What are They Faking and Why?

Miniature depicting Ottoman military campaign

One can find numerous examples here and elsewhere claiming Turkish president Erdogan and company are deluded and that is why it is not easy to make sense of their policy changes. As a matter of fact, it is not that difficult to grasp; their policy, or cause as they would say, has always been the same. It zigs and zags and zigs again; but the destination is always the land of love and peace where Islamic orgies bloom in its palaces. So, the sudden shift in relations with Israel and Russia looks absurd.

It is important to differentiate between someone who makes peace because he believes in peace, and someone who does it because he somehow needs it. Erdogan and his Islamists fall into the second category. Hence, they are faking peace.

One can always argue that Russian embargo hurts Turkish economy (it really does and costs Islamists precious votes especially in coastal cities, votes that they will presumably need to tailor a constitution that suits their delusions in the not so distant future) but it is really difficult to explain their change of heart with Israel, the terrorist state as they would say, many many times on and off the record. So, for what purpose did they require a peaceful relationship with Israel (and to a lesser extent with Russia)?

Hint: Erdogan said Syrian refugees could become Turkish citizens.
Hint: It is wildly speculative.

Why did We Eat It?

Turkey and Israel have decided to normalize relations, ending a 6-year dispute with 10 Turkish activists dead. In summary:

• Turkey gains a privileged role in Gaza's economic development and a lessening of its isolation in a deeply troubled region.
• Israel sees an end to its practical difficulties with Turkey and gets assurances about future Hamas activity on Turkish soil.
• There could also be important economic benefits to both countries in terms of the energy sector and tourism.

 This all means they are exactly where they were 6 years ago. Since it is next to impossible to understand how Turkish leaders make policy (I do have an explanation for this particular one but need more data to draft a beautiful conspiracy theory of my own), it is best to describe the final agreement with a short story:

One day, a rich farmer was going to downtown with his servant. He sit on his comfortable carriage rode by a beautiful horse and the servant on foot, they hit the road early to run a few errands. They saw a pile of fresh shit on the road and the wicked master decided to make fun of his poor servant:

"If you eat that shit, the carriage and the horse will be yours and I'm going to walk instead of you."

The poor servant looked at the carriage and the horse and then the pile of shit. He always hated this man. So, he decided to accept the challenge and despite the smell and disgusting taste, he managed to eat it. And on they went, roles reversed.

Soon, the poor servant was angry with himself. He could not look after a horse nor maintain a carriage. The farmer, on the other hand, could buy a new horse and a carriage anytime he wanted. "I ate that shit for nothing," he thought.
The farmer was also upset. "I lost a horse and carriage for a piece of shit," he contemplated.

On the way back, noticing another pile of recently produced shit gave them both the opportunity they sought. "Master," said the servant,

"Eat that shit and you can have your carriage and horse back."

The farmer jumped to the occasion, swallowed it quickly and got on his carriage again.

Approaching their village, the poor servant asked his master,

"On the way to town, you owned the carriage and the horse and I was on foot. Now, here we are, back where we started, you still own them and I'm still on foot. So, tell me master of mine, why did we eat that shit?"