Category: political

Turkish President (Sultan) Erdogan has now put forward territorial claims on Jerusalem. This should be a warning to both Israelis and Palestinians alike that Turkey is a menace. Furthermore, Turkish claims on Jerusalem also conflict with Jordan which has the role of being the protector and guardian of the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem and the Holy Land were part of the Ottoman Empire for four hundred years. Erdogan is putting forward a claim on Jerusalem on this basis. Furthermore, Erdogan is declaring himself to be the ruler and representative of Muslims. The rest of the Muslim world can not be happy with these claims being put forward by the Turkish President.

Ten years ago, Turkey nearly started a war with Israel when a flotilla that included many stupid leftists from America and Europe left the occupied territories of Cyprus and went to Gaza to confront the Israelis. The “activists” had no regard for the territorial integrity of Cyprus whose sovereignty they violated when they entered the Turkish occupied territories. They willfully made themselves instruments of the Turkish regime and were being used.

This was an early case of Turkish aggression. Five years later, Turkey shot down a Russian plane over Syria. Another act of aggression. And in Syria, Turkey threatened to invade the Kurdish regions where the Syrian Kurds heroically fought and defeated the Islamic State. The Israelis, the Russians, and the Trump administration all chose to deescalate. The leaders of these countries all acted rationally and sought to avoid the possibility of a major war.

Turkish President Erdogan has proceeded to escalate tensions more recently with Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia. He is also supporting Syrian jihadists in Libya who are fighting the Russians, and other who are fighting the Azerbaijanis in Artsakh. It appears that Washington, Moscow, and Tel Aviv have not entirely gotten the message about Turkey.

The Israelis are reported to be the biggest arms suppliers to the jihadists in Azerbaijan. A thoroughly unscrupulous policy and one that looks to be self defeating as Azerbaijan is a Turkish proxy. Erdogan’s statements on Jerusalem should be a loud warning to Israel that it should be backing the Armenians in Artsakh.

The Russians have rightfully joined the international community in condemning the opening of the beach in Varosha, a town in Cyprus that remains under Turkish occupation. The Russians also happen to have a defense pact with Armenia and should be backing the Armenians. Azerbaijan and Turkey are being assisted by the very same jihadists that the Russians fought in Syria.

Greece needs to be prepared. Turkey may very well instigate a war much like the one that Azerbaijan has instigated against Armenia. At this point, the security of America, Europe, and Russia heavily depend on the successful defenses of Armenia, Greece, and Cyprus. Erdogan’s Turkey is emerging as one of the world’s most preeminent threats.

The Turkish occupied forces in Cyprus have proceeded to carry out their threat to open the town of Varosha which has been a ghost town since the 1974 Turkish invasions of Cyprus. This move has been universally condemned. Furthermore, Greece and Cyprus have threatened to renew efforts to pressure the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey.

Greece and Cyprus do not want a war with Turkey. But Turkish actions are extreme and the Erdogan government continues to provoke. It is abundantly clear that President Erdogan is too fanatical to be reasoned with. The Greek Government continues to pursue diplomacy by meeting with Turkish officials.

This is understandable as all efforts to avoid war should made. But can war really be avoided when the Turks openly boast about the slaughter of Greeks at Smyrna in 1922? Erdogan has made very clear that he is a rogue leader. He proceeded to convert Hagia Sophia into a Mosque and is proceeding accordingly with his plans to promote Turkish expansionism in the Aegean Sea and in Cyprus.

The Greeks need to keep open lines of communication with Washington and Moscow. Likewise, with European States that are pro Greek such as Paris, Vienna, and Rome. Germany should be shunned at the diplomatic level as the Germans are only concerned with appeasing Turkey. Germany’s stance in favor of appeasing Turkey to avoid Ankara’s threats to flood Europe with Middle Eastern refugees is pathetic.

