Sweet karma for Iran I guess, it all comes back to that CIA backed coup all those years ago that removed a democratic president in favour of the Shah. All that sabre rattlers waiting for war against Iran seem to forget that it was the Western intervention in the coup that toppled President Mossadegh that eventually led to the Islamic Revolution and overthrow of their installed leader, the Shah.

@Sleepy_Fox I wonder how those two are still alive and free in China?

Or may be their days are running out?

@yordanyordanov What's going on with Turkey tho? It seems to acting pretty rogue as a NATO member recently.

Turkey is already NATO in paper only.

Erdogan slaughtered the military and took charge of the country single-handedly.

The recent talks with Russia regarding the Su 57 fighter jets makes the status even more tenuous as it already was.

Did you guys in the West did not know that?

Erdogan plans to create a neo Ottoman empire or something now?

No one really knows, not even the Turks, but he is now one step away from proclaiming himself a sultan and the worst part is that Putin has his back.

To the dismal of both the Turkish and the Russian peoples.

All the while it's even more uncertain times in Israel, Netenyahu's government is in grave danger of losing their majority. I wonder what Israel's future political influence will be now.

Reality is no one around here, I mean the Balkans, really knows how that thing happened because we all were used to knowing that Russia is our greatest ally and Turkey-our greatest enemy, and now things are out of control.

I even heard some Greeks (let me remind you that Greece and Serbia are like-ultra Russian) talk shit about Russia nowadays.

Things had change so much that no one can really predict what will happen.

I do not know would Putin make the step of allying himself with the Islamists but if he does it would really turn the Russian people's gut on the inside.

Especially considering Russia's own history with Islamists. Chechnya and Afghanistan.

If he doesn't-he will lose great opportunity to strike a devastating blow to the West, and you know what, that's exactly what these KGB freaks have always wanted to do.

Right now the KGB, not the people of Russia, are facing a hard choice the result of which I really can't predict.

I mean Putin isn't that dumb to forget the mistake that the Soviets did in Afghanistan.
Who really "lost" that war in hindsight is so interesting now.

If they help the Islamists they can destabilize the Near east and turn it into the grave of the West, however, the price for it would be the soul of their own people, because Russia will turn into something UGLY for everyone daring to call himself Russian proud of his history.

@ashzeppelin I'm talking about something completely else here.

Putin's experience with Islamists so far is ruthless oppression tho.

I Afghanistan the soviets were fighting AGAINST the Islamists. Now, they will have to fight WITH them.

Not really, not for the last few years.

They stroke some quite good deals with Erdogan.

Isn't Chechnya as bad as the Uighur regions of China?

Nope.

There is a full blown Sharia in the Caucuses, if you don't know. It's against the Russian laws but they tolerate it as long as it is not aimed against the ruling party.

It is disgust for many Russians but Putin is having a score out of it because it helps him keep the Islamists under control and get rich out of that lucrative oil.

Oh that's one thing the USSR didn't do I guess

It looks like Kremlin can strike some pretty lucrative deals with the Islamists now,

however

The price will be their "Christianhood".

Thing is the Kremlin aren't really Christians, they are as godless as it takes, so if they can get money and influence by selling their souls, they are all into it.

But THE ORDINARY RUSSIANS aren't like it!

And this is actually why Putin's ratings are falling down and teh Russians demand answers out of their government right now.

You mentioned some Greeks being Pro Russian, isn't this meaning thaf they have got their hands on both sides of the conflict in the Aegean Sea?

This is exactly part of the conflict I'm talking about @ashzeppelin

Greece was liberated by the Russians as was my country, too.

Without Russia we wouldn't be independent right now.