.  The germanic tribes, the slavs, the Magyars - hell even the Vikings.

[Warspite]

If we ever get to the point where we have to ask ourselves "who lost Turkey" then the answer is not the AKP, but rather the Elyseé Palace and the German Chancellery.

This.