Putin Vladimir

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan departs for Russia on Aug. 9 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in his first trip abroad since the failed coup attempt of July 15. It will also be Erdoğan’s first visit to Russia after the crisis that began with the downing of a Russian Su-24 jet by Turkish F-16s after they violated the border with Syria on Nov. 24, 2015; two Russian air force pilots died as a result of the incident.

The following article was published in the Russian website Katehon. It is interesting in two aspects. First, it is expressing the viewpoint of a section of Russian elite. Second, as the writer makes a polemic against other currents inside Russian elite, he is helping us to understand better various schools of thought which compete for influence in both the Kremlin and Russian public at large.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Arab media outlets quoted diplomats in Ankara as disclosing that Turkey's President Erdogan was alerted by Russia against an imminent army coup hours before it was initiated on Friday, while a western media outlet said Erdogan asked his supporters to remain in the streets after receiving advice from Tehran.

Turkey is ready to work towards restoration of peace and stability in the region together with Russia and Iran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a telephone conversation with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Monday.

The bomber was shot down last November. Turkey claimed the Russian plane entered its airspace, while Russia categorically denied these accusations. "Two Turkish pilots who...

The idea that Russia poses a threat to any NATO nation is as plausible as the notion that Saddam Hussein threatened the world with weapons of mass destruction. Or that Libya’s Gadhafy was preparing a genocidal campaign against his own people. Or that Iran plans to use nukes to wipe Israel off the map. These are all examples of the Big Lie.

For the President of Turkey it seems at least a tactical, but more likely as a strategic retreat. He is obliged to stop his support for Gaza Palestinians in exchange for "normalizing" his relations with Ankara. He will naturally pay a heavy price for his political inconsequence. The rapprochement of Ankara and Tel Aviv will help "curb" some Iranian "ambitions", believe some Turkish commentators.

From the Archive: In the 1980s, the Reagan team pioneered “perception management” to get Americans to “kick the Vietnam Syndrome,” an ongoing propaganda structure now justifying...

The neocon-flagship Washington Post fired a propaganda broadside at President Putin for shutting down the Russian activities of the National Endowment for Democracy, but left out key facts like NED’s U.S. government funding, its quasi-CIA role, and its plans for regime change in Moscow, writes Robert Parry.

The current US and NATO policies have set us on an extremely dangerous collision course with the Russian Federation, as well as with China