From Generational Dynamics:
“Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has issued a stark warning to Syrian authorities to immediately halt military operations across the country or he said there will be nothing left to talk about the steps that would be taken in support of the Syrian people, according to Zaman:
The last sentence is important because it establishes a justification for Turkish military action.
Davutoglu was essentially repeating what he said a week ago in connection with his visit to Syria on Tuesday. However, he did not specify what action Turkey would take if the attacks continue, and he stopped short of calling for Assad to step down, which is a demand of Syria’s pro-democracy activists.
In the past few weeks, we’ve seen unconfirmed reports that (1) Turkey is talking about a military action to establish a buffer zone on Syrian soil, (2) Iran is threatening retaliation with missiles on Turkey, if such an action occurs, and (3) American assets in the Mediterranean and on bases in the region will be used to protect Turkey from the Iranian missiles. On Sunday, we quoted an unconfirmed report that this US-Turkish military operation would begin on August 27 if the slaughter hasn’t stopped. This is speculative, of course, but what isn’t speculative is that not only is the slaughter of civilians not ending, but in fact Assad seems to be getting more violent and bloody every day, which could well force the hand of even a reluctant Turkey. “
Join the conversation and have a little fun at Capitalstool.com. If you are a new visitor to the Stool, please register and join in! To post your observations and charts, and snide, but good-natured, comments, click here to register. Be sure to respond to the confirmation email which is sent instantly. If not in your inbox, check your spam filter.