Turkey, Iran and 15 Arab countries

It seems we are facing the biggest threat we face in half a century. Iran and Turkey are separated, they are expanding in an unprecedented way in the region, and because of them, all the countries in the region are under threat. The Turks in Libya are a direct threat to Egypt, the most dangerous since the signing of the Camp David peace agreement, which ended the possibility of a war against it. Tunisia and Algeria are indirectly threatened by the mobilization of multinational Islamist armed groups in Tripoli. Sudan is also subject to infiltration by these groups, although it is the shortest border with Libya, about four hundred kilometers.

Iran, its project as a regional power has given it almost complete control over Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, and through Iraq it now threatens Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the Emirates.

The two Turkish and Iranian forces, their armies and militias are now at war in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia and Libya.

This new situation threatens everyone and requires a political rally to address it, and sends a clear message that there are 15 Arab countries threatened by Iranian and Turkish incursions and are ready, within collective Arab action, to form a coalition of defenders.

Despite the danger and the fires, collective action appears limited, perhaps because the image appears disjointed for the public opinion of the region, as it appears as sporadic and limited battles. For example, in Libya, everyone was surprised by the direct Turkish military intervention, which no one had thought of. The war in Libya had been seen, before that, as an extension of the crisis for nine years. The Turkish military intervention and its Syrian militias became snake-like, introduced fear and moved defensive instincts, and we saw a shift in the positions of the countries there. For years Tunisia and Algeria have not organized Turkey’s interference in the past period, considering it a Libyan-Libyan conflict, supported by several external parties. Likewise, Egypt did not even think Erdogan’s forces would be at its borders. Today the danger is grave, and it is certainly in the crosshairs. Likewise, Algeria is not safe, bearing in mind that Turkey will not hesitate to extend its influence within the country if security imbalances occur there.

The truth is that Turkish bad intentions have long been written on the walls, as they say, but no one was ready to believe it, because they seem “paranoia” and exaggerations due to the dispute with its president, Erdogan. Nobody doubts it. Officially and publicly, Ankara has sent its forces and equipment, and thousands of militias that fought in Syria are fighting in Libya under the Turkish flag, and the sides have reached Sirte and the Oil Crescent. Doubts are no longer “paranoia” but a fact, and the story will not end there.

Some ask, why do the Turks risk war in a distant region? Part of Turkey’s strategy is to influence the North African region, which is important for European security, its presence gives it influence over the countries of the European Union and forces it to accept its demands. We have already seen how Erdogan, the Turkish president, has used millions of Syrian refugees to impose his political and financial demands on Europeans. This scenario will repeat itself when it controls Libya, blackmails Europeans and threatens its neighbors, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Sudan.

As for his next fight in Yemen, why? Furthermore, it would give the Turks and their Qatari financier leverage in Washington and in order to weaken the other Gulf states.

* Quoted from “Asharq Al-Awsat”