Since a failed military coup last month, US relations with Turkey have been worsening consistently, with the Erdogan government harshly criticizing the Obama Administration at every chance, variously accusing the US of not being supportive enough and at times accusing the US of being secretly behind the coup.
The State Department appears to be growing weary of this, and has warned the Turkish government to back off the various threats and accusations against the United States surrounding the coup, saying they find Turkey’s “inflammatory rhetoric” a serious problem.
Turkish officials don’t appear to be keen on backing away from the allegations, with pro-government newspapers accusing the US-based Woodrow Wilson Center of being in on the coup, and the Justice Ministry issuing a statement warning that the US is risking bilateral relations by not handing over exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Along with the Woodrow Wilson Center and US generals, Turkish officials have also accused Gulen of being behind the coup, and have demanded his immediate extradition. They’ve dispatched requests for extradition, but little to no evidence of Gulen’s involvement.
And that’s become a huge issue, as the US appears unwilling to extradite Gulen outside of the traditional extradition hearing avenue, and Turkish officials have acted baffled at this, insisting that their status as a US ally means the White House ought to take their word for it and hand over Gulen, and whoever else, no question asked.
With Erdogan meeting with Russia this marks a major set back for U.S. imperial aims in Syria.
I hope so but we’ll see.
I don’t think so. Erdogan went to St Petersburg looking to either restore economic relations with Russia or to frighten the Europeans into making even more economic concessions to Turkey or both. But other than admitting to the Russians that the Russian warplane was in Syrian airspace and not Turkish airspace when it was showdown Erdogan offered Putin and Russia little else. John Helmer of “Dances with Bears” called Erdogan visit a “charade”, and I agree.
http://johnhelmer.net/?p=16253
When Afghanistan asked the US for proof of Bin Laden’s involvement in 9-11, we gave them none, and invaded instead. Now we want “proof” of Gulen’s involvement? Another case of hypocrisy and “do as we say, not as we do”.
This overlooks a connection. Turkey thinks Gulen is the CIA’s man. Erdogan does not think it was either the US or Gulen, he thinks they were in it together.
Furthermore, he thinks he has evidence, not just of Gulen’s role, but of the US role. Some of that came from Russia. Some came out of things that happened at the US air base at Incirlik.
Erdogan is not merely puzzled that the US won’t turn over Gulen, he takes that as further proof of US involvement with Gulen in the coup attempt.
That is the problem the US must work through. Perhaps not by turning over Gulen, but certainly by more than arrogant demands to knock it off and get in line.
Being democratically elected doesn’t stop the monsters in the U.S. from overthrowing you. Just ask Ukraine. The only difference is official Washington uses proxies like the think tanks and cia contractors for plausible deniability kind of like how the clintons use their Clinton foundation for foreign favors.
the US expects other countries to transfer people without trial. They should be doing the same here.