Thursday, October 23, 2014

U.S. - Turkey Relations Are Showing Strains On How To Fight Against The Islamic State

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the Turkish Parliament during a debate marking the reconvene of the parliament in Ankara October 1, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Umit Bektas

Turkey's U.S. Relations Show Strain As Washington's Patience Wears Thin -- Washington Post

(Reuters) - The U.S. decision to air-drop weapons to Kurdish forces in Syria on the same day Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan dismissed them as terrorists is the latest false note in the increasingly discordant mood music coming out of Washington and Ankara.

No matter how much officials on both sides publicly insist there is harmony, differences in strategy over the fight against Islamic State and the fate of the beleaguered Syrian border town of Kobani are straining relations between the Washington and its key regional ally, leaving Turkey increasingly isolated.

Read more ....

My Comment: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan regards the Kurds as a far greater threat to Turkey than the Islamic State .... while the U.S. has an opposite view. But what is surprising about this "strained relationship" is the decision that has been made (from the U.S. and its allies) to simply ignore Turkey. This is new .... and I am sure that it is not going over well in Ankara.

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