Security

EU Officials Watch in Awe Greek Turkish Air Fights Live – GreekReporter.com

November 24, 2020 ::· By

European Union officials had the opportunity to watch a Greek Air Force aircraft chasing away Turkish F-16 fighter jets that had violated Greek airspace live.

The presentation took place during the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) conference of the 15th Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) High-Level Course (HLC) 2019 – 2020 Module 3.

The conference was held November 2-6 at the Hellenic Air Force Academy (HAFA) in Tatoi, organized by the Directorate of International Relations of the Ministry of National Defense, under the General Director Dr. Konstantinos Balomenos.

“Turkey today is to radical Islamism what Saudi Arabia was in the 20th century” – American Enterprise Institute

November 21, 2020 ::· By

“Every dictator wakes upwondering if today could be his last” states Michael Rubin for TurkishPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with Evangelos D. Kokkinos forpentapostagma.gr. The respected analyst of AmericanEnterprise Institute (AEI) and former Pentagon official, analyzes what thechanges of the political landscape in the USA will bring to US-Turkeyrelations and the consequences that they …

“Turkey today is to radical Islamism what Saudi Arabia was in the 20th century” – American Enterprise Institute Read More »

The Case for a Strategic Pivot to Greece and Cyprus – The National Interest

November 21, 2020 ::· By

U.S. officials should explore options to strengthen security cooperation with Cyprus. Like Crete, this strategically located island presents an ideal platform for power projection, and stronger U.S. ties could enable Greece to focus more concertedly on other missions since Athens currently bears much de facto responsibility for Cypriot defense. Though it was lost in the …

The Case for a Strategic Pivot to Greece and Cyprus – The National Interest Read More »

Is Turkey Really Building a New Tank? – The National Interest

November 21, 2020 ::· By

Despite being trumpeted as an all-Turkish design, the Altay tank leans heavily on a number of foreign components. In particular, the Altay program would like to have copied the engine and transmission that South Korea’s K2 tank uses, of a German design. This may prove to be impossible.

Due to tensions between Berlin and Ankara as well as a German arms embargo against Turkey, Turkish negotiations with German defense firms soured, sinking plans for the German-designed engine and transmission. Turkey, a non-European Union member, has faced criticism from a number of EU countries due Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian civil war. What exactly will be used in place of the German design remains to be seen.

Turkey’s Crisis with the West: How a New Low in Relations Risks Paralyzing NATO – War on the Rocks

November 21, 2020 ::· By

NATO’s most important challenge today may not come from Russia, but from within. With the number of disputes between Turkey and several European allies yet again on the rise, the two parties’ souring relations have begun undermining the organization’s cohesion and ability to make timely collective decisions. If left unaddressed, these tensions could cause serious …

Turkey’s Crisis with the West: How a New Low in Relations Risks Paralyzing NATO – War on the Rocks Read More »

Turkey’s behaviour “widening its separation” from EU, Borrell says – Reuters

November 21, 2020 ::· By

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Turkey’s rhetoric on Cyprus is aggravating tensions with the European Union and Ankara must understand that its behaviour is “widening its separation” from the 27-nation bloc, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday. “We consider the recent actions and statements by Turkey related to Cyprus contrary to the United Nations …

Turkey’s behaviour “widening its separation” from EU, Borrell says – Reuters Read More »

The death of Ayman al-Zawahri and the future of al-Qaida – Brookings Institute

November 17, 2020 ::· By

Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri may be dead or at least appears to be “completely off the grid,” according to journalist and veteran jihadi-watcher Hassan Hassan. These reports come at the same time as the killing of another very senior al-Qaida leader, Abu Muhammad al-Masri, in Tehran, reportedly by Israeli agents at the behest of the …

The death of Ayman al-Zawahri and the future of al-Qaida – Brookings Institute Read More »

A Sense of Foreboding in Ankara – The German Marshall Fund of the United States

November 16, 2020 ::· By

There is a sense of foreboding in Ankara regarding Joe Biden’s presidency. Presidents Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appeared to be kindred spirits and Trump went a long way in protecting Ankara against the bipartisan consensus in Congress to sanction Turkey. The government in Ankara will have a long list of expectations from the …

A Sense of Foreboding in Ankara – The German Marshall Fund of the United States Read More »

Anger as Erdogan visits breakaway north of Cyprus for ‘picnic’ – France 24

November 15, 2020 ::· By

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday visited the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus at a time of heightened tensions on the divided island and in the Eastern Mediterranean. Erdogan was to attend a “picnic” in the disputed beachfront area of Varosha along the UN buffer zone that has divided the island since Turkey’s 1974 invasion of …

Anger as Erdogan visits breakaway north of Cyprus for ‘picnic’ – France 24 Read More »

Erdogan arrives in the north – Cyprus Mail

November 15, 2020 ::· By

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan arrived in the north at about 12.30 on Sunday, where he is to view a parade to mark the 37th anniversary of the unilateral declaration of independence of the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’. Erdogan was accompanied by his wife Emine, former president of the Turkish parliament, former prime minister, the minister …

Erdogan arrives in the north – Cyprus Mail Read More »

How Turkey Brought Down its Own Air Force – The National Interest

November 15, 2020 ::· By

Here’s What You Need To Remember: Numerous senior and field-grade officers were purged. More than 300 F-16 pilots were dismissed. This defanged the Turkish military as a political threat, and strengthened the increasingly authoritarian rule of Erdogan and his neo-Ottoman Justice and Development Party, which has imprisoned many journalists. But it left a gaping question: who …

How Turkey Brought Down its Own Air Force – The National Interest Read More »

Turkey vs. the West: A tug of war beyond the Aegean – Jewish News Syndicate

November 15, 2020 ::· By

“On the one year anniversary of Turkey’s invasion and occupation of Rojava (Northeast Syria), Erdoğan is seeking to distract Turks from Turkey’s failed democracy and faltering domestic economy by war-mongering in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey and its jihadist proxies are also threatening another Armenian Genocide, targeting Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“NATO is more than a security alliance. It is a coalition of countries with shared values. Turkey under Erdoğan’s dictatorship is Islamist, anti-American, and hostile to Europe. Turkey’s application to join NATO would be discarded immediately if it applied today.”