Russia Reignites The Proxy War: Putin Offers "Complete Support" To Iraq

ZeroHedge (good read, all the same) ^ | 6 20 2014 | tyler durden

[combat_boots]

Russia Reignites The Proxy War: Putin Offers "Complete Support" To Iraq Prime Minister Scorned By Obama

Two days ago, before it was formalized that the US tacitly, if not explicitly, now supports the removal of the Iraqi Prime Minister whom it itself had helped elect, we summarized the geopolitical tensions and "national interests" in Iraq, which is shaping up to be a proxy war that makes last year's Syrian escapade pale by comparison, as follows:

The situation in Iraq, already a jumble of domestic sectarian violence, is now pitting virtually all major (and regional) international players against each other as well. There is:

[berdie]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[wetphoenix]

Old rivalry aside, it is natural for Turkey to get close to Russia.
In 1990s Russia was the major market for Turkish manufacturing , right now Turkey is also a top destinations for Russian holiday makers, with millions of people visiting it every summer. Millions of Turks are working in Russia too, mostly in construction industry.
As far as Russians aren’t into crusades into Turkey and there are no Turkish slavers raiding Russian southern towns like it was it the time, all the problems between nations are simply artifical. A huge part of Turkish real estate and businesses are owned or controlled by muslim Russians, and Turkey is adequately advancing in Russia.
Not to mention it is wise to be friendly to Russia for Turkey. It is largely comparable to Ukraine in terms of size and firepower, so Putin can play a Kurd or Christian card the way it’s done in Ukraine they against Erdogan government easily.
Turkey is a divided country right now. A division is mostly between younger illiterate youth brainwashed by the Saudis, their ignorant village parents, and on the other side conservative secularists - the Ataturk followers who does their best to defy veils, sharia and all the crap.
Needless to say the west is not a model for the latter anymore, but Putin is rather appealing.

[Jeff Head]

Putin...rubbing Obama’s face in it.

[Netz]

...while Obama hims and haws, Putin and the Axis of Evil move their respective Chess pieces.
There are those world leaders that understand how things work and manipulate them to the advantage of their countries and then, there are those who, after 6 years STILL don't have clue. In the beginning of the Obamian Era, we thought this stuffed shirt of a President was just inexperienced and niave but now the entire world sees that the man and his administration are a pathetic joke. Around the world people are asking themselves, “What happened to the America we knew”?

[sheik yerbouty]

The silver lining..

[trebb]

If they want the Iraq mess they can have it.

If the recent hegemony moves by Putin are part of the reasoning, then they'll gladly suck up a little bit of dross along the way.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Excellent points.

[Count of Monte Fisto]

Probably going back (with mountains of US-made weapons) to consolidate, and (as they expressly state) kill the pocket of Kurds, and Christians in NE Syria.

The US, NATO, and Saudi Arabia have been arming and financing Christian killing Al Qaeda foreign mercenaries for three years in an attempt to overthrow the secular Syrian government. The result has been Al Qaeda getting their butts kicked by the Syrian Army.

Uncle Scam couldn't give major military hardware to Al Qaeda not matter how much John McCain and Limp wristed Lindsey wanted to. So Al Qaeda changed their name to ISIS and drove into Iraq to get the US tanks and US anti-aircraft missiles they needed, conveniently abandoned by the US trained Iraqi Army.

[wetphoenix]

Bottom line is on many levels Turkey for Russia is that Florida for America right now.
There basicaly three major obstacles for more integration.
First - history. For Russians traditionally Turks are slavers kidnapping women from their southern towns. For Turks Russians are Crusaders, eventually grabbing their land and killing muslims covering it as protection of Christians and other minorities. Needless to say all the facts behind it are left in 18-19th centuries and it is barely actual right now.
Second - Cold Warriors. Anti-Russian thinking was reinforced by NATO, with many anti-communist US-educated in the military but the remains of this faction, which by the way was extremely liberal, was all purged by islamist government in 2000s.
Third - islamism but Russians are very expierenced in negotiating this problem. Not to mention they have many allies in Turkey for that cause, starting from socialists and communists to Kurds and Christians and also secularist conservatives. In short - everyone with at least half a brain is heavily pro-Russian in Turkey right now which is a landslide actually.