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| The Grand Turk |
| VDH: Turkey vs. Greece – here's why this centuries-old rivalry matters now |
| 2020-09-14 |
| [FOX] Almost daily, Greek and Turkish aircraft and ships fight mock battles over disputed oil and gas rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Since the loss of much of the Christian Balkans to the Ottomans in the 15th century, Greece and what would later become modern Turkey have been rivals, outright enemies and often at war. Mutual NATO membership and shared Cold War fears of Soviet Russia did not stop the two from almost going to war after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Still, the current escalation seems weird. Most territorial claims and disputes over borders were settled almost a century ago, and the two countries have had mass population exchanges. Why, then, does the divide still run so deep? |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #8 If the Turks make motions to seize Greek islands, the Greeks need to sink a couple Turkish warships to get serious about things. Do we have some Tomahawks and Harpoons and Mk48 we can loan them? Maybe let them rent an ol LA 688 boat to haul those around in, and get a crew in there to train them... |
| Posted by: Theager Borgia1057 2020-09-14 16:40 |
| #7 /\...This was the Pre-GPS era and if you wanted accurate artillery you would need to base your position off of the nearest correct geodetic marker -- so the USMC had, as you say, an interest in helping NOAA check things out. |
| Posted by: magpie 2020-09-14 16:25 |
| #6 My Sister's first husband* told me about being in a Greek Inn drinking his morning coffee and hearing a proud Greek father coming in and ordering a round of drinks: "My son is a man today! He has killed his first Turk." (*He was Marine that was acting as a guide/interpreter for a NOAA group that was re-surveying geodetic markers back in the 60's...) |
| Posted by: magpie 2020-09-14 16:12 |
| #5 The 19th and early 20th Century saw the dissolution of most of Turkey's, aka Ottoman Empire, European conquests. Turkey entered WW1 on the German-Austrian side which lost in 1918. The Greeks were dragged into the war by a British-French invasion. It was in that post war situation that things turned ugly again between the parties resulting in mass ethnic cleansing. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2020-09-14 15:54 |
| #4 Duly noted, Raj! I still shake my head when I think of "too many men on the ice"...1979. |
| Posted by: Clem 2020-09-14 15:52 |
| #3 ... or Boston & Montreal! |
| Posted by: Raj 2020-09-14 14:38 |
| #2 Didn't the Greeks attack Turkey in the early 20th Century? But centuries-old rivalry? That rivalry doesn't hold a candle to Ohio State-Michigan. |
| Posted by: Clem 2020-09-14 11:42 |
| #1 As occupiers the Turks did many evil things. Cyprus is an ever living nightmare to the Greeks. Now with gas and oil development Turkey will be as aggressive as China. The Greeks expect this and are preparing now. It will require a united front to have Turkey heel. |
| Posted by: Dale 2020-09-14 11:34 |