"Between the bear and the elephant

 I don’t know why but i cannot take the new cold war tension in Black Sea very seriously. My mind is somewherelse. But there is certainly some tension.

  via and via

Between the bear and the elephant

Turkey is trying to tread a fine line of diplomacy between Russia and the West. As an American ally, Turkey has trained and partially equipped the Georgian armed forces under American guidance that aimed to encircle growing Russian power in the Caucasus.

Turkey cannot afford disruption in ties with Russia, says Erdoğan

Dependent on Russian natural gas and oil to meet its growing energy needs, Turkey cannot risk bilateral ties with Moscow due to the recent economic tension that has hit Turkish exports, said

Turning against EU brings no democracy

Some circles who want to hamper Turkey’s European Union bid, seek the media support because a top quality democracy is not welcomed in Turkey. These groups realized: EU means

Turkey: A precarious bridge between East and West

By Grassroots

"Turkey: A precarious bridge between East and West
Turkey’s position as a precarious bridge between East and West is highlighted once more as it is torn between its NATO obligations and its important trade partner Russia. Barriers at customs remind Turkey of the potential danger of upsetting Moscow, while NATO ships on the Black Sea armed with Tomahawks and anti-ship missiles irritate Russians"

Turkey Is It East or West? – Baghdad Bureau – Iraq From the Inside – New York Times Blog

EDM TURKEY’S DELICATE ACT OF BALANCING IN THE BLACK SEA

Turkey moves ahead with ‘unsatisfying’ Caucasus diplomacy

As Turkey readies to host the rival sides of the latest Caucasus war along with to ongoing a telephone diplomacy with world leaders, analysts yesterday considered Turkish policy toward the

Turkey’s location, a blessing or a curse?

Semih Idiz

Turkey’s troubles in the Caucasus

From Michael Reynolds

The outbreak of the Russian-Georgian War earlier this month apparently caught Ankara as poorly prepared as it caught Washington. The Turkish Foreign Ministry’s section dealing with the Caucasus reportedly was virtually unstaffed. The head of the section was in Mosul on temporary assignment, the section’s number-two spot is empty and has been for the last six months. The number three was also away on temporary assignment in Nakhichevan and the other assigned section members were on vacation, thus forcing on-duty diplomats from other desks to scramble."