By Barry Rubin
Turkey’s Islamist regime subverted and then opposed sanctions against Iran. That regime also declared Iran and Syria, Hamas and Hizballah to be its friends. It also sponsored a terrorist group (the IHH) to provoke Israel into an international incident that would generate Islamist martyrs and dead Israeli soldiers. Now, rejecting Israeli conciliation attempts (regrets; donations to families of jihadists who got killed trying to kill Israelis), the Turkish regime escalated to the verge of war.
Now the Turkish prime minister goes to Egypt, proposes an alliance with the Egyptian revolution, then advocates a united bloc of Arabs, Iranians, and Turks as well as war on Israel to the assembled Arab foreign ministers.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tells the Islamist Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, according to a U.S. diplomat,
“She encouraged Turkey to keep the door open” regarding Turkey’s relationship with Israel. “We want to see them repair their relationship, so she encouraged them to avoid any steps that would close that door and, on the contrary, to actively seek ways that they can repair (their) important relationship with Israel.”
That’s it? Let me put this into a fictionalized reenactment:
Davutoglu: “The evil Zionist aggressive and lawless forces must be taught a lesson by the Muslims even if it means going to war.”
Clinton: “Well, I hope you keep the door open to improving relations. And hope you like our making you co-chair of the counterterrorist group we set up that didn’t even include Israel!
And then we are told that President Obama is Israel’s best friend? But this isn’t serious foreign policy on any issue. Clinton should tell the Turkish regime that its policy toward Israel and subversion of U.S. interests are unacceptable. Boy, would he be mad! But that’s the way you have to conduct a foreign policy. This is a concept the Obama Administration has never understood and never will.
And that means more enemies, bolder enemies, frightened friends, and bigger crises.
By the way, like a caricature of a ridiculously biased newspaper no longer even trying to hide that fact, the New York Times had a very friendly editorial toward Erdogan who is forgiven all his overt anti-American, pro-radical, extremist, and war-threatening deeds while at the same time it falsely and repeatedly accuses Netanyahu and Israel of being extremist and not wanting peace.
Let’s be perfectly clear here, it’s true that the handling of Turkey has been still one more example of how the Obama Administration’s campaign claiming that critiques of its policy toward Israel is based on lies and distortions. It isn’t. The administration did nothing over many months as Turkey turned with increasing openness and hostility against Israel. Nothing except to reward Turkey.
Moreover, one of the most amazing things is that the administration doesn’t understand that if a crisis builds over many months and it does nothing to prevent or counter it, this does not prove the Obama Administration is guiltless. Egypt’s revolution, Syria’s upheaval, the rebellion in Iran, the Palestinian drive for unilateral independence, and the growing power of Islamists in Libya–an incomplete list–didn’t just happen, they were events for the United States to shape in a favorable manner to some extent. It failed in each case to do even the tiniest amount.
And finally, this is not a case of any U.S. favor to Israel. Trying to rein in an increasingly anti-American, reckless, pro-Islamit government as it turns one of America’s most important allies into one of its most dangerous adversaries is a fundamental U.S. interest.
the coming insurrection is here
It’s disappointing and frightening that American voters were so taken in by this idiotic “charisma thing” of the novelty of a Black President, that those who voted for Barak Hussein Obama didn’t look more carefully into his shallow background indicating his having nothing at all to offer this nation in the form of Leadership. I wonder why this wasn’t revealed in his party’s “vetting” process.
In this case, the Democrat Party owes this nation a major apology in permitting his ilk to rise to be a candidate in the first place.
This process indicates our partial good luck that with this Obama we didn’t elect someone even more devious, sinister, and more dangerously unqualified as President….and legally, at that. We should look more carefully at candidates’ past achievements and experience rather than hype. Electing Obama was truly a “Mad” triumph in hyper-bulls##t.
Let this be a lesson to us all that we do indeed run risks with our precious votes.
Not as many Americans who voted for Obama were simply “taken in,” as you say they were.
Though con-man Barack Hussein Obama, aka Barry Soetoro, told more than his share of lies, he mixed ‘em up with frankly telling American voters a lot of what was on his mind about Americans and the United States of America.
It’s time we faced up to the sad and sordid fact that the hate-filled “God Damn America” rant of his beloved mentor Jeremiah Wright is not only shared by Obama, but also is a mindset and sentiment more widespread and deeply felt among Democrats and their voters than we could ever have imagined.
We don’t have a wimpy foreign policy.
We have a traitorous, anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic foreign policy.
Oh, and by the way, DC is aswarm with Muslim Brotherhood moles.
It’s interesting that no one but Barry Rubin has mentioned that Obama has a Secretary of State who is implementing this “traitorous, anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic foreign policy.” She is, of course, Hilarious Clinton, the “most admired politician in the world today” according to a lamestream media article this week! She is also the favored option to Obama among the disappointed and disenchanged Democrat Party faithful. It’s fair enough to tie the can to Obama (the buck stops there), but let’s make sure that the architect of this foreign policy receives full credit, as well!!
It’ll be even more frightening if he’ll get reelected after all he’s done and all he’s yet to do until the end of this term. Even if not, he’ll probably get more than 45% of the votes. In each case it’ll mean about half the American voters think Obama’s choices in economy and foreign policy (not just in the Middle East, he did ridiculous things in every continent) were wise and desirable choices, and that the US should continue this way.
What’s happening to the US is frightening to me as a citizen of an ally country and as a person who likes and appreciates the US. The US used to be unique, exceptional as you say. It still is, but for how long? There are, apparently, many Americans who want the US to follow the Western European model, and with the leftist indoctrination in the education system and the media the number of Americans who would vote for the likes of Obama is likely to grow with each generation.
The Obama admin was an important lesson to all your allies. The guy actually gave sensitive information about Britain’s nuclear arsenal to Russia, against Britain’s will, in exchange for the Russians signing the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty. In other words, he betrayed top secret information of your closest ally to non-allies. And apparently about half the American people think that was an excellent idea and best behavior since his approval rate didn’t drop below 40% following such terrible decisions. What should your allies conclude from that? That the US is a reliable and trustworthy friend? What should your enemies conclude from that? One of Obama’s goals in foreign relations was to turn enemies into friends, but after seeing how the US treats its friends, why would anyone want to be your friend?
Of course, Obama will eventually go – in a year or in five years. The question is, considering everything, what are the chances of getting another one or worse several years from now? Is he a one hit wonder or will presidents with his ideology and way of thinking and acting become the norm at some not far enough point?
The election of an inexperienced and immature demagogue like Barack Obama was probably inevitable, given the shallowness of political discourse in America. It is a shame that Obama represents the most powerful nation in the world and due to his inexperience and immaturity, he handles that nation badly.
That said, perhaps Obama will usher in one of those critical periods of history, when negligent and misinformed foreign policies, like those which led to Hitler and Tojo causing the Second World War, will lead to a similar global catastrophe.
There is a certain historical determinism regarding global crisis’ and by the way, this one is also accompanied by a potentially world wide economic collapse, just like WWII.
for a few more dollars..
http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000682160&fid=1724
Erdogan, is a mad dog, and Turkey is a bird with no fathers. Unfortunately Hussein Obama is the one responsible for whatever comes next. I hope and pray the incoming ME conflict (shooting war) happens after Obama leave office if anything happens before January 2013 Hussein Obama will be the sole owner of the bloody region wide war