A dangerous escalation of Turkey's tension with Russia

Actually, the tension is not only between Turkey and Russia but between the NATO alliance and Russia. NATO's Parliamentary Assembly urged its 28 members on May 30, after sessions in Tirana, to stand up to Russia's military "assertiveness" and "to provide reassurance" to those allies who feel their security is under threat, "focusing on the eastern and southern flanks of the alliance."

That focus particularly means the Russian pressure on the Baltic states Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia in the north (with its side-effects on Scandinavia), and on Turkey in the south, neighboring both Ukraine and Syria, which both have a considerable Russian military presence.

The declaration of the NATO assembly also asked members to increase their defense budgets in order to strengthen conventional and nuclear deterrence measures, heighten NATO military preparedness and boost cooperation with non-NATO members Sweden and Finland, neighboring the Baltics.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the current situation as "the biggest reinforcement of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War," and relations with Russia are expected to be discussed again at the NATO Summit in Warsaw on July 8-9. Poland, also neighboring the Baltics, currently hosts missiles of the NATO-operated U.S. Missile Defense System, which has early warning radars in Turkey. Both are seen as a reason of concern for Russia.

Turkey and Russia had been doing well as major trade partners, even after Russia annexed the Ukrainian soil of Crimea, which has historical and cultural ties with Turkey. Things changed dramatically after Russia's presence amassed in Syria, neighboring Turkey's southern borders, in support of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The...