The Sultan Versus Napoleon
I think Obama's wise to stay aloof from this one, actually.
Turkey has launched a bitter attack on French president Nicolas Sarkozy's and France's leadership of the military campaign against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, accusing the French of lacking a conscience in their conduct in the Libyan operations. ...
The clash between Turkey and France over Libya is underpinned by acute frictions between Erdoğan and Sarkozy, both impetuous and mercurial leaders who revel in the limelight, by fundamental disputes over Ankara's EU ambitions, and by economic interests in north Africa.
The Turks are incensed at repeated snubs by Sarkozy. The French failed to invite Turkey to last Saturday's summit in Paris which presaged the air strikes. French fighters taking off from Corsica struck the first blows. The Turkish government accused Sarkozy of launching not only the no-fly zone, but his presidential re-election campaign.
Mind you, Sarkozy's not the only one coming up for re-election.
This is going to be nasty, because according to a new poll, Sarkozy--astonishingly--is now trailing Marine Le Pen, who has taken over the National Front from her father, the Holocaust-denying Dominic Le Pen.
Erdoğan, meanwhile, needs to cultivate MHP voters: If he pushes their support below the 10 percent threshold, he'll keep them entirely out of parliament, but if he doesn't--and if the CHP picks up enough support (this is possible)--an MHP-CHP coalition could put a real crimp in Erdoğan's style.
A little background on the MHP.
See where this is going?
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Oct '10
Re: The Sultan Versus Napoleon
Wasn't Dominic Strauss-Kahn, the IMF director, going to run against Sarkozy in a primary challenge? He's kindof cool, very much center-right, and gives lectures on the importance of a fair and inclusive labor market (i.e. get rid of the overprotection for workers that is restricting the supply of new jobs and has created an unfair "dual society").
Mar '11
Re: The Sultan Versus Napoleon
Could also the fact that Mr. Erdogan was the 2010 recipient of the "Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights" (no there's an oxymoron!) have something to do with this? I'm just saying...
Re: The Sultan Versus Napoleon
Much more relevant is $15 billion in Turkish business interests--and $2.4 billion in trade last year. And a lot of Turkish citizens there, too. It was absolutely the government's first priority to get them out safely (as it would be any government's).
Mar '11
Re: The Sultan Versus Napoleon
I can appreciate the desire to get Turkish citizens out, but I believe that this has already taken place for the most part, during the first couple of week or so of the conflict. As for trade, there's no reason to assume that any successor regime to Gaddafi's would sever commercial relations with Turkey, after all Turkey was no worse in its support for Gaddafi than any of the countries, including France, now fighting the regime. I think that in addition to such consideration there is also some ideological connection or geopolitical consideration thereand possibly Libyan money as well, which has been distributed far and wide. Witness the reaction of OAU, a known beneficiary of Gaddafi's largesse, which has remained silent on other African conflicts, including the most recent Ivory Coast humanitarian catastrophe about which you wrote.
Dec '10
Re: The Sultan Versus Napoleon
The French are snubbing Turkey and Turkey is accusing the French of economic imperialism.
Germany parts ways with France after an awkward ten to fifteen year courtship that most thought could never work. They just weren't meant for each other.
Britain, Italy, and Norway bristle at the thought of putting France in charge of the kinetic military action in Libya.
Russia's Putin is spitting on all of the Europeans involved in this new African adventure.
It's almost just like the good old days.
Edited on Mar 25, 2011 at 11:46amMay '10
Re: The Sultan Versus Napoleon
We never did get around to starting that Diplomacy game.
Lord Black had a good article on France's role and Sarkozy's electoral prospects. If one member can exercise a veto, why would we ever want to expand NATO? That don't make a lick of sense.