The Russian government has condemned the Turkish moves in Varosha and this should be sign as a welcome show of support by Greece and Cyprus. Likewise, President Donald Trump has publicly accused Turkey of undermining the war against Syria. Athens and Nicosia must work extra hard to win support from both Washington and Moscow in their fight against Turkey.

Greece’s closest ally right now is Armenia which is fighting a defensive war against Azerbaijan. It is crucial that Greece and Cyprus assist Armenia in any way possible. Just as Turkey was the sponsor of jihadism during the Syrian war, Ankara is again sponsoring jihadists who are fighting alongside Azerbaijan.

In the days and weeks to come, we will see how democratic and civilized the western world really is. Will western governments stand up for the Armenians and the Greeks against Turkish jihadism and expansionism?

It appears that the Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in Greece have been convicted of murdering a left wing rapper back in 2013. The convictions are good news and this likely puts an end to the difficult years of economic troubles in Greece which enabled the extremism of the right to make a comeback. Golden Dawn never came close to taking the reigns of power in Greece, but for too long they were a power on the streets of Athens where they beat and terrorized immigrants and minorities.

The former government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras showed a great deal of tolerance for Golden Dawn as their members terrorized migrants in Greece. It was only when the Neo-Nazis murdered an ethnic Greek that the Samaras government proceeded to crack down. The Samaras government’s tolerance for the Neo-Nazis demonstrated a lack of Christian morality and decency.

This party which was like the original Nazi Party of Germany based on ideas of racial purity, neo-paganism, anti-semitism, and the occult was thoroughly evil. This deceitful movement even tried to masquerade as the defenders of Greek Orthodoxy. Golden Dawn was linked with the black metal music scene based on pro satanic and anti Christian themes. In its own publications it demonstrated contempt for Christianity as did the original Nazi Party.

In Greece’s last national elections, the Neo-Nazis did not receive votes to enter Parliament. This was very good news and their convictions today are also good news. Their is a moral lesson here in that all extremist ideas and movements ranging from the extreme right to the extreme left should be condemned by good people.

Azerbaijan has started a war of aggression against the Armenians of Artsakh. Azerbaijan has the open support of the Turkish government. The murderous and genocidal policies of Turkey that led to the extermination of the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greeks Christians of Anatolia are being revived today. Just as Azerbaijan is waging aggressive war against Armenia (Nagorno Karabakh is rightfully a part of Armenia) Turkey has been threatening to do likewise against Greece.

The whole of the Christian world (East and West) is obligated to support the Armenians as much as possible. A repetition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 is unthinkable. Some time ago, the government of Azerbaijan threatened to attack a nuclear power plant in Armenia. It appears that the Azerbaijani leadership is even less capable of rational thought than the leadership in Ankara.

The United States and Russia are both morally obligated to help the Armenians. The United States claims to support democracy while the Russians claim for themselves the sponsorship of Christianity. The Azerbaijanis appear to be another jihadist state making use of Syrian jihadists. Israel has taken an immoral position by inexplicably supporting Azerbaijan.

Syria appears to have become the new Afghanistan. The Reagan administration support of the notorious “Afghan Arabs” during the 1980’s led to the formation of Al Qaida during the 1990’s. The western world’s support for jihadists in Syria has apparently permitted jihadism to revive even after the destruction of Islamic State.

Syrian jihadists have been used by Turkey to fight against the Russians in Libya. Now they are fighting on behalf of Azerbaijan. The Russians were on the right side in Syria. Hopefully, Moscow will recognize that the enemies they fought in Syria and are fighting in Libya are waging war against the Christian Armenians.

During the First World War, the Russian Empire gave support to the Armenians against the Ottoman Empire. It is time for the Russians to demonstrate their claims to sponsorship of Eastern Christianity by fully supporting the Armenians militarily, diplomatically, and politically. The Trump administration which admirably cut off aid to the jihadists in Syria must recognize those same jihadists are engaged in aggressive war against the Armenians.

