Turkey´s P.M. R. Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Egypt, Libya, and Tunesia after fallout with Israel. During his visit to Egypt Erdogan may make a surprise visit to Gaza, a move that has explosive potential. by Dr. Christof Lehmann
Not long after the announcement that Turkey is severing all diplomatic, economic and military ties to Israel, he is visiting the three Arab countries. Though not officially announced, it is expected that he may make a visit to Gaza during his visit to Egypt. Turkey is currently walking on a diplomatic knife edge. While Turkey is taking part in the NATO insurgency against it´s neighbour Syria, which is the only Arab country that consistently has supported Palestines demands for Israel to end it´s illegal occupation, Turkey is taking an aggressive stance towards Israel.
Though Egypt is outraged after Israels shooting of Egyptian soldiers at their border, Egypts Military Government is attempting to mend diplomatic relations with Israel, after angry crowds made it necessary to evacuate Israels Ambassador Levanon from the besieged embassy. Though an attempt by Erdogan to cross into Gaza will invoke much popular sympathies among the normal citizen of Egypt, it would put Cairos Military Government into yet another dilemma.
One must ask what the actual function of Erdogans visits is. Is Erdogan rallying support from the Arab countries populus by venting his outrage and defiance against the Middle Eastern Bully Israel. Or is the actual function of his stance and visits to divide and conquer on behalf of NATO. It would certainly not be the first time, Turkey would play this “unifying role” while splitting the Arab World. The last time Turkey posed as regional unifier while actually having the function to “divide and conquer” on behalf of the USA, was in 1968, when it established the Turkey Pakistan Axis, later known as the Bagdad Axis. The Bagdad Axis was designed by the US and NATO to cut Nasser to size. The product of that policy was a major contribution to the onset of the decades long civil war of Lebanon. Is Erdogan positioning himself as a new Nasser, while selling the Arab Nations to NATO, or is Turkey suffering from it´s century old multiple personality disorder, not knowing weather to stand on it´s Arab or it´s European leg.
Dr. Christof Lehmann
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