These are strange time we live in.

Lol I've been expecting this since the incident in Crimea occurred.

This is unreal.

They have a history of doing this.

their leadership had been looking like it was moving away from positions we might support in the last year or two, but then just last week they reestablished diplomatic relations with Israel. They have been having zillions of refuges streaming across their borders...I am unclear what the military's political stance might be. It could be to move back closer to western views, or the opposite which would be game changing for the world.

This one worries me.

I am interested in what you mean...mind elaborating?
Thanks

This has some pretty large implications for our Middle East policy. Well worth paying attention a little more closely than normal. Bad night to be stationed at Incirlik.

I don't know who to root for.

There is a report that the coup has been defeated.

Can't go wrong backing the Packers.

+1

Packers? I thought being ghey wasn't legal there.

You're right, they'd shoot you as soon as you entered town.

FIFY

Drafter?

Drafter's not here man

Of course not, he ran off when you tried to enter him.

They should rename the country since Chicken coup sounds bettter.

Well, Turkey is one of Russia's Southern neighbors as it shares a costal border across the sea. Seems like it would be a prime holding for Russia because it would sever the land route to the middle east from Europe and the Russians could leverage fuel and passage.

Additionally the Church of Constantinople still exists in Istanbul; it's the seat governing seat of all Orthodox Christianity much like the Vatican is for Roman Catholics. With Putin's strong religious ties, it would be the gem of his acheivements for Russia to say it is in possession of one of the most Holy sites in Christianity. A bit of the Crimean incident had to do with Orthodox Christians feeling under represented while a good number of Ukrain's population is Roman Catholic.

It really seems like there's a tactical advantage for Russia to own Turkey just from a supply side perspective but I might be wrong.