The European Union has refused to impose sanctions on Turkey as demanded by the Government of Cyprus. The Europeans have imposed sanction on Byelorussia which can be easily interpreted as an indirect attack on Russia since that country is a Russian ally. Turkish aggression against Cyprus and Greece has won a reprieve and most likely because of the Germans who seek to appease Turkish dictator Erdogan.

Turkey is engaging in acts of aggression against Greek and Cypriot territorial rights in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. The refusal of the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey proves that the Hellenic world cannot put its trust in western alliances. Greece and Cyprus can and should work with individual members such as France and Italy who have been supportive, but should reject the European Union as a whole.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Byelorussia although that country is not a member of the European Union and so its internal affairs are a domestic matter. Cyprus and Greece are both members of the European Union and have received no support although they are being menaced by a jihadist state that is not a member of the European Union. The pressure is on Greece and Cyprus to surrender at it has been so many times in history.

The western world has tolerated, if not outright supported jihadism for centuries. Great Britain and France protected the Ottoman Empire from the Russians during the nineteenth century. During the Greek campaign of Asia Minor, Italy, France, Great Britain, and the United States all supported Mustafa Kemal’s campaign which despite his later secularism, was fought as a jihad.

During the Yugoslav wars of the 1990’s, the United States and Europe tolerated and assisted jihadists who went to Bosnia and Kosovo to fight the Serbs. Previous to this in the 1980’s, the United States armed and trained jihadists to fight in the mountains of Afghanistan. Supporting jihadists has long been a western tradition.

During the war in Syria, the United States and Europe armed jihadist groups that sought to overthrow the secular government of Syria. This was after the 2003 invasion of Iraq which led first to a brutal intercommunal civil war before jihadists emerged to wage crimes against humanity and genocide. These atrocities preceded the formal establishment of the Islamic State which conquered one third of Iraq and Syria.

Arming jihadists has been a policy undertaken by both Republican and Democratic administrations in the United States and all these administrations deserve condemnation for pursuing these policies. Where the west did not directly arm jihadists, it created the conditions for jihadist territorial conquest and rule as in the case of Iraq. The Bush administration will be forever associated with Islamic State.

This brings us to the present. Turkey is gradually emerging as a jihadist state. Turkish leaders have bragged that many Syrian fighters would join Turkey in the event of a war between Greece and Turkey. It is obvious that those Syrians who would fight for Turkey are jihadists who received training and experience in the Syrian war that was backed by the administration of Barack Obama and Joseph Biden.

This is something that Greek Americans need to ponder before casting a vote for Democratic Candidate for President Joseph Biden. The Syrian war has also damaged Greece because all wars create refugees. The Syrian war flooded the Greek islands with refugees. In addition to the refugee crisis, Syrian jihadists supported by the Obama-Biden administration may be going to fight against Greece in the event of a war.

It was the Trump administration that cut off assistance to the Syrian jihadists after taking a realistic view of the situation. The Trump administration considered the Islamic State to be a bigger threat than the Assad government (correctly) and permitted the Russians to win the war for Damascus. The Trump administration not only contributed to the defeat of jihadism in Syria it also stopped the flow of refugees many of whom would have gone to Greece.

Greek critics complain that the Trump administration had gotten too close to the Erdogan government in Turkey. Fair enough, but hitherto the Trump administration has not bullied Greece into making concessions to Turkey. The Bush administration tried to force Cyprus into accepting the Annan Plan which would have rewarded the Turkish invasions and occupation.

The Clinton administration forced Greece to withdraw from the islet of Imia which the “Treaty of Peace with Italy” showed was Greek territory. The Obama administration did nothing for Greece and created the refugee crisis which flooded the Greek islands. The Carter administration lifted the arms embargo that Congress had imposed on Turkey after the twin Turkish invasions of Cyprus during the summer of 1974.

