This columnist provides more evidence that Russian aggression in Georgia may be producing a re-thinking of foreign policy in Turkey that can only be welcome to NATO, America, and the West. Turkey is potentially one of the few large, capable states in the Black Sea region with the ability to materially assist in checking Russian expansionism. However, the AKP’s foreign policy has been all over the map—now trying to improve relations with Iran, now trying to appease the EU, generally following (if not cultivating) anti-American popular attitudes—showing the typical drift of a state unable to prioritize its interests.

Now, there’s only so far Turkey will likely go in the short term, given that Russia supplies most of its natural gas, but as this article I pointed you to last night suggests, the Republic has a range of national interests adversely affected from Russian expansionism around the Black Sea, making them a natural ally in a coalition containing a rogue Bear. Serious people in the U.S. and Turkish governments should be sitting down and discussing how we can help rebuild our formerly strong relationship.

Confucius, Œc. Vol.

Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu.