Generational Dynamics World View

[John J. Xenakis]

** 11-Mar-2020 World View: Growing crisis between Greece and Turkey

DaKardii Wrote:> John, in addition to China, there are two other regions that I
> think could explode this year because of coronavirus: The Balkans
> and the Middle East.

> In the Balkans, Greece and Turkey are moving dangerously close to
> war because of the migrant crisis at their border. Greece has
> deployed its military to all Turkish border outposts, and there
> have been reports of live ammunition being fired. Meanwhile, the
> Turkish military is assisting the migrants across the border and
> even arming them with tear gas canisters to use against Greek
> soldiers. It has also deployed drones to the border and is pushing
> back migrants trying to cross back into Turkey. Erdogan's
> government has been engaging in increasingly belligerent rhetoric
> towards not only Greece, but the entire continent of Europe, in
> response to this crisis. It could only be a matter of time before
> tensions escalate into a full-blown border conflict.

> Right now, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in
> Turkey. But the border crisis has already escalated to this point
> without it. If/when the virus strikes Turkey, it likely
> will make the crisis much worse, as Turkey would then have a much
> greater incentive to remove the migrants from its
> territory.

I've written about this a number of times in relation to the crisis in
Idlib, Syria, but as you point out, then tension between Turkey and
Greece, which is millennia old, is getting worse.

Just today, Turkey's Erdogan referred to the Greeks as Nazis:

Quote:> "There is no difference with what the Nazis did and
> the images from the border with Greece. To open fire, fire tear
> gas and use boiling water on innocent people whose only aim is to
> save their lives and build a better future for their children is
> barbaric in the true meaning of the word."

Erdogan is really pissed off that the EU has repeatedly refused to
honor its commitments to Turkey, and so Turkey is now abandoning its
commitments to Greece and the EU.

• Thousands of migrants in Turkey have crowded along the border
  with Greece since the end of February.

-- With Nazi reference, Turkey's Erdogan escalates dispute with Greece
over migrants
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/eu-greece-...-1.5493516
(AP, 11-Mar-2020)