In addition, the Democratic Party is not an intellectual party. It is a party of Marxism and political correctness. The foreign policy of the Obama administration was based on utopianism rather than reality. In fairness, the Bush administration and the neocons likewise conducted a foreign policy based on utopianism and differed little from the Democrats foreign policy.

Greeks are in full agreement that Greece is a bastion of Orthodox Christianity. This means that Greece is a sister country of Serbia and Russia, Orthodox countries that were targeted by jihadists which in turn were armed and supported by the west. Syria is a historic bastion of Orthodoxy as the Patriarchate of Antioch is located in Damascus and presides over the last significant Orthodox population in the Middle East.

It was the Democratic administration of Bill Clinton that supported jihadism in Kosovo against the Serbs and the Democratic administration of Barack Obama that supported jihadism in Syria and made Russia the target of mass hatred throughout the west. Can the Democrats really be trusted to support Greece?

The Trump administration has proven to have a staunch record against jihadism as can be seen by its willingness to change foreign policy in furtherance of the decimation of Islamic State. With Turkey evolving further into a jihadist state, who would be the more likely to confront this threat? Donald Trump or Joe Biden?

Certainly, Greeks should be skeptical of Donald Trump as long as his administration is still friendly with the Erdogan regime. Greeks should be more skeptical of the Democrats. Who is more likely to end the traditional western backing of jiihadism?

Throughout the nineteenth century, support for the jihadists in the Ottoman Empire was motivated greatly by hatred toward the Russians. The Democrats have inherited that anti Russian hatred as well as their leaning in favor of jihadism as in Syria. The Trump administration has favored reconciliation with Russia. Perceptions of a Russian threat and the myth that Russia stole the 2016 elections for Trump could very well ensure that the Democrats support Turkey to undermine Russia.

We live in an age where nothing is certain and alliances are changing. All factors should be taken into consideration before Greeks throw their support behind a political candidate at this crucial time.

Editorial writers at both the New York Times and Bloomberg lamented the end of an era when the United States pressured Greece to make major concessions to Turkey. In fairness, these editorials did not express their opinions this way and they probably never proceeded to look at the details of how the Greek standoff with Turkey ended on January 31, 1996 over the islet of Imia. The Treaty of Paris of 1947 which gave the then Italian ruled Dodecanese islands to Greece included the Imia and other islets.

The Clinton administration represented by Undersecretary of State Richard Holbrooke brokered an agreement that led to the removal of the Greek flag and the abandonment of the islet by Greece. It was a capitulation by the Simitis government in Athens to the pressure of the United States. Thus far, the Trump administration has not emulated the traditional American pressure on Greece.

Sunday was the sixty fifth anniversary of the anti Greek pogroms in Constantinople. It should not be forgotten that neither the United States, Great Britain, or NATO condemned the Turkish government. On the contrary, the State Department under Secretary of State John Foster Dulles threatened to cut off aid to Greece if Athens maintained a firm position on the Turkish atrocities.

In 1965, Greek Ambassador to Washington Alexander Matsas was crudely insulted by President Lyndon Johnson who expressed outrage when the Ambassador asserted that the Greek Constitution would not permit Athens to give away a part of Greece (the island of Castellorizo) as part of a “settlement”on Cyprus. Johnson angrily declared,

“Fuck your parliament and your constitution. America is an elephant. Cyprus is a flea. Greece is a flea. If these two fellows continue itching the elephant, they may just get whacked by the elephant’s trunk, whacked good….If your Prime Minister gives me talk about democracy, parliament, and constitution, he, his parliament, and his constitution may not last very long.”

The Trump administration has not committed itself to Greece as it should, but neither has it threatened or bullied Greece as previous administrations have. The Trump campaign was in my opinion preferable to Hillary Clinton in 2016 owing to its “America First” platform that would have committed itself to an isolationist policy away from waging foreign wars and conducting traditional foreign policy that has been so detrimental to Greece and Cyprus in the past. Events that are playing out in the world and in America are changing quickly and this means that the stances and attitudes of America’s political parties could evolve.

