Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
As the New York Times reports, Turkey has imposed an arms embargo against Syria. The BBC announces that Turkey has seized a Syria-flagged ship laden with weapons.
(Question one: Syria-flagged? Anyone mind asking where the ship was coming from? Presumably, since Turkey is already committed to enforcing the UN embargo on Iranian arms shipments, it came from Russia--a point worth noting. Either that, or this is not an official change in Turkish policy. Either that, or Turkey hasn't thus far been enforcing the Iranian arms embargo. Either that, or the announcement of this right now is a PR move.)
But more importantly: The way the media is interpreting this is, "Erdoğan is taking a harder line toward Assad. He's sending him a message."
Well, he's sending him a message, alright. But it could be one of many messages. Among them, it could be, "Okay, maybe it's not a good idea to provoke you and your Russian patrons."
Turkey is a million kinds of subtle. I like that. I just wish this game weren't being played with real human lives, ballistic missiles, and nuclear weapons.
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Oct '10
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
"..Turkey is a million kinds of subtle..."
This mere mortal in the U.S. can't pretend to understand any more than Churchill did in 1939: "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest."
Thank you for casting light on a very murky subject for us.
Dec '10
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
I sometimes wonder why people like to put ballistic in front of missiles.
Apr '11
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
British Capt. Arthur Conolly, credited with originating the phrase:
"If the British Government would only play the grand game — help Russia cordially to all that she has a right to expect — shake hands with Persia — get her all possible amends from Oosbegs — force the Bokhara Amir to be just to us, the Afghans, and other Oosbeg states, and his own kingdom — but why go on; you know my, at any rate in one sense, enlarged views. Inshallah! "
He was later beheaded by Emir of Bukhara in 1842
"The "Great Game" was played between Tsarist Russia and Victorian England for supremacy in Central Asia. The Great Game was Russia's version of America's "Manifest Destiny" to dominate a continent, The story ends with the fall of Tsarist Russia in 1917, but the demise of the Soviet Empire (hastened by a decade of bloody fighting in Afghanistan) gives it new relevance, as world peace and stability are again threatened by tensions in this volatile region of great mineral wealth and strategic significance."
From a review of Peter Hopkirk's book "The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia"
Apr '11
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
If Turkey is logistically supporting armed rebellion (maybe with some support from other quarters?) inside Syria then Turkey sure is sending a message. This seems to be an escalation.
Nov '10
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
If Russia wants to ship arms to Syria, what's to stop her from shipping directly? And if so, what becomes of Turkey's arms embargo?
Dec '10
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
So how does Turkey believe it can lay claim to Cypriot and Israeli territorial waters?
Tensions in the eastern Mediterranean reached worrying heights last week before drilling started with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan threatening to deploy warships to prevent Israel and Cyprus from exploiting their natural resources.
As one EU diplomat told the Cyprus Mail, the chances of “hot things happening” when drilling started “looked seriously possible”. As it turned out, the Turkish leadership decided in favour of a combination of threatening their own drilling in the area with low-level air and sea presence near the Aphrodite field.
They kept up the pressure on Cyprus by signing a continental shelf agreement with the breakaway state, immediately denounced as illegal, null and void by Cyprus and Greece.
According to the Turkish paper, Turkey is claiming Blocks 2 and 3 in Cyprus’ EEZ for the breakaway state, sending three torpedo boats to patrol them. Blocks 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are also being dragged into the spotlight with Turkey claiming them for itself. [There are 13 blocks in the Cypriot EEZ: Aphrodite is in Block 12.]
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
If the shipment was seized in the Black Sea or Bosphorus, it could easily have been from Ukraine or Bulgaria, both of which have legacy Soviet defense industries with export capacity. If it’s small arms, could also be Romania. Or even the Transdniester gangster enclave. If it’s big stuff, most likely it’s Russia or Ukraine…
Mar '11
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
From Barry Rubin:
“I just want you to know
I can see through your masks….
You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy….
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher….”
–Bob Dylan, “Masters of War”
Mar '11
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
As opposed to line-of-sight missiles, such as most anti-tank missiles.
Dec '10
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
Heshmon
As opposed to line-of-sight missiles, such as most anti-tank missiles. · Sep 25 at 1:24am
So you do know what it means. I was wondering if the people who use it know it refers to projectile motion or if they just thought it sounded more ominous.
Mar '11
Re: Great Game Update: Wilderness of Mirrors
Foxman
Heshmon
As opposed to line-of-sight missiles, such as most anti-tank missiles. · Sep 25 at 1:24am
So you do know what it means. I was wondering if the people who use it know it refers to projectile motion or if they just thought it sounded more ominous. · Sep 25 at 6:28am
My morning workout DVD - P90X - always refers to "ballistic stretching". I like to think my morning workout is dangerous.