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| Turkish President Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Tsipras |
Jeff—Saturday
Flash! Greek and
Turkish leaders clash.
So what else is new? Quite a bit actually.
On Thursday, President Erdogan of Turkey traveled to Athens,
to meet with Greece’s heads of state, namely its President Pavlopouos (a
largely ceremonial position) and Prime Minister Tsipras (head of its ruling
coalition). The event was billed as an
opportunity for improving relations between the two long-time antagonists, but
according to the press coverage I’ve seen, a hoped for kumbaya moment never occurred.
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| Presidents Erdogan and Pavlopoulos |
No Turkish President had visited Greece in 65 years, yet
what seemed to occupy Erdogan’s mind on this historic occasion was not the
future, but an obsession with the past, 1923 to be precise. I’m talking about
the Treaty of Lausanne, signed by Turkey, Greece, Great Britain, Japan, and
Italy. That treaty carved the borders of modern day Turkey out of the now
defunct Ottoman Empire, which had backed the losing side in World War I.
Please take note that I’m referring to a 94-year-old
treaty, and not the 2015 Lausanne Accord establishing the framework for the
Iran Nuclear deal, though the resentment by some to the latter seems to match
Turkey’s attitude toward the former.
This was not the first time Erdogan had expressed his desire
to redraw the Treaty’s borders, and I can assure you not with the intention of expanding
Greece’s land mass. Yet, to have made
such an aggressive, face-to-face public demand upon Greece’s heads of state in
their nation’s capital demonstrates what the French would call chutzpah.
But then again, why wouldn’t he? Tough guys are all the rage in international
diplomacy these days. And they’re getting what they want. Just look around Erdogan’s neighborhood.
Russia annexed the Crimea and moved into Ukraine (yeah, I
know, they’re not “really” in the Ukraine, Pollyanna), and what happened? They’re still there. Syria’s leader did whatever he damn well pleased
to his people, and where’s he? Don’t ask, but while on that subject, where’s
its benefactor Iran?—Answer: creating a corridor from its western border
straight through Iraq and Syria to the Mediterranean, while battling Saudi
Arabia via Yemen.
Then there’s Africa and Asia. Tough guys getting rid of
those they dislike (e.g., Myanmar). All following the same formula: offer PR
justification, maintain the lie, and do as you please, because there’s no one
to stop you.
The world today seems like a classroom full of very bad
delinquents, freely bullying their classmates, because the teacher has left the
building.
And, oh yes, let’s not forget China, subtly expanding its
influence far beyond its Asia region.
Face it folks, the world today is a shopping cart for tough
guys, because the EU is struggling to survive, and the US is retreating to
within its borders.
This is not a good time for the weak, or the principled. Beware.
—Jeff
Jeff’s Upcoming Events
My ninth Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis novel, AN AEGEAN APRIL, publishes on January 2,
2018 and here is the first stage of my book tour:
Thursday, January 4 @ 7PM
Poisoned Pen Bookstore,
Scottsdale, AZ (joint appearance with Thomas Perry)
Saturday, January 6 @ 2 PM
Clues Unlimited
Tucson, AZ
Monday, January 8 @
7PM
Vromans (on Colorado)
Pasadena, CA
Wednesday, January 10 @ 7PM
Tattered Cover (on Colfax)
Denver, CO
Saturday, January 13 @ 2 PM
Book Carnival
Orange, CA
Sunday, January 14 @ 2 PM
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
Wednesday, January 17 @ 7 PM
Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park)
Seattle, WA
Thursday, January 18 @ 7 PM
Janet Rudolph’s Mystery Readers Literary Salon
Berkeley, CA
Sunday, January 21 @ 7 PM
Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA
Thursday, January 25 @ 7 PM
Mysterious Bookshop
New York, NY
Friday, February 2 @ 7PM
Centuries & Sleuths (Forest Park)
Chicago, IL
Saturday, February 3 @ 12 PM
Once Upon A Crime
Minneapolis, MN
