The power struggle within the “fields” of Syria between USA and Russia is spreading with aggression.
The aggression does not stop with the exchange of words, it is spreading throughout the world as military forces take a position and the drums of war are being played at higher volume.
The leaders of these drums are trying to match their tempo with the (musical) notes which suit their interest in the region.
Trump is dominating the power struggle with his own style. He openly declares that he will be targeting the Syrian regime and he doesn’t stop there; he threatens Iran and Russia.
Putin, calls for calm from Trump but Russia’s own spokesperson does not refrain from stressing that Russia will retaliate and hit USA missiles if it carries out missile attacks.
Trump responds in his usual style; “missiles are coming, let’s see what you will do about that”. However, Trump’s defence minister Mattis repeated that the USA is ready to attack Syria but also claimed that there is no evidence that regime forces have used (chemical) weapons and therefore contradicts Trump. Nevertheless, the differences in these statements don’t stop the military fleet heading towards the shores of Syria.
There is information that in the face of these developments Russia has put its defence systems in the Black Sea and Aegean on alert. There is also news that Syrian airfields are being controlled by “Russia’s high-altitude planes”.
(..)It is also true that for the time being the USA and its allies will refrain from attacking Russia’s bases and facilities. Moreover, some predict that, unlike the military attack last year, this attack will last only a couple of days.
All these developments will not lead to a “third world war” as exaggerated by some “war lovers”. But it is true that the power struggle between the USA and Russia, and the manoeuvres they make to strengthen their own hand will escalate the conflict, and undeniably the risk of a regional war will be a closer possibility.
The USA is capitalising on the increasing tensions in the region, and with the back-up of England, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey is hoping to strengthen the anti-Iranian coalition. It is observed that the USA wants to rebrand its military attack on Syria, into a joint “coalition” attack.
No doubt, this plan aims not just to deal a heavy blow to Iran but also seeks to undermine Russia. And of course, in strengthening and stabilising its own (i.e. America’s) presence in Syria, it also wants to make its allies more effective in intervening in the region and intends to use their energy to achieve its own plans. Moreover, the aim is for (America’s) allies to take on more responsibility in the region. Wasn’t it Trump that just recently called on allies to take more responsibility?
All of these developments closely impact both the imperialists in the region seeking their own interests and countries in the region but the truth, which everybody can now see, is that the most cornered is Turkey. Faced with Trump's actions; on the one hand, Turkey is trying not to destabilise its relationship with Russia but finds itself on the side of the USA in a power struggle that (Turkey’s) Prime Minister previously called a “street fight” and the President called an “arm wrestle”.
In the current trajectory, despite no real evidence, in saying that “Esad used chemical weapons. Esad must go” Turkey is openly supporting the USA’s military attack against Syria. This means that Turkey, which is allied to Russia in Afrin, is working with the USA in Ghouta.
Of course, this is not a situation often seen in foreign policy and is not an expert foreign policy manoeuvre. On the contrary. It is an expression of the contradiction that Turkey has fallen into because it has trapped itself within “two red lines” in Syria and has reduced all its avenues for manoeuvre. And we will see that hereafter this contradiction will become even more difficult and the results will be increasingly damaging.
Even before the missiles were deployed and the forces of evil deployed, the increasing tension caused by the power struggle between Russia and the USA began to impact the Turkish markets. This shows that Turkey’s foreign policy is also having destructive effects on Turkey’s domestic politics and economy. The first signs of this are the value of the dollar at 4.20 and the Euro at 5.20 Turkish Liras, and the fall in the stock markets.
İhsan Çaralan
Bülent Falakaoğlu
Hakkı Özdal
