Addressing Turkish Aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean

Without long-overdue leadership from Washington, Turkey’s aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean will deepen threats to US national security.

 
Just as China has taken advantage of the West’s internal COVID-related turmoil to advance its positions in the South China Sea, Turkey is making alarming moves that threaten to combine Eastern Mediterranean energy competition and Libya’s growing proxy war into one major conflict.

Without long-overdue leadership from Washington, Turkey’s aggression will deepen threats to US national security.

Since the Arab upheavals beginning in 2011, Turkey and Qatar’s support for the transnational, extremist Sunni Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Syria, and elsewhere triggered rising tensions with a conservative, pro-status quo Arab bloc led by US partners like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and – after 2013 – Egypt.

 
Energy Competition

A new complicating factor arose at the same time this regional rivalry was hardening, namely massive offshore natural gas discoveries by Israel, Cyprus, and Egypt.

Unlike these maritime neighbors, Turkey never accepted the Law of the Sea Convention that gives countries – including islands like Cyprus – the right to an exclusive economic zone for energy exploration. Super-imposed on this is Turkey’s non-recognition of Cyprus’ government. And in recent years, Turkey began exploring natural gas in waters almost everyone else believes are Cypriot.

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Πηγή: thedefensepost.com