The idea was to unify the various Turkic peoples which extend
from Turkey proper all the way to the Uighurs who inhabit Xinjiang in China.
This is but one of many foreign policy moves intended to generate strife and
grief for China and Russia as well as create a political situation in Central
Asia and its surrounding districts that would grant the United States/NATO an
opening to establish relationships and project power.
There is a mad rush for resources. Keeping them out of the
hands of adversaries is just as important as having them available for
yourself. Right now the United States has no viable way to extract the
resources, the prize of Central Asia. But making exploitation difficult if not
unviable for the Chinese and Russians may be enough.
There are Turkic populations in Russia, namely the Tatars and
some of the leftover Central Asian populations that relocated into Russia
proper during the USSR period. The Tatars are being subjected to grief in
Crimea but at the same time the US media is failing to report the role of at
least some of the Tatars in waging war against Russia.
In Central Asia, the main groups are the Kazakhs, Uzbeks,
Kirghiz, Turkmen and of course the Uighurs. The Tajiks are an Iranic people
related to both the Persians proper as well as the Pashtuns. All of the
countries they inhabit were created by Stalin and specifically drawn in order
to divide the populations. Stalin's legacy looms over the region today as the
states are increasingly subject to ethnic strife and problems generated by
these artificial boundaries.
The Uighurs constitute the Turkish element in China and have
resisted Chinese incursion and rule in the region known as Xinjiang. The CIA
has been backing imams and is suspected of backing militants. This is nothing
new.
The US has backed Tibetan guerillas for many years and at
least in the past was actively training them in the United States. The US
officially dropped the guerilla training programme in1974 in light of the
rapprochement with Beijing. Yet, the US has by no means ceased all activities.
They have continued to back the Tibetan dissident movement and are believed to
have a hand in some of the uprisings at least into the 1980's.
The newly ascendant relationship with India (where the Dalai
Lama lives) will afford further opportunities to stir the pot. The Pivot to
Asia will most certainly include Tibet. There are continued rumours of weapons
caches and the India-China-Nepali border region is filled with intrigue. I can
only imagine this is on the rise.
The Dalai Lama himself is interesting. It's not entirely
clear what his legacy will be. He may in the end shift the nature of Tibetan Buddhism
and Nationalism in an attempt to bring peace. His life story is pretty
fascinating. From a Christian perspective he is course a representative of evil
but in countering the evil of Beijing he and modern Tibet make for a compelling
story.
With regard to the Uighurs there are some tensions and
overlaps that are both problematic and interesting. Some of the Uighurs groups
could be labeled as more 'Salafi' than Turkic in their consciousness and have
allied with ISIS and al Qaeda. This does not mean they would be exempt from
Western backing. Far from it.
On the other hand the notorious Grey Wolves, a neo-fascist
Turkic organisation with roots in Turkey itself are known to be involved in the
region and they are also known for having ties to American intelligence and the
Turkish Deep State.
In 2015 there was a rather stunning attack in Thailand that
was believed to have been perpetrated by the Grey Wolves. The attack was in
retaliation against the Thai government which had repatriated Uighurs to China
where they most certainly faced torture and imprisonment.
The Grey Wolves are also becoming quite aggressive toward
Chinese tourists in Turkey itself. Their record within in Turkey is a dark one,
a story of attacks on journalists, assassinations and collaborations with the
military and drug running. For those who familiar with these topics and CIA
operations in Latin America and Southeast Asia... it's pretty much in keeping
with the norm.
This is all part of the murky 'Great Game' afoot in Central
Asia. Pennsylvania based cleric Fethullah Gulen is also very active in Central
Asia, where he has established numerous schools and other institutions
including a bank. There was a scandal a few years ago where a bunch of English
teachers were expelled from his schools in Central Asia. They were suspected of
being American intelligence agents.
Gulen is believed to be backed by the United States and has
also been accused of attempting to overthrow the Erdogan government.
Now it grows even more confusing as the US-Erdogan
relationship continues to shift and reconstitute itself. One moment the NATO
allies are almost enemies and then recently it's almost as if they've become
friends again.
The Grey Wolves militias on the one hand would be expected to
be against the mild Islamism of Erdogan and be active proponents of the
Kemalist legacy, in line with the military. Yet, when it comes to the new
hostile situation with Russia, they have earned Erdogan's qualified praise and
it is believed they are making their way into Crimea and Ukraine. There's
little doubt Putin is worried they will continue to make inroads among the
Tatar communities in Russia itself. They are also believed to be active in
Syria in support of the Turkmen fighters. There are also suggestions they were
involved in the shooting down of the Russian jet back in 2015.
It's difficult to confirm the information. It's too soon.
And, if you've ever waded into Turkic politics you'll soon realise it's pretty
murky, especially when it comes to the Grey Wolves. In a world of shifting
alliances and shadowy organisations it's difficult to pin down who's a part of
what.
There are so many angles to the growing world conflict, there
are so many pieces on the board. Everyone is scheming against everyone. The old
'stability' (ironic as it sounds) that was present during the Cold War is long
gone. This new age is a free-for-all, privatised contractors, militias,
schools, banks, NGO workers, factions, schemers and back-stabbers. Everyone is
using everyone else and yet what is disturbing is that so many plots are being
hatched, cans of worms being opened, it's hard to imagine how these actions and
their consequences will be contained.