The real tragedy is Tunisia, which achieved democracy but has not registered expected economic dividends. Erdoğan’s oppressive measures have contributed to the strengthening of Islamic and anti-Western circles inside Turkey and exacerbated Ankara’s friction with the West, which strongly opposes the regime’s trampling of individual rights. As Berlin seeks to advance its own independent interests, it does so—for now—under the increasingly thin and unsteady cover of the NATO alliance. They also stopped German parliamentarians from visiting German forces stationed in Turkey as part of NATO’s activities against ISIS. Alleged Islamic State (IS) fighters are to stay in prison camps where they were kept, in horrific conditions, by NATO-backed Kurdish troops. It represents a new low for UNRWA and is an indictment of the idea of an international agency dedicated to a single interest. By Germany vetoing EU condemnation against Turkish aggression on Greece and Cyprus just days ago, Berlin is guiding Turkey towards a conflict with Greece. There is much discussion around the world about how to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The Europeans and the Americans have repeatedly condemned the atrocities in Syria, but they have done little to prevent them. History teaches that the best way to deal with Russia is to keep intervention to a minimum and wait for its internal troubles to bring about its collapse. Yaniv Avrahm is a former researcher on Turkey at the Center for Political Research of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is a freelance expert on modern Turkey. The resulting agreement, subsequently approved by Assad after a telephone conversation with Putin, divides the Syrian-Turkish border into zones patrolled by Turkish troops, along which military action against Kurdish fighters may continue if they do not leave, and an area jointly held by Syrian border guards and Russian military police. The tenor of relations between Ankara and Berlin could have broader effects on Turkey’s relationship with the West, particularly Washington. That is well known.”, International Committee of the Fourth International. As a trade war escalates between Washington and the EU, with threats of billions of dollars in trade war tariffs on both sides, US-EU geostrategic divisions are also widening. Many American detractors of Israel begin by citing that Israel receives the lion’s share of US military aid. This comes also amid a wave of ongoing mass protests in Lebanon. It is safe to assume that relations between Turkey and Germany are not going to improve anytime soon, and will be influenced by internal fluctuations. For the first time since the fall of the Nazis in 1945, Berlin is proposing an international military operation; previously, it supported wars launched by Washington, Paris or other powers. The Oslo diplomatic process is the starkest strategic blunder in Israel’s history and one of the worst calamities ever to have afflicted Israelis and Palestinians. The warning came after Turkey redeployed a research ship at the centre of tensions with Greece over energy and maritime rights. Photograph:( Investment companies on both sides recognize the economic damage that can be caused by crises like this, and hope the hostility between the countries will pass immediately after the German elections. Home » Perspectives Papers » Turkey and Germany: A Worsening Crisis, BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. But few, if any, international bodies deal with the question of how to prepare for the day Iran achieves such capabilities, if that day has not already arrived. 23 October 2019 As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew to the Russian resort of Sochi for a … "If there should be renewed Turkish gas exploration in the more controversial sea areas in the eastern Mediterranean, this would be a serious … A corruption scandal involving sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation against whistleblowers, and lots of business-class travel has gripped the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In contrast, historical and genealogical evidence shows Palestinians descend primarily from three primary groups: Muslim invaders, Arab immigrants, and local converts to Islam. Merkel said, “We had a very long, detailed discussion about our relations with Turkey. This proposal testifies to the vast shift to the right in official European politics over the last decade. However, in light of their history of close relations, the volume of stable economic … However, in view of the countries’ historically strong relations, they will likely contain the crisis to mitigate its economic impact. Berlin’s proposal for EU military occupation of northern Syria is, no less than Pompeo’s open threat of all-out war with Turkey, a call for a vast escalation of imperialist violence in the Middle East. Ankara is at odds with the US, its main NATO partner, over the latter’s tactical cooperation with Kurdish forces in Syria – forces the Turkish government sees as an operational arm of the PKK and a threat to Turkey’s national security. But the fact that Jews are the indigenous population of the Southern Levant can be proved with ease. Finally, it reaffirms the 1988 Adana accord committing Syria not to host forces of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), against which Turkey has waged a decades-long war. Taken collectively, these wars killed or wounded millions, and turned tens of millions of people into refugees. “Turkey is ready to hold talks with everyone for the fair sharing (of resources),” Cavusoglu said. Ankara’s tension with Berlin could worsen the strained Washington relationship. Why does the EU single out Israeli “occupation” over other “occupations”? One recent essay from the US Brookings Institution think tank complained: “The prospect of lucrative reconstruction deals has triggered a deluge of interest from governments and firms looking to profit from Syria’s devastation. The harsh measures taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan since the failed coup attempt last year have led to a deepening crisis with a host of Western states, first and foremost with Germany. Germany on Tuesday cautioned Turkey against its "cycle of detente and provocation" in the Eastern Mediterranean. Germany, US threaten war amid Russia-Turkey summit on Syria. Twenty three years after its euphoric launch on the White House lawn, the Oslo ‘peace process’ has substantially worsened the position of both parties, and made the prospects for peace and reconciliation ever more remote. That stance is quite variable and contradictory, and of course, the coalition led by the United States is in Syria illegally. Meanwhile, the despots—Assad, Erdogan and Putin—are emerging as the victors. Ankara’s ability to influence the Turkish diaspora living in Germany, its cooperation in the fight against ISIS, and its capacity to assist Europe on the refugee crisis and other political issues like the conflict in Cyprus could lead to a channel of dialogue. Its citizens are more discontented than the Palestinians. During his visit, he spoke with senior Turkish officials, headed by Erdoğan, about the possibility of establishing a cooperation mechanism against terrorist organizations in northern Iraq. I do not believe any sort of safe zone under the joint control of EU countries and Russia will develop.”. The collapse usually takes place as Russia rests on the laurels of recent military victories while internal economic and social troubles grow. In addition, geopolitical fluctuations and Washington’s enduring weakness in the Middle East have prompted Ankara to warm its relations with countries such as Russia, Iran, and Qatar, a shift that can have a great impact on Turkey’s energy ambitions and economic needs. Since the coup attempt, relations between Ankara and Berlin have been at an unprecedented low. There have even been voices in Germany calling on the EU to freeze the customs union with Turkey, which, if realized, could pose a serious problem for Ankara. Erdoğan recently summoned 19 representatives of German companies to a meeting in Ankara to deflect their fears and assure them that their status in the Turkish economy will not be harmed. In Washington, where a bitter debate is unfolding over Trump’s Middle East policy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened war with Turkey, a NATO ally and major regional military power. The tension marks a stark contrast to normal times, before the coup attempt and its aftermath, when Berlin adopted a pragmatic line towards Ankara in relation to the EU and maintained deep political ties with it.