Europe Empty-Handed against Developments in Syria

2019/10/27 | interview, political, top news

Strategic Council Online: Developments in Syria and measures taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to fill US military withdrawal from Syria over the past few weeks have further exposed the weakness and desperation of the European governments in pursuit of their political and security goals in the Middle East. Morteza Makki - European Affairs Expert

Following the launch of Turkish military operations in northern Syria against the Kurds, many countries in the East and West have taken action with the aim of reducing tensions in the region and by holding consultations with the Turkish President.

But perhaps in the meantime, Iran and Russia have been more instrumental in the developments in Syria. On Tuesday (October 22) during a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Erdogan in Sochi, Russia the two sides reached some agreements on Syria. In this regard, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said in a statement: “At this stage there is no need for any new operations except for the Peace Spring.” This is while the French and German leaders had earlier announced they were also ready to consult with Erdogan. There are a few points on Europe’s goals and concerns regarding insecurity in Syria, as well as their power to play a role.

First, the developments in Syria and measures taken by Turkish President Erdogan to fill US military withdrawal from Syria over the past few weeks have further exposed the weakness and desperation of the European governments in pursuit of their political and security goals in the Middle East.

France, in particular, claiming regional influence in the Middle East because of its colonial record, has shown in practice that in the face of regional developments it can by no means be an active player in managing regional crises, especially in the Middle East. Therefore, the encounter of the European governments on Erdogan’s actions made their weakness clear. On the other hand, it should be kept in mind that Turkey is NATO’s second military power and enjoys a strategic position.

Europe is well aware that if it wants to engage in serious political tension with Turkey, it can have security and political consequences for them in various areas. Among the most notable were the wave of asylum seekers fleeing to Europe in 2016 and threats by Takfiri terrorist groups, especially the ISIS, against European countries. So if Turkey wants to threaten European governments in these areas, they have virtually no means to counter these threats.

The wave of asylum seekers to Europe showed well that Europe is highly dependent on Ankara for security. For this reason, we have witnessed the European governments’ conservative approach to Erdogan’s decision to invade Syria, and they have sought to reduce the intensity of tensions in Turkish attacks on northern Syria by consultations and negotiations while avoiding escalating tensions in their relations with Turkey. In contrast to the behavior of European countries, we are seeing a more active Russian role in Syria. Although this is not very much liked by the European governments, Russia’s activity in Syria is quite evident, and the role of European governments in this regard is becoming less and less important every day.

Concerning European instruments against Turkey, in recent years they have always sought to use Turkey’s EU membership tool or to suspend Turkey’s accession negotiations with Erdogan. But this tool has lost its intended function in Europe today. Turkey is faced with the fact that Western governments are seeking to use Ankara’s socio-economic-security capacity and its geographical location to advance their foreign and security policy goals rather than seeking EU accession by Turkey. Erdogan’s government has shown that Turkey has a high capacity strategically and economically, which makes it impossible for European governments to ignore this situation. Recent developments in Syria have also shown that European governments have virtually no means of pressure on the Turkish government. We see, therefore, that they also failed to play a role in the regional developments, and it was Russia and Iran that were able to play a major role in shaping these developments.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

LATEST CONTENT

Zionist Regime’s Post-War Map for Gaza

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Middle East issues said: After nearly 150 days have passed since the attacks of Israeli planes on Gaza and the unprecedented genocide in this city, regional and international efforts to end the Gaza crisis have intensified.

Reasons for Inaction & Inefficiency of Intl Organizations in Providing Aid to Gaza

Strategic Council Online: An expert on regional issues said: With the start of the Gaza war, many major powers and international organizations not only did not take honest action to support the defenseless Palestinian people, but instead, with their support for the actions of the Zionist regime, they caused their crimes to increase over the past five months.

France and the Two-State Solution in Occupied Territories

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on regional issues said: The announcement of France’s agreement with the formation of two states in the Occupied Territories is a measure to raise the international image of France and reduce domestic pressure on the Macron government for inaction against the Israeli crimes in Gaza.

The Prospect of US Military Withdrawal from Iraq

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Although most currents, politicians and even ordinary people in Iraq call for withdrawal of American military forces from their country, there are sometimes differences of opinion regarding the time of this withdrawal. On the one hand, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, the Prime Minister of Iraq, is very serious in demanding the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Still, he wants to achieve this goal through “negotiation and political deal”. On the other hand, the Iraqi Resistance groups want the Americans to leave this country as soon as possible. The American side is also talking about a military withdrawal from Iraq in the next three years.

Russia’s Multifaceted Relations with Neighbors

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert said: After Russia attacked Ukraine two years ago, the country’s relations with some of its European neighbors were severely disturbed in such a way that a clear future cannot be imagined for it.

Solution to Get Out of FATF Blacklist and Get Rid of Its Heavy Costs?

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The Financial Action Task Force, FATF, announced on Friday, February 23, that the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran remains on the “blacklist” of this international organization. A decision that was not unexpected for the authorities of our country. According to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, one day before the release of the FATF statement, due to the current sanctions, Iran is looking for its own FATF, as it uses other tools instead of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications). On this basis, it seems that while the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon were removed from the “Grey List” of FATF in the previous reviews in June 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not trying to be exempted from the blacklist. But what kind of organization is FATF, and why are some in Iran against joining it? And what is the way out of this situation?

Loading

Últimas publicaciones

Zionist Regime’s Post-War Map for Gaza

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Middle East issues said: After nearly 150 days have passed since the attacks of Israeli planes on Gaza and the unprecedented genocide in this city, regional and international efforts to end the Gaza crisis have intensified.

Reasons for Inaction & Inefficiency of Intl Organizations in Providing Aid to Gaza

Strategic Council Online: An expert on regional issues said: With the start of the Gaza war, many major powers and international organizations not only did not take honest action to support the defenseless Palestinian people, but instead, with their support for the actions of the Zionist regime, they caused their crimes to increase over the past five months.

France and the Two-State Solution in Occupied Territories

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on regional issues said: The announcement of France’s agreement with the formation of two states in the Occupied Territories is a measure to raise the international image of France and reduce domestic pressure on the Macron government for inaction against the Israeli crimes in Gaza.

The Prospect of US Military Withdrawal from Iraq

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Although most currents, politicians and even ordinary people in Iraq call for withdrawal of American military forces from their country, there are sometimes differences of opinion regarding the time of this withdrawal. On the one hand, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, the Prime Minister of Iraq, is very serious in demanding the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Still, he wants to achieve this goal through “negotiation and political deal”. On the other hand, the Iraqi Resistance groups want the Americans to leave this country as soon as possible. The American side is also talking about a military withdrawal from Iraq in the next three years.

Russia’s Multifaceted Relations with Neighbors

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert said: After Russia attacked Ukraine two years ago, the country’s relations with some of its European neighbors were severely disturbed in such a way that a clear future cannot be imagined for it.

Solution to Get Out of FATF Blacklist and Get Rid of Its Heavy Costs?

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The Financial Action Task Force, FATF, announced on Friday, February 23, that the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran remains on the “blacklist” of this international organization. A decision that was not unexpected for the authorities of our country. According to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, one day before the release of the FATF statement, due to the current sanctions, Iran is looking for its own FATF, as it uses other tools instead of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications). On this basis, it seems that while the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon were removed from the “Grey List” of FATF in the previous reviews in June 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not trying to be exempted from the blacklist. But what kind of organization is FATF, and why are some in Iran against joining it? And what is the way out of this situation?

Loading