On Today's Sick Man of Europe

H/T: Punch

Circumnavigating Trump's World View

During the Republican National Convention in Cleveland which nominated Donald Trump (R-NY) as the GOP Presidential standard bearer, the candidate granted a 45 minute interview to the New York Times on Defense and  Foreign Policy issues. 

His expressed policies point toward an America First priority, a slogan which has an unfortunate history of being associated the Charles Limbergh and 1940 American isolationism. But Trump thinks this is a brand new, modern term which connotes "We are going to take care of everyone in this country before we worry about everyone else in the world."

To his credit, Trump did not pussy foot around a self interested, national weltanschaaung in seeking to "Make America Great Again.".  Trump demurred from dictating how Turkey should resolve their internal politics, noting that "America has to fix its own mess" before trying to alter the behavior of other nations. In fact, Trump mused: "How are we going to lecture when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?” So moral equivalence, a politically correct thought, shuts down America speaking against evil in the world. 

Trump reiterated his threat to pull back American troops deployed to keep stability around the world. Trump chided “We are spending a fortune on military in order to lose $800 billion [in America's trade loss]. That doesn’t sound very smart to me.”  Trump thinks that if there is a threat to the United States, we can deploy troops from our shores. 

Trump echoed his ambition to pull out of NAFTA in a split second, unless Canada and Mexico can be bullied to renegotiate more favorable terms for the United States. And probably that Mexico will pay for a border wall. 


What was truly shocking was Trump's ambivalence to adhering to Article V of the NATO Treaty for joint defense. When pressed on whether the United States would come to the defense of the Baltic States if there was an invasion by the Russian Federation, Trump implied that there would be a cost benefit analysis which was premised on whether those nations are "fulfilling their obligations to us."  So signed and ratified treaties are only bargaining positions in Trump's World. Well, at least Trump seemed to know that Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are under the NATO security umbrella, unlike Ben Carson.

Former Reagan Foreign Policy and current American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar Gary Schmitt, the Trump America First policy is likened to a child who picks up his ball and goes home to lock himself up in a room. 

And that's a viewpoint from a CONSERVATIVE think tank. 

Is this the serious Trump which Trump Convention Manager Paul Manafort promised in the second phase of the campaign (Trump 2.0).  If so, Trump's views on foreign affairs and defense are seriously askew.

H/T: New York Times
        AEI

Turkish President Erdogan on the Streetcar of Democracy

There was a coup attempt by the Turkish military to overthrow long time Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.  As Ralph Peters surmised on Fox News, it seems that it was undertaken by lower ranks of the Turkish military as a last ditch attempt to save secular society from an Erdogan inspired Islamization by the few forces which have not been purged by the autocratic Erdogan.  

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama have come out in favor of supporting the duly elected government in Turkey.  Hence, their support of Erdogan was for the winner of a a one party election which is rapidly overhauling Attaturk's secular state with one that is more sharia compliant, for an official who has backed Obama bete noir Assad in Syria and who complicated military tactics in overthrowing Iraq's Saddam Hussein in 2003.  

As Erdogan's flippant appraisal of the Streetcar of Democracy shows:  Turkish Democracy is here today and Erdagon tomorrow.  Next stop, Berlin 1933!

Learning Lessons from the Centennary of the Armenian Genocide

A hundred years ago, a genocide began which eliminated 1.5 million Armenian Christians through forced migration, torture and massacre.  The world was fixated on the Great War in Europe and the many lives lost to were practically ignored Armenia was far away as well as the vigorous denials by the Turks,

One man at the time who did not turn a blind eye to the atrocity was Mehmet Celal Bey, a Turkish official who is known in some circles as the Ottoman Oskar Schindler.

The Armenian Supreme Patriarch Kerekin II canonized the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide as martyrs.  Even today, the topic of the Armenian Genocide inspires tumult and vigorous denials from Turks.  Pope Francis stated: The first genocide of the 20th century was that of the Armenians."   The Turkish Foreign Ministry immediately shot back that Pope Francis' remarks were one-sided. When that demarche proved insufficient, Ankara summoned the Vatican ambassador for an explanation and later recalled Turkey's Ambassador to Rome.   The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu noted: "Religious authorities are not the places to incite resentment and hatred with baseless allegations."  Turkey's position is that the 1.5 million victim figure is disputable and that any deaths were due to World War I.

Even after 100 years, denial is not just a river in Egypt.

The Centennary of the Armenian Genocide is instructive as the world currently is seeing a massacre of Christians by Muslim extremists, like ISIS, Boko Haraam and Al Shabaab, and much of the so called civilized world is non-plussed by the atrocity and believes that it does not affect them. Or our feckless leaders acknowledge the horrific event but never name the perpetrators (radical Islamism) or do not acknowledge the identity of the victims (Christians or Jews).

 

It's Raining--Obama Calls in the Marines

Today President Obama held a joint news conference with the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House.  It began to drizzle during this Rose Garden presser and POTUS did not hesitate to call in the Marines to hold up umbrellas.

Strangely, one of Mr. Obama's answers touched on the dangers on the outpost in Benghazi, Libya,  where the State Department repeatedly denied additional security and refused to send in the Marines (or special forces) when terrorists killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. 

But of course Mr. Obama alluded to others to blame for all mistakes.  President Obama urged called on Congress to fully fund Embassy Security.  But for the 9/11/2012 Benghazi attack, it was the White House's call to not send in forces to rescue Americans in distress.  It's better to have Marines look good holding an umbrella as well as the bag for foreign failures.

Post Scriptus--  It seems that ordering Marines to carry umbrellas while in uniform is a violation of  Marine Corps regulations.  But what do rules matter in the Obama Administration?

Flippant Food for Thought on Turkey Day

As most Americans are recovering from their tryptophan induced comas from enjoying the bounty of a Thanksgiving meal, it is worth considering that had Ben Franklin had his way, America’s national bird might have been a turkey.

In a letter to his daughter in 1782, Ben Franklin championed the virtues of the turkey over the bald eagle.  Franklin wrote:

For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America... He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.

Franklin’s spirited defense of the flightless fowl was depicted in the 1972 Peter Hunt directed film 1776.



In defense of the colonial sage, Franklin was probably referring to barnyard turkeys protecting their territory rather than the feckless wild turkeys who tended to run and hide from intruders.

So as we consider the manifold blessings bestowed upon America, we should thank God that we feast upon the turkey rather than festoon it as our national icon.