Lots of News! Russia Imposes Sanctions on Turkey; China Sends Carrier to Syria; Putin in Paris; New ESR7
Posted by Lada Ray
As we’ve discussed in Explosive Consequences of Turkey Downing Russian Su-24 in Syria, there is hell for Turkey to pay for the downing of the Russian jet. NATO, EU and even US have been trying very hard to distance themselves from Turkey, insisting it’s all between Russia and the ‘unpredictable’ Erdogan.
As predicted in the same article, neither NATO nor EU would move a muscle to protect Turkey. In fact, various Western politicians and generals are floating an opinion that Turkey should be expelled from NATO.
I can tell you this won’t happen. It’s certainly not realistic for as long as NATO exists in its current state. US and NATO have too many bases in Turkey and they won’t just abandon this primest of the prime spot, allowing them to meddle with Russia. Considering that soon there will be fewer and fewer places where US and NATO will be welcome, they will try with all their might to hang on to what they can.
Therefore, I do not see the expulsion of Turkey from NATO at this time – sooner NATO will stop to exist. For now, all that is being said are very careful warnings for Erdogan, sort of like ‘down, boy!’
In fact, Erdogan’s actions are noted to become more and more erratic and unpredictable. He has just destroyed in one fell swoop a decade of building up a very lucrative cooperation with Russia. There is danger he may be trying to generate a conflict with Russia in order to invoke an international clause regulating the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, allowing Turkey to close them down, thus shutting down Russia in Black Sea. Worst case scenario is looming and Russia needs to be prepared for it.

