Turkey has recently hosted and led several military exercises with the word Anatolian (Anadolu) as part of their code names, but two in particular, occurring simultaneously, warrant close examination.
They are Anatolian 21 and Anatolian Eagle 2021: the first a special operations exercise and the second an air combat one.
Anatolian 21 is led by Turkish special forces, and what is most significant about it is the list of participants. Nations fully participating are Albania, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan and as observers Kosovo and Mongolia.
If one desired to see a concise exemplification of the Turkish government’s geopolitical ambitions, especially as a reflection of Ankara’s three-pronged strategy of neo-Ottomanism, pan-Turkism and pan-Islamism, the above roster couldn’t be more illustrative.
The nine countries define a geographical arc stretching over 4,000 miles, from the Adriatic Sea to the Chinese border (at two points).
All the nine are NATO members and partners if Kosovo, the world’s first NATO state as Serbia’s prime minister deemed it in 2008, is included. Four are Turkic states. Albania and Kosovo were former Ottoman territories. Turkey has announced that the first-ever sale of its Vuran (Striker) armored combat vehicle is to Kosovo. All except Mongolia are majority Muslim. Turkey has recently been identified by a Mongolian official as its strategic partner under the framework of NATO. Turkey is NATO’s second-largest member state; Pakistan is its largest partner and the only one with nuclear weapons.
In January NATO transferred command of its Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, part of the NATO Response Force, to Turkey. Albania is one of the alliance members currently assigned to it.
The Turkish defense minister, Hulusi Akar, has paid recent visits to Libya, Iraq (where his unauthorized tour of a military base in the north created a furor), Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Ankara has now assumed the mantle of NATO’s second regional and aspiring global power, leaving Britain, France and Germany behind it.
Four of the nations participating in Anatolian 21 are also taking part in Anatolian Eagle 2021: Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar and Azerbaijan. Turkey recently reached an agreement with Qatar to host 36 of its warplanes and 250 of its military personnel for joint training exercises.
The Turkish Defense Ministry announced that “Brotherly nation Azerbaijan participated in the Anatolian Eagle Training for the first time.”
Pakistan has now started gearing up to take on the Rafale aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter jets are fighting a ‘war’ with Rafale fighter jets in Turkey these days. Not only this, the Pakistan Air Force is also practicing war with MiG-29 fighter aircraft, which are the life of the Indian Air Force.
Brotherly Turkey and Azerbaijan, “one nation, two states,” signed a comprehensive pact known as the Shusha Declaration on June 15 which solidifies military integration of the two – now essentially one – powers/power. The declaration was issued the day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the NATO summit in Brussels where he was embraced by the other heads of state of the 30-nation military bloc. The air forces of Turkey and Azerbaijan jointly attacked Nagorno-Karabakh last year.
That is exactly the Central Asia line of -stans that Britain dreamed in the 19th Century would keep Russia away from British India.
Same limitation of same Russia, but now with British India out of the picture the motive is just pure anti-Russia. Russophobic has always sold well in press and politics, but it has never actually been proven as Realpolitik need. Russia can no more control Central Asia than does anyone else, so it is a map-driven fantasy of political writers.
Interesting that Turkey would lead a Brzezinsky NATO alliance against Russia which has been its ally in the Mideast. What are the purposes and effects in the Mideast? Turkey hosted US ICBMs against the USSR in the 1960s leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis: what does it think this much greater aggression will lead to?
Erdogan’s motives are unlikely to be simply service of NATO against Russia. That interpretation is NATO self centered navel-gazing, not reality.
Today’s Turkey came from those Turkic Muslim peoples moving West to take over Greek Orthodox Byzantium. It seems likely that Erdogan looks at where his people came from, and sees a larger cultural zone he can dominate as he does Turkey.
It is political ambition. It is also unrealistic, since Central Asia has seen centuries of exactly such ambitions, none of which ever worked out since the Ottoman’s left there.
Russia has to read this as portending another Crimean war.
I can see that Armenia’s future looks pretty grim; but, Greece is a NATO member, no? in addition to the our cultural mother; and, India has a billion people and nukes.??
The world is racing towards war.
A word of caution. Take all with a giant pinch of salt.
This is a page from Bolton’s & PNAC book on Turkey Democracy Project. Project aims at regime change in Turkey – sin and simple. And to aid in the process of demonizing Turkey — many volunteers and unwitting helpers are needed to interpret Turkey as the BIGGEST threat, targeting the audience of former Ottoman era conquered nations,
Each and every one of these events are by far more likely signifying the subtleness of Russia-China Eurasian strategy. Let us look at lynchpins. Pakistan, Iran, Turkey cannot survive without China and Russia, Economically, financially or militarily — they are more attached to the Asian block then Europe or NATO. The multilayered approach to Central Asia is a key. All of them are heavily tied to Russia militarily, to China financially and both in advancing infrastructure and trade. Let’s look at outlays— Qatar and Iraq. Does one really want to believe that Iran- linked Qatar, rescuing Turkey’s finances, is helping NATO? Or Iraq — really mad at Turkey for insuring US supported PKK infiltration and political organizing is crushed? Even Iraqi Kurds support Turkey!
Be that Libya or Azerbaijan, solutions are forthcoming from countries enjoying Russian and Chinese support. Mongolia? Having only two neighbors — Russia and China — is joining Eurasian initiatives, not NATO initiatives. After Azerbaijan deal with Russia — the die is cast. Turkey is bringing the THIRD layer to Russian-Chinese Eurasian order. Cultural layer to bind the region and cement common continent.
Some sharp analysts in Asia Times saw it two years ago — how China and Russia through strengthening regional players like Turkey, Iran and Pakistan intend to prevent Western intrusion.
Now if Turkey is Israeli supporter, does not cooperate tightly with Russia in Syria and Libya, undermined Russia in Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict, refused to trade with Russia, imposed Russia sanctions like all NATO countries — then I would agree with the author.
But facts undermine this logic and all such heavy one sided articles do is create an alarmist view of Turkey. Have anti-interventionist crowd hate Turkey, while handsomely assisting Bolton-PNAC Turkey Democratization Project — i.e. full court press regime change initiatives,
I for one do not buy it. It is not that simple. When US removes sanctions from Turkey, I will rethink. Otherwise, all I see is replicating success in Azerbaijan to other regions. I am rather looking forward Turkey taking reigns from faltering US mission in Kosovo. There will be a solution forthcoming that would stabilize the province and in agreement with Russia and Serbia.
Does anyone think that Turkey was supported by US in Azerbaijan, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Qatar?
US displeasure and rage was palpable. Sanctions are here to stay — and not only because S-400. Turkey survived three rounds of attacks on its currency. We know who came to the rescue. Under US pressure Japanese companies stopped work on infrastructure in Turkey. China picked it up. Turkey gets grains from Russia, sells most fruit and vegetable to Russia, gets its energy from Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan, and has growth in import/export with China. Turkish construction companies do massive work in Russia and are tapped for Belt and Road projects.
I am yet to find out what advantages they have in business dealings with Western countries.
Check out Bolton’s new project. Turkey Democracy Initiative. As subtle as a nuclear bomb.