08 September 2016

US Nuclear Weapons, Turkey and Romania

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/us-moves-nuclear-weapons-from-turkey-to-romania/

The US record with regard to nuclear weapons and proliferation is riddled with lies. In another piece I wrote about an incident I witnessed and even participated in back in the 1990s. Official denials are meaningless.
The US may officially deny that they're moving weapons to the new missile 'Defense' base in Romania, but who can say?


I will say this. They might be moving all missiles from the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. The reason for this would be in order to keep them safe from the ISIS threat or perhaps the instability of the situation with Erdogan. The latter is more likely. It's unlikely ISIS would be able to get anywhere near either the Incirlik base, let alone the Weapons Storage Area (WSA).
Or, they might move some of them... providing an opportunity to station some in Romania and reduce the number in Turkey. The Turkish tensions in this scenario are providing a diplomatic cover for their removal and transfer to the new missile base in Romania.
Or, they might not be moving any, though at this point that seems unlikely due to the reporting.
Nevertheless these reports vindicate Russian fears about the real NATO objective in Central and Eastern Europe. That situation is pretty clear, but what about what this means for Turkey?
There are additional angles to consider:
Actually it would be in Turkey's interest to get the nuclear weapons out. Their presence on Turkish soil provides the US with narratives for intervention. The United States could increase the military footprint as an excuse to protect the precious missiles from ISIS. Or, they could intervene on the basis of Erdogan's threats and moves against NATO's interests. They could move in to 'secure' the weapons, or in order to 'secure' them, they might have to (conveniently) remove Erdogan.
Turkey at this point is essentially a satrapy in revolt. All tools are being considered from Kurdish allies and ISIS contacts to paramilitaries and Gülen affiliated Chechens, Tatars and Central Asians. Though Erdogan has deeply wounded and purged the Turkish military and intelligence sectors, US-NATO still has allies. There are indications that Berlin either had knowledge of or participated in the facilitation and cover-up of the coup. Remember Germany is the primary locale for expatriate Turks (which includes Kurds, Alevis and other Erdogan enemies). They more than any other European nation have a stake in Turkish politics and a means to re-insert assets.
Berlin's reaction to the coup was tepid to say the least. Like the US State Department, Berlin's reaction to the turmoil was delayed and fairly mild considering the fact that a NATO member with nuclear weapons on its soil was subject to an armed insurrection. The 2016 coup attempt smacked of older NATO machinations with regard to Ankara.
Berlin has been looking to 'step-up' its activities and influence and this joint project with Washington will continue to afford such opportunities.
Additionally we can speak of Israel. Tel Aviv recently patched up the relationship with Erdogan. Due to the Doctrine of the Periphery, it is in Israel's interest to be in a close alliance with Turkey and this has been the case for many years. Under Erdogan the relationship soured for awhile but has now seemingly been mended.
And yet it is clear that Israel is more than willing to work with the Kurds if not some of the Islamist groups operating within Syria... the same groups beginning to trickle into Turkey as refugees and fighters.
It wouldn't be the first time Washington has utilised Israel as a proxy. While Israel wants a good relationship with Ankara, a leader other than Erdogan would be preferred.
The one constant support for the US- Middle-Eastern re-draw of the map has been Israel.
Azerbaijan is another force the US can marshal to scheme against Ankara. Azerbaijan has been wooed into the US orbit and is heavily influenced by and dependent on Washington's support. However, Russia is doing all it can to reach out to both Ankara and Baku, its old confederate and ally.
This is part of the Great Game afoot in the Caucasus. Sadly the small countries like Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia are caught in the middle being used and manipulated by their larger neighbours.
Another means to strike at Turkey is through the Balkans. Since the 1990s the US has forged very strong ties with the Albanians and in particular the Kosovar Albanians. The US militarily and diplomatically backed their independence bid from Serbia. The US has utilised both paramilitaries and their underworld and though the story has largely disappeared from media focus, the players and schemes have in no way dissipated or retired.  There are at least a million Albanians in Turkey. You can be sure the American intelligence community is utilising some of them.
The US has also come to rely on the Bulgaria as a regional proxy and a means to check Russian influence in the region. Bulgaria, sitting at Turkey's doorstep is in a volatile situation with a great deal of internal dissent. Not all figures in the Bulgarian Establishment are happy with their abandonment of historical ally Russia.
