From Marshall Auerback at The Asia Times:

Turkey represents over 10% of NATO personnel – more than the UK and France combined…

The bulk of Turkey’s maturing external debt is denominated in a foreign currency…

“With the Turkish lira trading at 6.26 to the dollar, the whole of the Istanbul 100 equity index is worth just US$35 billion. If Chinese investors were to buy every share of every company on the stock index, Turkey would raise enough foreign exchange to cover just seven months of its current account deficit…”

As far as the Russians are concerned, Turkey provides an opportunity for payback for 20 years of hostile American foreign-policy actions – the eastward expansion of NATO to Russia’s borders, the US support for the Maidan coup in Ukraine, the destruction of Libya, and the regime-change crusade against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. These happened under previous US administrations, those of Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama…

Turkey plays an equally important role for the US in terms of supporting Takfiri/Salafist destabilization of Syria and Iraq and blocking the “Shia corridor from Iran to Hezbollah,” as well as breaking Israel’s isolation in the Middle East (beyond the tacit alliance with Saudi Arabia) while helping ensure Iran’s isolation.

As #Trump leverages #Iran to promote #Nationalismin #Europe, so does he use #Turkey to strike at #Israel.

The Koch Bros., who are running FP, have deep ties to the Soviet Union.

The #KochBros would rather work in the MENA policed by #Russia.

This is #Petrowar between the #KochBros and the #UK #Rothschilds.

Trump, Pompeo and Rand Paul just keep Bolton and Pence around for shits and giggles.

The #Rockefellers sold their shares in #Exxon years ago. #Tillerson worked for the #Rothschilds.

Dumping #Turkey is a tacit admission that #NATO has failed in the #MENA.

Surrendering #Turkey and the #BlackSea necessarily puts an end to #NATO involvement in #Ukraine and #Crimea.

Given the participation of #Russia and #China, #Trump‘s sanctions on #Iran and tariffs on #Turkey are essentially meaningless, except for America’s hapless allies.

#Trump surrendered #Syria to #Russia, with the assurance that #Chechen #Muslim MPs would patrol the #GolanHeights.

Permanent #Russian bases in #Latakia and #Tartus effectively ended #NATO interference in the Eastern Med and surrendered protection of #Israel.