ed note–yes, Erdogan is a dog. His direct role in the misery and suffering of Syria is beyond the definition of a war crime.
Nevertheless, this is how politics oftentimes works. The Europeans/Americans/Israel dangle the prospect of Turkey joining the EU as contingent upon Erdogan allowing his country/resources to be used in destroying Syria, something for which he may not actually be ideologically inclined to do, and yet he does it.
The Turks would be wise to consider the entreaties from the East–notably Iran and Russia–as a better option than crawling into bed with the devil where you will be forced to do God knows what.
For Erdogan, Is the money from the rat lines more compelling than the entreaties from the East? And I don’t mean only the military hardware rate lines, but the poppy rate lines as well. Or is Fethullah Gulen, sitting pretty in Pennsylvania, the one mostly profiting from the rate lines? Or is the Gulen coup all a theatrical sham to root out those not loyal to Erdogan and Gulen and Erdogan are still working hand in glove?
And why would the EU want Erdogan’s Turkey in the EU, unless its ultimate goal is to allow the rat lines into Europe as well.
https://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n08/seymour-m-hersh/the-red-line-and-the-rat-line
Time and time again, Erdogan has proven one thing: he’s a liar. Now that he’s making himself into a literal sultan, acquiring, basically, the parliamentary power, I’m sure he’s just happy where he is. What I find alarming: this might make it easier for him to go to war, at Jewmerica’s command, without any real mandate from the people needed. He plays the US and Russia off of each other quite well, also. But he’ll get his. HIs own narcissism will do him in: he’ll bite off way more than he can chew, and when no one will come to his aid, his own people will eat him alive.