With allies like these…
- By Sumantra Maitra
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 26, 2015
Similarly, there are signs Turkey wants to keep things quiet. NATO bureaucrats reprimanded Turkey in a meeting in Brussels, telling it to go easy on the trigger finger, and ensure a better warning system, including escorting the enemy plane out of Turkish airspace. The Turkish President has also said all parties should try to deescalate the crisis immediately.
So, a third world war didn't start yesterday. Had it been even a hundred years back, the incident could have produced enough "casus belli" for two powers to have gone to war, but the world is different now. The restrained reaction proves how much we have advanced as a species, and how much great power wars are a thing of the past.
So, why did it happen then? First of all, Turkey was itching for a show of force. A Turkish F4 was downed during the early days of the Syrian civil war, and that debt was not repaid. Turkey was not happy with Russia bombing in support of an arch enemy, the Assad regime, and NATO was also disturbed by Putin's adventurism in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria.
It was an opportunity for NATO, through Turkey, to show that there is a brick wall in front, and if one plays with fire, there is a chance of getting burned. NATO hopes this might deter Russia in other volatile parts such as the Caspian Sea, Eastern Europe or Yemen.
But most importantly, the reason is Turkey itself. Even though a NATO ally, it is perceived inside NATO as a country playing a double game. Turkey is not bombing ISIS, instead it is bombing the Kurds, which is one of the most effective fighting force in the region battling the Islamic State.
That itself is a cause of concern among NATO countries, although they can't openly talk about it. Post-Paris attack, there was a serious rapprochement idea in NATO to ally with Russia against ISIS, which would have made Turkish position untenable as the latter supports some of the forces fighting Assad.
This could be categorized as a subtle sabotage of the coalition effort by France with Russia and NATO against ISIS. Thankfully it didn't escalate, but with trigger happy allies like these, the U.S. and NATO must be careful. Next time we might all not be so fortunate.
The writer is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SumantraMaitra.htm
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