A Game of Who Is Going To Put the Bell on the Cat
By Michael Boyajian
The New York Times reports that Russia and Turkey met with Iran days before scheduled U.S. led sanction debates at the United Nations. A void has been created in world affairs by the shift in U.S. foreign policy away from militaristic action towards diplomatic solutions.
Unfortunately Russia and Turkey seem to be filling the void of belligerence based upon their recent actions in a high risk game of who will put the bell on the cat while seeming to spurn the U.S. in its diplomatic endeavors.
Evidence of Turkey’s belligerence can be seen in the provocative flotilla it’s sponsored to Gaza signaling that it wishes to flex its Islamic muscle. This clearly moves Turkey away from its goal of entering the European Union instead choosing an independent course engaged not in economic improvement but in Middle East power politics.
As for Russia, it seeks two goals one to regain standing against the U.S. and second to present a friendly face to the Muslim community of nations after its past Afghanistan and Chechen forays. Though this may work with popularity polls in the region it will not work politically among the leaders of the nations there who are as much threatened by Iran’s nuclear ambitions as Western nations.
Diplomatic efforts should make this folly clear to Russia while offering European Union overtures to both Russia and Turkey easing them back towards peace and prosperity and away from belligerence and Middle East intrigue which could have disastrous results for themselves, the region and the world.
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