The dangerous meeting between Putin and Erdogan

The meeting between Erdogan and Putin, in St. Petersburg, is of very great importance for the effects that may determine on the future structure of the international scene. Does not seem to be a chance that this meeting takes place in a time when the United States are more involved in the presidential campaign, which in international affairs, while Europe can not be said to have developed the necessary skills to cope with new and old emergencies that develop on the plane diplomat. This premise is necessary to frame the meeting as a fact to be classified as against the West, as a political and military aggregate, hated for various reasons in Russia and Turkey, which are in this aversion common ground to be able to develop new strategies and alternative models. It matters little if the relations between the two states have a difficult recent past, their differences can be overcome in the name of common interests. After the coup, real or perceived, the regime of Erdogan has not had perhaps expected, supported by Western countries, often veiled by the turkish president accused of being one of the architects of the maneuver; the progressive distancing from Europe and increasingly evident is coinciding with equal by the United States mode and, as regards the Atlantic Alliance the consequences could be similar. Putin, agriculture policies of unscrupulous experience, immediately identified this gap to open and widen the rift between Turkey and the West to their advantage. The model which now pursues the head of the Kremlin is to create a wide area of ​​Eurasian unity, as balancing the presence of the European Union, under Russian influence, able to trace the boundaries of the Soviet Union, to which must be added Turkey, of course, and even Iran. It understands that the project is ambitious, if only for the fact of trying to put under the same union a Sunni and a Shiite country, distant not only for religious reasons, but also with opposing geopolitical visions; just think of Syria. However at this stage Moscow aims at a purely economic aggregation, which can be a starting point for future developments. On the other hand is in the interests of all stakeholders, including independent countries that were part of the Soviet Union, such as Azerbaijan, revive economies, which for different reasons, they need new stimuli. This is true for Russia, the subject of Western sanctions for the Ukrainian issue, for Iran, which came out from sanctions for the nuclear issue, but hardly to restart its economy and for Turkey, in fact isolated from Western markets for its political breakthrough in religious and anti-democratic way. It must be noted, incidentally, that, as regards the European Union, the senior manager of these developments is Germany, which has often forced the other countries in Brussels to a political attitude characterized by deep uncertainty towards these international actors, with the only reason to protect their markets. Brussels has granted too is Russia, that Turkey, about the behaviors that have and are taking internationally, not protecting international law and thus becoming passive accomplices of dangerous attitudes for regional balance. Of course the timidity of the other European governments and the inconsistency of the EU institutions have been the natural contour to facilitate this situation. The project of Putin, though, despite being a reality im embryo, must be closely followed by the West, which should certainly not interfere with economic or political alliances, which fall under the full sovereignty of the states, as carefully consider the possible consequences on international structures. Putin wants to create a zone of influence from which Russia can return to play the role of a superpower is not a secret: the Kremlin chief has never hidden these ambitions, which were, even so public as to be included in his election program. The fact is that this trend seems to have been snubbed by the timid Obama's foreign policy and the already well-founded European inconsistency. One of the consequences is that the Atlantic Alliance lose an associate considered up to now essential to the chessboard strategy and as an aggravating Turkey could go to flow in Russian. This possibility would give out the Middle Eastern side Western military organization, having a potential enemy on the borders of Europe. This has to be carefully considering the lack of resolution of the Ukrainian question, which brings countries alarm that belonged to the Soviet bloc and entered the Atlantic Alliance. Putin, ie, tightening closer relations with Ankara would get the dual result to complicate the plans of Washington and to put pressure on the United States from the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe. There is also the possibility that Erdogan is to lead a dangerous game, coming close to Putin, to provoke a fear in Europe, with which is undergoing a difficult deal to stop trafficking in human beings that are moving towards the eastern route , and at the same time to put pressure on the United States, about his stay in the Atlantic Alliance. The West can pretend to lack of democratic standards in Turkey and the US can tolerate the ambiguous positions on the Islamic state, or vice versa, take a hard road to Ankara, consistent with its principles. This option would represent a cost, although high, but would put insurmountable borders on Western principles; certainly arise the need to think about alternatives, certainly more expensive in terms of financial and military commitment, which can not be lugging whole the United States, but that might give birth, finally, a mutual effective cooperation in European countries, especially in the field of common defense, with the establishment of a European army and a unified foreign policy address. To do that Brussels should move immediately avoiding the particular interests as much as possible to look with a wider perspective: it will be capable of?