Russia, US, Turkey and EU have military tensions that border Middle East

Major powers are now seeking confrontation globally and the borders of the Middle East are one place that they are pushing up against one another, like tectonic plates.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Sukhoi Su-35 jet fighters of the Russian Knights aerobatic team perform during International military-technical forum "Army-2020" at Kubinka airbase in Moscow Region August 25, 2020 (photo credit: REUTERS/MAXIM SHEMETOV)
Sukhoi Su-35 jet fighters of the Russian Knights aerobatic team perform during International military-technical forum "Army-2020" at Kubinka airbase in Moscow Region August 25, 2020
(photo credit: REUTERS/MAXIM SHEMETOV)
A convergence of incidents has seen both the US and Russia carry out jet interceptions with each other, while Turkey and its adversaries in the Mediterranean conduct military drills.
The messages are clear: Major powers are now seeking confrontation globally and the borders of the Middle East are one place that they are pushing up against one another, like tectonic plates.
Recently the US flew B-52 bombers over Ukraine and skirted Russian-controlled territory in Crimea and elsewhere. This came after Russia intercepted American B-52s over the Black and Baltic seas in late August. The interceptions of the B-52 Stratofortress bombers took place as the US is trying to reassure NATO of its commitment.
NATO has also had tensions with Russia after condemning the alleged poisoning of a dissident. The reports in August said that a Russian fighter even violated the airspace of a NATO nation – apparently Denmark.
The recent intercepts were carried out by Su-27s. Another intercept, Russia’s TASS media says, took place over the weekend as eight Russian jets scrambled to intercept three US B-52s over the Black Sea. “Four Su-27 fighter jets and four Su-30 fighter jets of the Southern Military District’s air defense units on duty were scrambled to intercept the US Air Force aircraft over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, with the aim to prevent their unauthorized incursion into the Russian airspace,” the Russians say.
The interceptions are all about the US and Russia showing off their power. Similar tensions occur near Alaska. It’s all about fighting for the post-Cold war space and the US hegemony being eroded.
The US is retreating from the “new world order” of the 1990s. However the US still projects strength worldwide. US national defense strategy envisions tensions with China, Russia and Iran. These are called “near-peer” or regional threats.
Meanwhile, NATO itself is having internal tensions between Greece and Turkey. Turkey has become more aggressive and belligerent. The Turkish leadership threatens Greece daily, hinting that current attempts to lay hold to parts of Syria, Iraq and Libya and even Jerusalem, are part of a religious mission. Turkey is currently led by a far-right government that supports the Muslim Brotherhood and is one of the most anti-Israel regimes in the world.
Currently, Turkey is now performing naval drills with Turkish-occupied Republic of Northern Cyprus. Turkey is the only nation that recognizes Northern Cyprus as a country.
The US and France are walking away from an arms embargo on the rest of Cyprus – the EU member – as it grows increasingly closer to Israel. This has set up the potential for conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean as Turkey lays claim to a huge area of the sea astride Greek energy claims including a Greek-Israel planned pipeline.
Turkey’s five day military drill comes this week, which is a week after major drills by Greece, the UAE and France. It also comes after Egyptian naval drills and after Turkey sent a naval flotilla to escort a research ship near Crete.
The UAE, which recently agreed to relations with Israel, sees Turkey’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan as becoming more aggressive.
Media in the Gulf portrays Turkey as “beating the drums of war” and creating problems with all its neighbors. Meanwhile Turkey is buying S-400 air defense system from Russia to challenge NATO, even though Turkey is a member of NATO.
Turkey thrives on crises but it also is wadding into a potential conflict. Similarly the US and Russia are creating greater tensions. This is all linked. US Africa Command has highlighted Russia’s role in Libya and how Turkey also escalated conflict in Libya.
For Israel this matters because the US is Israel’s closest ally. New diplomatic relations with Kosovo are but one example of that, as is the US backing of Israel relations with the Gulf states.
However Israel and Russia have had frequent discussions about Syria. In addition Turkey was once an Israeli ally but is now supporting the Hamas terrorist group. That means that all these new tensions have major ramifications for Israel.
Israel is growing closer to Greece, Cyprus and the UAE as Turkey provokes in the Mediterranean. In the US an active pro-Turkey lobby tries to influence US policy, backed by Qatar which is allied to Turkey and Iran.
However at the same time the US is finally complaining to Turkey about backing Hamas. The game is afoot and the tensions in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean are now the playing field, a new Great Game for global influence as tectonic political plates push up against each other.