As of this writing, it appears that a continuation of the Trump administration is preferable for Greece and Cyprus than the advent of a Biden administration. Again, things could change depending on how the Trump administration reacts to Turkish aggression against Greece and Cyprus. It is certainly true that the Trump administration capitulated to Turkey when it abandoned the Syrian Kurds and permitted Turkey to invade parts of Syria.

However, previous to this the Trump administration had taken a touch stance on Turkey on two occasions. The Trump administration refused to extradite Turkish exile Fetullah Gulen to Ankara despite the Erdogan government’s insistence. During the fight against ISIS, the Trump administration continued to arm the Syrian Kurds despite Turkish demands.

The Trump administration has a mixed record regarding Turkey. Still, the Trump administration has made changes to the traditional foreign policy conducted by both parties. The possibility of coming out strong against Turkey still exists, especially since the Turkish President is becoming increasingly irrational.

A case against the Democrats remains. The performance of the Democrats during the Imia affair are a perfect example. The Clinton administration recognized Skopje at the time as “Macedonia” despite Clinton’s promises in 1992 not to recognize Skopje. The Turkish murders of Cypriots Tasos Isaak and Solomos Solomou went completely unpunished by the Clinton administration.

The Obama administration in which Joe Biden served as Vice President involved itself in Syria. The failed policies in Syria resulted in refugees flooding the Greek islands at the apogee of the economic crisis. The Democrats have never been friendly to Greek interests.

Ultimately, it may not make a difference which party is in power in Washington. If the foreign policy apparatus decides Turkey is a threat, this could be enough to influence either Trump or Biden. The behavior of President Erdogan may also turn off whoever the President turns out to be.

One thing is certain. Turkey is an international menace. However, for the time being Trump appears to be the preferential candidate on Greek and Cypriot security issues.

The NATO alliance is now seeking to “mediate” the crisis caused by Turkish aggression against Greece in the Mediterranean sea. Athens should look upon NATO plans with great skepticism and suspicion. In contrast to the European Union, and in contrast to the support for Greece from individual countries such as France and Italy, NATO has expressed no hitherto support for Greece.

The Mitsotakis government has handled this crisis well. After Turkey signed an agreement with Libya in effect partitioning the Mediterranean between them, Athens signed the EEZ agreement with Egypt. In addition to France and Italy, it appears the United Arab Emirates and even Saudi Arabia are adopting stances favorable to the Greek position.

Athens knows full well that the Erdogan government has put forward a claim on the Greek islands and has openly demanded a revision of the Treaty of Lausanne. Turkish claims to the continental shelf located under these islands and drilling for oil near them is an act of blatant aggression. NATO’s refusal to intervene until now is proof that NATO cannot be trusted.

It should not be forgotten that on January 31, 1996 Turkey claimed the Greek islet of Imia. Through the mediation of Undersecretary of State Richard Holbrooke the Greek flag was removed from the islet although the Treaty of Paris of 1947 clearly showed that Imia belonged to Greece. A New York Times editorial last weekend lamented the failure of the United States to “resolve” the present “crisis” in accordance with past “mediation” efforts such as that of January 31, 1996.

Athens would be making a great mistake if it agreed to anything that would concede to Turkey any of its rights. In all likelihood, the General Secretary of NATO will probably attempt to impose on Greece another “Imia” type solution. Greece should be ready for this and should reject any agreement that would compromise Greece’s rights.

The German newspaper, “Die Welt” reported that Turkish President Erdogan ordered the military to either sink a Greek ship or to shoot down a Greek helicopter without causing the loss of life! The Turkish Generals reportedly refused to follow the President’s orders. If this happens to be true it indicates that many in Turkey are skeptical of the Erdogan governments pro war policies and that divisions may exist in the formulation of policy.

