EU and US powerless against Turkey but why is Erdogan really sending troops into Syria?
The EU, UK and US are debating economic sanctions and bans on arms sales to Turkey in an unprecedented move against a fellow NATO ally. But this is a mere powerless gesture.
In reality Turkey has an unlimited supply of support and arms from Russia, China and the Middle East, Balkans and Asia.
The US and EU accuse Turkey of attacking Kurdish fighters in an attempt to end Kurdish calls for independence from Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey.
The US and EU recognise the Kurdish fighters as a legitimate army and ally of the the US lead invasion of Syria.
Turkey and other Middle Eastern powers hold the Kurdish citizens as innocent citizens of their respective nations, Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, with autonomy and a recognised ethic minority people within each nation. In a similar way the Romani people are recognised in Balkan and EU nations. Only Kurdish areas are given limited political autonomy, which EU and Balkan States do not offer the Romani.
However Turkey and some Middle Eastern powers hold Kurdish independence fighters as terrorists, much as the EU recognises Basque and IRA independence fighters in Spain and Ireland as terrorists.
Erdogan insists that he is attempting to form a 20 mile deep 300 mile long safe zone along the Turkish border, with active Kurdish fighters on the Syrian side, to protect Turkey from invasion and to use this safe zone to rehouse the 4.5 plus million Syrian refugees currently living in Turkey. Turkey plans to relocate 1 million into the safe zone and repatriate the Syrian citizens back into a safe region of Syria.
The US and EU however use the Kurdish forces to run concentration camps. The camps in the proposed safe zone currently hold at least 180’000 prisoners which the US and EU deem supporters of terror. Turkey has promised to take over the detention of these prisoners and continue their detention and investigations on behalf of the EU and US, in a direct take over from the Kurdish fighters. However Kurdish fighters have threatened to release the prisoners if the US does not protect them and the territory they now claim as Kurdish.
Kurdish forces were hoping to claim land from the chaos in Syria and Iraq to form an independent Kurdish state.
With the EU contemplating suctions against Turkey, Turkey has one leverage key up its sleeve. Refugees. Turkey took in millions of refugees from the EU during the Syrian and Iraq wars. Erdogan has threatened to send all 4.5 million into the EU on coaches, trains, boats and planes should the EU move against him.
Greece already claims that Turkish forces are seeking refugees onto the Greek islands in military vessels. An accusation Erdogan fiercely denies.
Trump pulled out all US forces from the Turkish proposed safe zone the day before Turkey launched the campaign and the same week a new Trump Tower was built in the Turkish capital of Ankara.
Many see Trump as more than a silent observer and as an active participant in the move.
With heavy support form Iran and Russia, Trump’s compliance seemingly sought and the EU bent over a barrel over the refugee crisis it seems there is little the world could do if it wanted to.
The real tragedy is that innocent refugee families are being used as a currency and leverage bargaining chip once again by the world leaders.
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