Real Reason Behind Turkey’s Shoot-down of the Russian Jet

[bemildred]

By Gareth Porter, December 1, 2015

The United States and its NATO allies offered a ritual of NATO unity after Turkish officials presented their case that the shoot-down of a Russian jet occurred after two planes had penetrated Turkish airspace.

The Turkish representative reportedly played a recording of a series warnings that the Turkish F16 pilots had issued to the Russian jets without a Russian response, and the United States and other NATO member states endorsed Turkey’s right to defend its airspace.

U.S. Defense Department spokesman Colonel Steve Warren supported the Turkish claim that 10 warnings had been issued over a period of five minutes. The Obama administration apparently expressed less concern about whether Russian planes had actually crossed into Turkish airspace.

Col. Warren admitted that U.S. officials were yet to establish where the Russian aircraft was located when the Turkish missile hit the plane.

http://www.theglobalist.com/real-reason-behind-turkeys-shoot-down-of-the-russian-jet/

Edit: This is more or less my view of why they did it.

[Jefferson23]

1. Porter is one of the very best investigative journalists around. His work on the Iran deal

was outstanding.

As I commented yesterday, the only benefit from the idiot Erdogan's plan is that
despite his objectives, he is exposed and Obama's response to it was demanding
the closed border which was necessary despite the alliances the US still seems to
want to maintain.

[Jefferson23]

2. Erdogan: I'll resign if Putin proves we shot down plane to protect ISIS oil trade

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that he would resign if Russia could prove that Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in order to protect its oil trade with Islamic State.

Erdogan's comments, made to reporters at the UN climate summit in Paris, came in response to allegations made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Putin, who has signed a decree imposing economic sanctions on Turkey over the incident, said on Monday Turkey shot down the Russian jet because it wanted to protect supplies of oil from Islamic State militants.

"As soon as such a claim is proved, the nobility of our nation requires [me] to do this," CNN quoted Erdogan as telling reporters at the climate change summit in Paris on Monday.

Erdogan added, however, that should the claims prove to be false, Putin should be the one to step down.

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Erdogan-Ill-resign-if-Putin-proves-we-shot-down-plane-to-protect-ISIS-oil-trade-435931

[Nyan]

3. One of the times he said the same phrase "I'll resign if..."

was, as I recall, when he was confronted by his opponents about his corruption charges. It seems to happen more often than not, and not very believable every time he says it.

[Jefferson23]

4. Turkey could do much better than Erdogan and deserve better too..we'll see what develops.n/t