Turkey not backing away from its policy in Syria: James Jatras

Press TV has conducted an interview with James Jatras, a former US Senate foreign policy analyst from Washington, to discuss the recent remarks by a senior Russian official on the ongoing Turkey’s support for terrorist groups in Syria.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Russia has come out saying that Turkey is sending reinforcements. The wording is kind of different; it shows more aggressive push by Turkey perhaps. What do you think? Do you think Turkey is doing this and not getting a green light from maybe the US? The US is in the region; I believe that Incirlik Air Base is in the area if not closer maybe. What do you think?

Jatras: It is hard to know what exactly the Americans, what we are telling our allies, the Turks, just as it is hard to know what kind of relationship we have or what we say to the Saudis when they do horribly destructive and irresponsible things. At this point, not even it is clear that Turkey has state sponsor of terrorism, but I think we have to start doubting the rationality of President Erdogan. You know they say one of the definitions of insanity is when you see that your efforts have failed and you redouble your efforts. And it is quite clear that they are not backing away from their support for terrorism in Syria even as to their goal of overthrowing the Syrian government is looking less and less likely and, in fact, Erdogan has managed to ignite what is going to be a civil war in his own country. If you look at the way they are using their security forces against people in the southeast of Turkey, he is destabilizing Turkey itself, but nonetheless, he is not backing away from his very destructive policies.

Press TV: So, I am gathering if we are using insanity in this context; maybe it is that Turkey has lost control of these terrorists and they are acting because they may be friend. I mean; I do not know. This could be speculation, but they are just nonstop continuing with this support with no clear explanation really, given the fact that you have all this diplomatic push coming through. As you said they are jeopardizing their own country to this.

Jatras: That is right and of course this is one of the characteristic signs of blowback we have seen with American and other countries that have supported terrorist groups and suddenly they seemed shocked when these people slip their leash and comeback and hit us as was the case on 9/11, as was the case in Benghazi. You would think you would learn from these countries; you think other countries would learn from these lessons, but they do not. They support these groups; they try to use them as instruments of policy and then they realize [that] they have created like a Frankenstein monster that it is much a danger to them as it is to other people, but nonetheless they do not how to back away because they just keep doing what they are doing; they follow the path of least resistance, the path of inertia.  

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