“This conflict could send ripples through the entire North Caucasus region and affect all major players, including Russia and Turkey.”
Turkey
After Diplomat’s Killing, Russia Doubles Down On Ties With Turkey
Putin needs Erdogan, and Erdogan needs Putin. What to do about Syria has become an opportunity for both leaders to act as power brokers in a global crisis.
“Hotspots”
The word choice was an unhappy mélange of the common meanings of hot spot, evoking a place that was dangerous, crowded, and high-tech all at the same time.
A Dirty – Not Particularly Funny – Poem Just Turned Into an ‘International Crisis’
Just when Angela Merkel thought she had checked “Turkey” off her to-do list, a filth-laden poem read by a late-night comic is presenting her with a new dilemma.
He Came, He Saw, He Withdrew From Syria
The main unspoken reason for the Kremlin’s Syria mission was to re-establish Russia as a global player on par with the United States.
Merkel’s Dilemma
The term Mexit is worming its way into Germany’s political vocabulary, because the idea of Merkel’s departure after a decade in power is no longer unthinkable.
Vladimir Putin Picks Turkey Over US as the Enemy in Annual Q&A
In a world of fake news and imitation politics, nobody knows what Russians really think of Putin — or how deep their loyalty lies.
Vladimir Putin Targets Turkey First, Terror Second in State-of-Russia Speech
Putin’s speech was an exercise in self-hypnosis by an autocracy incapable of rejuvenating itself.
Bordering on War
For Putin, the Russian jet is the third downed plane to warn of the unintended consequences of armed intervention in a little more than a year.