Category: Security and Strategy

Source: Geopolitical Futures By Jacob L. Shapiro Tonga, a small island nation with a population of just 107,000 and GDP of $426 million, has found itself at the center of the power struggle between China and the West in the South Pacific. The country is heavily indebted to Beijing – to the tune of 24… Continue reading TONGA, A NEW ALLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CHINA’S DEBT TRAP

Source: Military Times By: Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press Poland’s president voiced hope for a permanent U.S. military presence in his country, in a speech as the nation put on a large military parade on its Armed Forces Day holiday Wednesday replete with tanks and people marching in historic uniforms. Poland is fearful of Russia’s… Continue reading POLAND WANTS PERMANENT US FORCES STATIONED THERE

Source: Hurriyet Daily News Turkey has engaged in a fresh diplomatic attack against the sanctions imposed by the United States with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in talks with prominent European and Gulf countries in a bid to seek more support as the Turkish Lira falls rapidly against the U.S. dollar. Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad… Continue reading QATAR PLEDGED DIRECT INVESTMENT TO TURKEY WORTH $ 15 BILLION

Source: Shephard media Britain’s Royal Air Force said Wednesday it had intercepted six Russian bomber planes flying close to NATO air space over the Black Sea. The Eurofighter Typhoons launched early Monday from their base in Romania after the Russian Su-24 Fencer planes were spotted, the RAF said in a statement. It said there had… Continue reading RAF INTERCEPTED SIX RUSSIAN BOMBERS OVER BLACK SEA

Source: Financial Post By Onur Ant, Asli Kandemir and Constantine Courcoulas Turkish policy makers made their first move to bolster the financial system and investor confidence amid a plunge in the lira. The currency, stocks and bonds extended their decline. Promising to “take all necessary measures,” the central bank in Ankara lowered the amount commercial… Continue reading TURKEY TRIES TO CONTAIN CRISIS TAKES FIRST STEPS TO BOLSTER AS LIRA PLUNGES

Source: WSJ By Bernard-Henri Lévy U.S.-Turkish relations are mired in the worst crisis of their history. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is demanding that President Trump turn over Mr. Erdogan’s sworn enemy, Fethullah Gülen. Mr. Trump, meanwhile, seeks the release of the American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was imprisoned on the pretext that he had… Continue reading NATO SHOULD GIVE TURKEY THE BOOT

Source: Ekathimerini The impending prospect of the US arms embargo on Cyprus being lifted is potentially more important for America than it is for Cyprus. This dysfunctional embargo represents the destructiveness of both flawed American government policy and the erosion of our country’s faith in our democratic processes. The very existence of an arms embargo… Continue reading LIFTING THE US ARMS EMBARGO ON CYPRUS

Source: The Drive By Joseph Trevithick The U.S. Navy’s top officer has warned that Russian submarines are prowling the Atlantic Ocean at rates not seen since the end of the Cold War and that China is beginning to increase its naval activity closer to American shores. Though there has certainly been an uptick in these… Continue reading THE SCOPE NOT THE SCALE OF RUSSIAN AND CHINESE NAVAL OPS IN THE ATLANTIC IS WORRISOME

Source: Hurriyet Daily Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned that the United States is “changing a strategic NATO partner with a pastor” in his latest statement about the ongoing diplomatic row between the two countries over the arrest of Pastor Andrew Brunson. “We only bow down before God. It is wrong to try to… Continue reading ERDOGAN: US CHANGING STRATEGIC NATO PARTNER WITH PASTOR

Source: Asia Times By Altay Atli Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his nation’s currency in free fall, on Friday criticized “unilateral actions against Turkey by the United States, our ally of decades.” In an op-ed in The New York Times, he said that if such actions continue, Turkey will be required “to start looking for… Continue reading TURKEY SEES LONG-TERM PARTNER IN CHINA