A reminder in all the present confusion that Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a jihadist scoundrel with revanchist caliphate dreams. Turkey is not an ally of the United States, and should not be in NATO.

“Concerns as Turkish Navy surrounds Cyprus,” by Vassilis Nedos, Ekathimerini, October 9, 2019:

Tension mounted in the Eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday as the Turkish Navy practically encircled Cyprus with almost 20 vessels, including frigates and submarines.

Turkey’s move coincided with the imminent launch of operations by the Yavuz drillship within Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), while the Barbaros vessel is also conducting seismographic research in the island’s waters.

At the same time, there were no French or American military forces present in the region.

This absence of Western powers with economic interests in the region at a time when Turkey is blatantly violating Cyprus’s EEZ is seen to signify that countries like France and the United States clearly want to avoid a militarization of the crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean, which is something that Ankara obviously wants.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s behavior in the Eastern Mediterranean was at the epicenter of Tuesday’s trilateral summit in Cairo between Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, and was roundly condemned….