Turkey shot down a Russian jet this week .. and with it, shattered the safety and security of the world.
While the planet may always seem to be a hair trigger away from total chaos and anarchy, this event seemed likely to push us further to the brink of war.. or something.
Thanksgiving in America, people rushing home to be with friends and foes alike. Meanwhile the rest of the planet isn’t taking that break, instead they are rushing to battle.. arming their weapons.. finding their stations. Launching their tactics.. and positioning themselves in the game of either chess or checkers depending on your point of view of modern headlines.
This is the planet at large. One filled with doom and gloom..
Terror and tales of fear.
The horror isn’t just on movie screens or televisions.. it’s real. It’s now beginning to be palpable.
The REUTERS news service issued an opinion dispatch that may dampen the turkey gravy your dinner table.
The headline is blunt:
Preventing World War Three in Syria between Turkey and Russia
Is ‘wow’ the correct way to describe a reaction to such a piece?
Joshua Walker writes this in the report,
Despite hopes of a “grand coalition” forming in the wake of the Ankara, Sinai, and Paris bombings claimed by the so-called Islamic State, now there is an urgent need for de-escalation to salvage what little is left of peace and stability in the Middle East.
Moscow’s immediate accusations of Ankara’s “back-stabbing” and support for Islamic State followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warnings of “serious consequences,” highlight just how high the stakes in Syria are for all parties involved. Hopes that the spillover effects from Syria could be contained are now dashed.
Turkey’s support of their ethnic brethren, the Turkmen of the northern Syrian region where the Russian pilots likely ejected, will only further complicate the situation on the ground. Given the fissures among the Kurds, Islamists, and rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian supported forces, there is no hope of victory on the ground. To avoid further confrontation in the air and to prevent Russia from any retaliatory action, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization must re-affirm its support of Turkey and call for an immediate no-fly moratorium over Syria.
Yes indeed, these are serious times. Serious consequences also can result from actions or inactions.. Mistakes or mishaps.
And yes… TURKEY is a member of NATO. And NATO may be requested to…say…defend appropriately.. and Russia may … say.. respond to Turkey.. and China may…say… take a stand. And Kim Jong UN will ask for attention with a nuclear test.
And you can see how this ends.
We are thrust into chaos continuously. Cooler heads can prevail. One of these days they won’t.
The choice is in the hands of leaders who can push buttons and launch missiles.. Leaders who are fallible. Leaders with mental illness..
And leaders who we elect or are stuck with.
Yes, indeed. Preventing “world war 3” is a mighty task. Especially with the escalation of tension of tactics…