Does Trump’s nasty letter in which he immorally insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reflect the state of meltdown that Erdogan is witnessing? Why is discarding the letter not enough? Will the dispute develop into an American economic war against Turkey? What will the response be?
The upcoming battle might not be between the Arab Syrian army and its new Kurdish allies against Turkey’s President Erdogan and his forces, which are launching attacks and taking over the border strip of Northern Syria; it will be between Erdogan and Donald Trump, his ally, friend and partner in NATO. Trump’s attack in the form of a letter sent to President Erdogan on Oct. 9, which included vicious insulting and undiplomatic expressions, reflects the impolite and ugly way Trump deals with his counterparts, especially in the Middle East.
Following the Turkish attack on northern Syria, Trump addressed Erdogan in a letter saying, “Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool.” He used language that can only be described as vulgar, as he added: “You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy—and I will.”
One would expect President Erdogan to feel quite insulted after receiving the letter, to discard it and to announce that he will not be receiving the American delegation that arrived in Ankara today headed by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Erdogan nevertheless retracted his threat to boycott the delegation and received it, not by retaliating, but responding according to the noble notions of Islam and its values, although the delegation deserved to be ignored and expelled. However, who are we to judge?
We do not know what Pence said to his Turkish hosts and we do not know what happened behind the scenes with the Turkish president. What we do know after seeing the photos (as pictures do not lie) is that the meeting was tense and uncomfortable. This was apparent from looking at Pence, the accompanying delegation and the Turkish president.
One question remains unanswered: Will Erdogan respond to the demands of the American delegation and stop the attack on the Kurds, America’s allies in northern Syria, in order to subvert a humanitarian massacre? Or will he proceed with the attack and face the threat to sabotage the Turkish economy as mentioned in Trump’s letter? All we know is that both presidents are currently facing a tough situation and challenges, whereas Syrian President Bashar Assad and his Russian counterpart are happily watching the rift between the two NATO partners.
President Trump is facing a fierce inquiry by Congress on corruption charges of asking the Ukrainian president to investigate the son of his political opponent Joe Biden. Trump is also facing the failure of his policies in the Middle East and East Asia. He is acting like a wounded tiger who is lashing out in all directions, unable to distinguish between friends and enemies, which constitutes the uttermost stupidity.
We are not surprised by leaked media reports describing a stormy meeting between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Trump, reporting that the president had a meltdown during that meeting.
The extent of the confrontation between Erdogan and Trump is so fierce that it will diminish the intensity of the current confrontations in northern Syria unless one of the sides decides to succumb to the threat of the other. On one hand, there might be an uncontrolled confrontation, and on the other, a wise and self-controlled Russian intervention that knows how to implement the solutions it sets. Only God knows!
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