Erdogan's frustration with the EU has led to him threatening to unleash the refugees and open the Turkish border. Bulgaria and Greece are on the front line of this threat.
Bulgarians are afraid of Erdogan's rhetoric regarding the refugees and what that influx would mean for them both culturally and economically. Sofia is trying to pacify Erdogan, but it's not a stretch to imagine they would also be willing to clandestinely move against him.
The Bulgarian frontier has become a place of danger and intrigue, of diplomatic wranglings, watchful fear and criminal activity... the latter often becoming almost indistinguishable from state-sponsored clandestine operations, smuggling and paramilitary activities.
The West is utilising Bulgaria as a staging ground for weapons smuggling. Ostensibly this to support the militias in Syria, which are mostly Kurds and/or al Qaeda linked affiliates. And yet who can say where these weapons will go and where the money will end up? The situation in Ukraine also comes to mind.
The very existence and hint of these operations and transactions provides plausible deniability. If the weapons are used in Turkey or are traced to NATO-affiliated traffickers or agents... they're utilisation can be denied. They were for Syria, but a truck was hijacked, or perhaps there was a defection. The possibilities are endless.
Western intelligence has a long history of cooperation with organised crime, or in many cases a process has taken place that can only be described as the blending of the two. It's an old story and has gone through several transformations. The relationships are established and then at some point, ties are cut, there are betrayals and backstabbings. Networks are swept away, evidence is burned, and dead men tell no tales. And then it starts again.
Erdogan has received criticism for going after prominent business figures within Turkey. And yet he knows what most of the Western public seems to not understand... many figures within finance, trade, industry and defense are figures connected to the Deep State. It's not only Gülen affiliates that he's after. The many sectors of society that have been infiltrated are dependent on outside money, laundering and smuggling. That's what he's trying to shut down.
Since the coup has failed and Erdogan has proven defiant it's likely the time has come for the jackals. The coup was meant to assassinate Erdogan or at the very least incarcerate him but they failed.
It will be very convenient for the West if an ISIS affiliate guns him down or blows him up. Since ISIS is in the shadows... especially outside the main battlefields... the true identity and nature of the assassin may prove difficult if not impossible to trace.
The other possibility is once again, an incident related to the Incirlik airbase and one connected to the nuclear weapons.
If Erdogan was smart, he'd demand their removal. Already he seems to be suggesting a new alliance with Russia, the sharing of intelligence and even allowing Moscow to station troops on Turkish soil...at Incirlik no less!
Turkey's membership in NATO hangs by a thread. This situation is perhaps the most dangerous of all flash points in the world right now. This could quickly escalate into something catastrophic. The effects of the Middle Eastern War have spread and now run the risk of a new phase and escalation.
It's very clear the Western press is grooming the public for a need to intervene in Turkey and expand operations in Syria. The terrorism card is being heavily played. Erdogan is being demonised by Western media and there's an uptick in calls for humanitarian interventions. This laughable ploy has been used since the end of the Cold War and is frankly obscene. It's a means of manipulation and nothing more. The US cares nothing about the suffering of innocents but is happy to exploit the media in this regard when it's convenient.
Since the end of the Cold War, the US more than any other nation is responsible for more civilian deaths and the suffering of children. The US is the quintessential terrorist-rogue state with the blood of millions on its hands.
It is unfathomable that Turkey will be allowed to simply leave NATO. Recently I heard Sibel Edmonds declare this story is bigger than Brexit, it has bigger implications for Europe than anything happening in Brussels. I think she's right.
The Iraq and Syrian Wars, the whole of US policy in the Middle East post 9/11 has destabilised the region of Afro-Eurasia, the entirety of the Old World. US imperialism and the attempt to consolidate power and control of resources have pushed the world order to the breaking point.
From Libya to Russia, from the Baltics to Yemen, from the Balkans to Southeast Asia, from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Korean peninsula, the whole landmass is in turmoil. Turkey could almost be described as the pivot point, an essential component related to the whole. Turkish moves away from NATO put the entire world at the edge of the precipice, teetering toward a larger conflict with staggering implications.
And then in the midst of this we have an American presidential election.
We live in interesting times to be sure. Cosmic forces are at work. Let us pray and trust and hope. God's will be done. We pray that good will come despite man's evil designs. We pray for the scattered remnant of believers in places like Turkey, Russia and across the Middle East.
 
 

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