Unlike in the past when Turkish aggression was manifest against Greece, Turkey has many more problems to cope with. In the past, Turkey’s problems were limited to the Kurdish question. Today, Turkey has many more problems that have to with the Kurds of Syria as well as their own Kurds. In addition, they have tensions with Syria as a result of the victory of the Syrian government in that countries civil war.

Turkey’s allies in the effort to overthrow the Asaad regime included Saudi Arabia. Now it appears that tensions exist between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Turkey’s effort to emerge as the leader of the Sunni Muslim world has failed spectacularly.

The Greek City Times has reported that Russia has protested Greek media coverage asserting that Moscow supports Turkey in the present crisis, an accusation Moscow rejects. While the Russian ties with Turkey at this point should be of serious concern, it is a dangerous mistake for Greece to join the western demonization of Russia. It should be remembered that alliances throughout the crisis in Syria and the Middle East have shifted.

The Turkish government ordered the downing of a Russian plane in 2015 which nearly provoked a war with Russia and Turkey. Greeks need to remember that Athens rejected overtures from the Russians during this time and obeyed the dictates of the west. A Greek alliance with America and Europe against Turkey is welcome, Athens has to be careful to avoid participating in any actions against Russia and Iran which American officials seem to be attempting to drag Greece into.

American Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt has praised Greece for keeping Russian influence out. The Greeks need to be concerned only about the Russian support for Turkey, and not the non existent efforts of Russian to establish influence in Greece. It should be remembered that Patriarch Bartholomew with the full backing of Washington along with some compromised Bishops from the Church of Greece have supported the persecution of Moscow’s Orthodox Church in Ukraine at the request of the State Department.

In 2021, Greece will commemorate two anniversaries. Greeks will celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the Greek War of Independence. Less likely to be highlighted next August will be the nine hundred and fifty year anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert where the Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantine armies and seized a huge portion of Anatolia. The Greek world has been at the mercy of the Turk ever since.

Greek national ambitions should be aimed at eradicating the Turkish threat. The Mitsotakis government has presently put Turkey at the forefront of its foreign policy. For this, the Prime Minister and his foreign policy and defense advisors deserve praise. It has been decades since Greece had a government that was based on Greek nationalism rather than the internationalist agenda that was at the forefront of the agenda of the leftist Socialist Party.

Greece’s foreign policy must remained focused on Turkey. Its foreign relations with America, Europe, Russia, Israel, and the Arab world should depend on the status of their relationship with Turkey. Greece should strengthen its ties with those countries that are hostile to Turkey. Considering Russia’s ties with Turkey, it is reasonable for Athens to cool its relationship with Moscow.

But that relationship should be cooled on the basis only of Russian support for Turkey, and not because America and Europe do not like Russia. Greece needs to be careful and to select its fights very carefully and selectively. It should commit itself only to an alliance that is anti Turkish.

It is entirely possible that the Turkish government could succeed in following the example of the Young Turks during the First World War and succeed in alienating both the West and Russia. This would be the ideal. Turkey today is evolving into a Jihadist state that threatens everybody.

Before the Greek media joins in the demonization of Russia it should take into consideration the downing of the Russian plane in 2015, and the assassination of the Russian Ambassador by a Turkish Jihadist. In the past decade, Erdogan’s Turkey has nearly started a war with Israel (the flotilla incident), Russia, and the United States (in Syria). While it is disappointing that none of these three countries maintained a principled stance against Turkish aggression, precedents have been set for a future Turkish provocation against one or all of the above.

The present Turkish President has demonstrated an inability to engage rationally with other countries. Sooner or later, he is going to provoke a conflict with one of the above governments that will lead to serious repercussions for Ankara. In the meantime, Greece should maintain its principled policies and reject any attempt by NATO to force Athens to surrender its rights.

The Erdogan leadership survived coup attempts in 2004 and 2016. In all likelihood it can only be removed by power from without. As unlikely as it seems now, should Ankara continue to provoke and to meddle, the prospect of a foreign intervention in Turkey cannot be ruled out over the long term.