Turkey plans to target, essentially, everyone in Syria -- and says as much

Submitted by Michael S. (United States), Oct 2, 2014 at 07:35

HI, dhimminomore. You said one thing that I might take issue with:

"As for the Iranians do not forget that Iranian culture is very inclusive which is the exact opposite of the very insecure Turkish culture"

I know very little about either culture. Both countries seem divided between big, largely urban, secular minorities, on the one hand, and largely rural, uneducated Islamist crazies on the other. The Iranians seem to be under the thumb of a thug-theocracy, which I would not call "inclusive"; and the Turks are under the thumb of an increasingly dictatorial Sharia-pushing Erdogan. Looks to me like Tweedle-Sunni and Tweedle-Shia.

The rest of what you say, I pretty much agree with.

I won't check out the book you cited, because I'm a slow reader in my old age. If you want to read something about Turkey and Iran, here's a rather short article that says a lot:

Iranian proxy behind attacks on Israeli delegations gains influence in Turkey
By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL 10/01/2014 22:09
Jerusalem Post
-- http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iranian-proxy-behind-attacks-on-Israeli-delegations-gains-influence-in-Turkey-377825

Here's what I expect of the Turks, holding them to their own words:

...President Tayyip Erdogan said the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remained a Turkish priority...

"We will fight effectively against both (Islamic State) and all other terrorist organisations within the region; this will always be our priority

-- http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-mulls-military-action-against-islamic-state-coalition-112035284.html

That's all straightforward, nothing hidden: Turkish forces, when they enter into the fray in Syria, will target those they consider "terrorists" -- namely, (1) ISIS, (2) Bashar al-Assad, and (3) the PKK and its base, Rojava. Whether or not they plan to take some Arabs under their wings as puppets, such as the FSA, al-Nusra or other groups, Turkey is effectively announcing its intent to occupy and control much or all of Syria. As I've said, before, their "safety corridor" should effectively be a barely-altered replica of North Cyprus.

In other matters, I notice that the Greeks have been locking their radars on Turkish fighters and ships lately, an extremely provocative act. I don't think much will come of that, but it's interesting.

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